Advanced Menu

The Advanced Menu area deals with a number of options that you normally would not need to use very often, including cron jobs, mime types, Apache handlers, and a number of other useful tools. Generally you only need to use these tools to perform unusual tasks. mySQL database control is also situated in this area, and is becoming a very popular tool in web site design.

Topics
   

mySQL

SQL stands for Structured Query Language. SQL is a international standard in querying and retrieving information from databases. mySQL is essentially an SQL server - it responds to requests for information that are written in SQL. You can communicate with mySQL using a wide variety of programming languages (PHP being one of the most common). mySQL is Open Source software and generally free for use.

Refer to the following links for more information about mySQL :

• mySQL FAQ - a good place to start.

• mySQL and PHP tutorial - a good introduction to using the two Open Source technologies together.

To create a mySQL database:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Enter the name of the database in the Db field.

3. Click on the button. The database will be added to the /var/lib/mysql folder.

   You need to create at least one database user and grant that user permission to use the new database. Refer to Creating a mySQL user and Grant a user's permissions to a mySQL database for more information.

Topics
   

Removing a database

Removing a database will delete that database from it's online location. Be sure that you have saved a copy of the database if you want to keep any of the information in the database. Removing a database will not remove any user's but it will remove all user's permissions to that database.

To remove a database:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Click on the button next to the specific database.

Topics
   

Creating a mySQL user

You need to create a mySQL user before that user is able to use the database. This does not automatically allow the user to use a database - you need to grant that user permissions to the specific database first. Refer to Grant a user's permissions to a mySQL database for more information.

To create a mySQL user:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Enter the user's name in the Username field and the user's password in the Password field.

3. Click on the button.

Topics
   

Removing a user

Removing a user deletes that user - it removes all database permissions that the user has and does not allow that user access to any mySQL databases.

To remove a user:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Click on the button next to the specific user in the Users area.

Topics
   

Grant a user's permissions to a mySQL database

Once you have created a user to use a database you need to grant that user permission to use the database. If you have not yet created a user, refer to Creating a mySQL user for more information.

To grant user permissions to a mySQL database:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Choose the specific user from the User drop-down list and the specific database to grant permissions to from the Db drop-down list.

3. Click on the button. The user now has permission to use that database and sample connection strings are shown in the mySQL window.

Topics
   

Removing a user's permissions

A user will no longer be able to access a particular database when you have removed their permissions to that database.

To remove a user's permissions:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Click on the button next to the specific user underneath the name of the database in the Databases area.

Topics
   

Managing mySQL databases

cPanel includes a web-based mySQL management tool called phpMyAdmin. This tool allows you to manage all aspects of your database structure and data. Refer to phpMyAdmin documentation if you need to know more about using phpMyAdmin.

To manage mySQL databases using phpMyAdmin:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Click on the phpMyAdmin link at the base of the window. Refer to phpMyAdmin documentation if you need to know more about using phpMyAdmin.

Topics
   

Adding host access

You can allow external web servers to access your mySQL databases by adding their domain name to the list of hosts that are able to access databases on your web site. localhost stands for your own web server.

To add host access:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Enter the domain name or IP number of the host that you wish to add in the Host field.

3. Click on the button.

Topics
   

Cron Jobs

Cron jobs allow you to automate repetitive tasks on the server that hosts your web site. This is a powerful tool that allows you to take a hands-free approach to repetitive tasks. For example, you could add a cron job that automatically copies a mySQL database to a separate location on your site as a backup.

Warning: You need to have a good knowledge of Linux commands before you can use cron jobs effectively. Check your script with your hosting administrator before adding a cron job.

To add or modify a cron job:

1. Click on the Cron Jobs link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Enter the times for the cron job in the Minute, Hour, Day, Month, or Weekday fields. Refer to the following page to check exactly how to enter values in these fields - http://www.redhat.com/support/resources/tips/cron/cron.html.

3. Enter the cron job script in the Command field.

4. Click on the button. Your cron job has now been added or updated.

   Note: You can always click on the button to change the cron job back to whatever it was before you started entering information.

Topics
   

Deleting a cron job

You can delete any cron job at any time. If you are unsure what a cron job is doing it is safer to delete it and check the code with your hosting administrator.

To delete a cron job:

1. Click on the Cron Jobs link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Click on the button next to the required cron job.

Topics
   

Mime Types

Mime types tell browsers how to handle specific extensions. Most Mime types are set globally on the server. For example, the text/html Mime type equates to htm, html, and shtml extensions on most servers, and this tells your browser to interpret all files with those extensions as HTML files. You can alter or add new Mime types specifically for your site (note that you can not alter the global Mime type values, only add to them). Mime types are often used to handle new technologies as they appear. When WAP technology first appeared no-one had these extensions set up on their server. With Mime types, however, you could have set it up yourself and begun serving WAP pages immediately.

Warning: Make sure you check the list of pre-existing Mime types before adding new ones. Check with your hosting administrator before adding a Mime type, as they can easily alter the correct functioning of your web site.

Note: People often get confused as to the difference between Mime types and Apache handlers. Basically, Mime types tell your browser how to handle files, while Apache handlers tell the server how to handle files.

To add a Mime type:

1. Click on the Mime Types link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Enter the Mime type that you want to add in the Mime Type field. Have a look at the list of system-wide Mime types to show you how to add a new one or add to a pre-existing one.

3. Enter the file extension in the Extension(s) field.

4. Click on the button.

Topics
   

Deleting a Mime type

You can delete any custom Mime types at any time. However, you can not delete system-wide Mime types - please contact your hosting administrator if you have a problem with one of these.

To delete a Mime type:

1. Click on the Mime Types link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. A list of customized Mime types is displayed underneath