Access Menu

The Access Menu area deals with all the tools that you need to control your own access to your web site using cPanel, including managing files, protecting directories, backing up your site, and using SSL to access your web site.

Topics
   

File Manager

The File Manager allows you to manage your site through HTML, rather than an FTP tool or other third-party application. You can upload, create or delete files, organize files in folders, and change file permissions. While not as sophisticated as most FTP tools, File Manager is free and gives you all the basic functionality necessary to manage your site.

Note: All of the other topics in this section assume that you are already in File Manager.

To open and navigate in File Manager:

1. Click on the File Manager link in the Access Menu area.

2. Navigate by using the following:

   • Open a folder by clicking on the folder icon.

   • Go up a level by clicking on the Up one level link.

   • Use the path links at the top of the window to move up and down the path.

   • Select a folder, so as to view or modify its properties, by clicking on the folder name link.

Topics
   

Creating a new folder

Folders are a very useful way of adding organization and structure to your web site. They make maintenance of the site much easier, as you can easily see what files are in which folder. Most web sites include at least an /image folder to keep all the image files separate from the HTML files.

To create a new folder:

1. Navigate to the area in which you will create the new folder.

2. Click on the Create New Folder link.

3. Enter the name of the new folder in the available field in the top-left corner of the window.

4. Click on the button. The new folder will appear in the main display area.

Topics
   

Uploading files in File Manager

You can use File Manager to upload files to your web site, up to 12 files in one go. Although useful, a third-party FTP client has many more features and does not limit you to the number of files you can upload at one time. Refer to the FTP section for more information.

To upload files in File Manager:

1. Navigate to the folder where you want to upload your files.

2. Click on the Upload file(s) link.

3. Click on the button next to one of the top fields.

4. Search for and double-click on the first file to upload.

5. Repeat the above steps for each file you want to upload.

6. Click on the Overwrite existing files tick box if you want to overwrite existing files of the same name.

7. Click on the button when you have finished selecting files. The status of the upload will appear in the top-right corner of your window. The contents of the folder is displayed in the main area, including your uploaded files.

Topics
   

Creating a new file

For small text files it can be easier to create them online, rather than on your home computer and uploading the file. You can create text files, such as HTML, PHP, or plain TXT, but not binary files.

To create a new file:

1. Navigate to the folder where you want to create your text file.

2. Click on the Create New File link.

3. Enter the name of the file to be created in the available field in the top-right corner of your window. You do need to add the file extension to the name, for example script.pl for a Perl script, not just script.

4. Select the type of document from the drop-down list. Each type of file adds specific information to the text file:

   • Text Document - No text is added to the file.

   • HTML Document - No text is added to the file.

   • Perl Script - Automatically adds the path to Perl to the top of the file. Make sure to double-check that the path is correct.

   • Shell Script - Automatically adds the path to the Shell executable to the top of the file. Make sure to double-check that the path is correct.

5. Click on the button. The file has now been created and the display updated to show the new file. Refer to Editing a file to add text to these new files.

Topics
   

Editing a file

Editing a pre-existing file through File Manager allows you to make immediate changes to your web site, without having to upload a new version of the file. This is useful for small changes, but would be inefficient for large amounts of coding.

To edit a file:

1. Navigate to the folder where the file is located.

2. Click on the name of the file.

3. Click on the Edit File link in the top-right corner of your window. This will open a new window with the contents of the file displayed.

   Note: Clicking on the Show File link will display the contents of the file. However, you will not be able to make any changes to the file.

4. Alter the text of the file as you wish.

5. Click on the button when you have finished altering the file. The file has been saved and any changes will take effect from now on.

Topics
   

Renaming a file or folder

You can quickly rename a file or folder if you originally labelled a file or folder with the wrong name, or if the name needs to be updated. This is useful if a small number of files need to be changed, since you do not need to upload any files for the changes to take effect, but inefficient if you needed to rename your entire site.

To rename a file or folder:

1. Navigate to the file or folder.

2. Click on the Rename File link in the top-right corner of your window.

3. Enter the new name for the file or folder in the text field. You need to enter an extension if it is a file, such as .html for HTML files.

4. Click on the button. The file name has now been changed and the display updated to show the modified file.

Topics
   

Changing file/folder permissions

All files on UNIX (including Linux and other UNIX variants) machines have access permissions. These tell the operating system how to deal with requests to access these files. There are three types of access:

• Read - Denoted as r, files with read access can be displayed to the user.

• Write - Denoted as w, files with write access can be modified by the user.

• Execute - Denoted as x, files with execute access can be executed as programmes by the user.

Access types are set for three types of user group:

• User - the owner of the file.

• Group - other files which are in the same folder or group.

• World - everyone else.

The web server needs to be able to read your web pages in order to be able to display them in a browser. The following permissions need to be set in order for your web site to function properly.

• All HTML files and images need to be readable by others. The setting for this is 644 (readable by User, Group, and World, and writable by User), and is set automatically when you upload files.

• All folders need to be executable by others. The setting for this is 755 (readable by User, Group, and World, writable by User, executable by User, Group, and World), and is set automatically when you create a folder.

• All CGI files (all files in the cgi-bin folder) need to be executable by other. The setting for this is 755 (readable by User, Group, and World, writable by User, executable by User, Group, and World), and is not set automatically when you upload files. You need to change file permissions manually. Refer to the Introduction to CGI topic for more information.

Warning: It is important that none of your files or folders are writable by anyone else. Any file or folder which is writable by others can be erased by them. Generally there is no problem, just be careful in how you set your permissions.

To change file or folder permissions:

1. Navigate to the file or folder that you need to change.

2. Click on the name of the file or folder.

3. Click on the Change Permissions link in the top-right corner of the window.

4. Click on as many tick boxes as you require to create the right permission. The permission numbers underneath the tick boxes will update automatically.

5. Click on the button when you have finished setting the permission. The new permission level has now been saved and the display updated to show the modified file.

Topics
   

Deleting a file or folder

cPanel includes a Trash folder, which operates the same way as the Windows Recycle Bin. All deleted files are automatically placed in the Trash folder and can be restored to their original positions by a simple click. However, once you empty the Trash folder, the files are permanently deleted. Refer to Emptying the Trash for more information.

To delete a file or folder:

1. Navigate to the file(s) or folder(s) that you want to delete.

2. Click on the name of the file or folder to display the item's properties in the top-right corner of your window.

3. Click on the Delete File link. The deleted file or folder is now displayed in the Trash area. Refer to Restoring an item from the Trash if you deleted the wrong file or folder by accident.

Topics
   

Restoring an item from the Trash

You can easily restore a deleted file from the Trash by moving it from the Trash to another folder. Restored folders are automatically moved back to their original location. However, you will not be able to restore the item if you have emptied the Trash since deleting it - it has been permanently destroyed.

To restore an item from the Trash:

1. Click on the icon of the item that you want to restore in the Trash area on the bottom-right of the window. The folder or file will be automatically returned to its original location.

Topics
   

Emptying the Trash

Warning: Make sure you do not need any of the files or folders in the Trash before you empty it, because the files are deleted permanently once the Trash is emptied.

To empty the Trash:

1. Click on the Empty trash link in the Trash area. All of the files in the Trash have now been permanently deleted.

Topics
   

Web Protect Directories

You can protect directories within your site from browsers by using a password to protect them. This allows you to restrict material to only authorized users or store sensitive material online. This has the same appearance and effect as the password protection on cPanel.

To password protect a directory:

1. Click on the Web Protect link in the Account Settings area.

2. Navigate to the directory that you want to protect. Select a folder by clicking on the folder name link, or open a folder by clicking on the folder icon.

3. Click on the tick box next to the icon.

4. Enter the name that you want to appear in the Protected Resource Name field. This is optional and purely for the user's benefit.

5. Click on the button.

   Generally, you now need to add at least one authorized user to enable access to the directory. Refer to Adding an authorized user for more information.

Topics
   

Adding an authorized user

You can control who can access protected directories by adding authorized users. Generally, at least one authorized user needs to be added, otherwise no-one will not be able to view the directory.

To add or modify an authorized user:

1. Click on the Web Protect link in the Account Settings area.

2. Navigate to the required directory. Select a folder by clicking on the folder name link. Open a folder by clicking on the folder icon.

3. Enter the user's name in the Username field, and their password in the Password field.

4. Click on the button.

Topics
   

Changing an authorized user's password

You can change an authorized user's password at any time. This is useful if they have forgotten their password or they think someone has access to their account. It is a good idea to regularly change passwords.

To change an authorized user's password:

1. Click on the Web Protect link in the Account Settings area.

2. Navigate to the required directory. Select a folder by clicking on the folder name link. Open a folder by clicking on the folder icon.

3. Enter the user's name in the Username field, and their new password in the Password field.

4. Click on the button.

Topics
   

Removing an authorized user

Remove authorized users when they no longer should have access to a particular directory. This maintenance task is often forgotten and leaves a hole in your security, so remember to perform this procedure as soon as it is required.

To remove an authorized user:

1. Click on the Web Protect link in the Account Settings area.

2. Navigate to the required directory. Select a folder by clicking on the folder name link. Open a folder by clicking on the folder icon.

3. Select the required user in the Active Users list.

4. Click on the button.

Topics
   

Removing password protection

Removing password protection is as simple as adding it. You do not need to remove user authorization for the directory, as all the users will be automatically deleted when you remove the password protection.

To remove password protection from a directory:

1. Click on the Web Protect link in the Account Settings area.

2. Navigate to the protected directory. Select a folder by clicking on the folder name link. Open a folder by clicking on the folder icon.

3. Untick the tick box next to the icon.

4. Click on the button.

Topics
   

Raw access logs

You can download the raw access logs that contain all the recorded hit information that your site has received. These logs are only really useful if you have a preferred reporting tool that you prefer to use, rather than the variety of reporting tools presented in this section.

To download the raw access logs:

1. Click on the Raw Access Logs link in the Access Menu area.

2. Save the file to disk.

   Note: The access logs are in .gz (GZIP compression) format.

Topics
   

Backup

The Backup area allows you to download the backup file of your web site. If your computer crashes, or your personal backups are destroyed, this allows you to recover your site in a convenient manner (you could also use FTP to download each file - more control, but it would take longer).

Important: You should keep your own backup copy of your web site as well. Do not rely solely on the backup provided by your web host. Having multiple backups in different locations provides security against permanently losing information.

Note: This one file includes everything - from web pages to images to scripts to access logs. A large site will have a large backup file, and will take some time to download.

Note: How often a backup is created is decided by your web host. Contact your hosting administrator for more details.

To download your web site backup file:

1. Click on the Backup link in the Access Menu area.

2. Click on the Download Today's Backup link to download today's backup file.

    

   

    

3. Save the file to disk.

   Note for Windows users: This file is in .tar.gz format (a GZIP archive file that contains a TAR archive file). This is a common archive format used on Unix machines, in the same way that .zip is a common Windows archive format. Most compression utilities should be able to uncompress a .tar.gz file.

Topics
   

Restoring your web site from a backup

In the unlikely event that your web site is deleted from your web host's servers, you can restore the web site using your most recent backup file.

To restore your web site from a backup file:

1. Click on the Backup link in the Access Menu area.

2. Click on the button underneath the Restore a Backup heading.

3. Double-click on the required backup file on your computer.

4. Click on the button. Please wait while your site is restored.

Topics
   

SSL Shell

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, which is a means of providing encrypted communications on the Internet. cPanel provides you with an online SSL Shell (an application) that allows you to log in to the Linux computer that is your web server and make changes at the server side. You use Telnet (the Internet standard protocol for remote login) commands through the SSL Shell to activate the web server.

Note: If you do not know exactly what you are doing, you can potentially cause problems on your web server. Please contact your hosting administrator if you are not sure how to use SSL.

Some useful links:

• Introduction to Linux commands - an easy introduction to using a Linux computer.

• Directory of Linux Commands - good reference site of Linux commands.

• MindTerm - an OpenSource Java SSL Shell used in cPanel.

• PuTTy - an excellent Telnet/SSL utility: small; fast; and free (for Windows).

To use the SSL Shell:

1. Click on the SSL Shell / Telnet link in the Access Menu area.

   Note: You need to have Java Applets enabled on your browser for the SSL Shell to start.

2. You are now in the SSL Shell window. Press the Enter key to logon. Please refer to the links at the beginning of this topic if you need more information about logging on and what you can do through the SSL Shell.

Topics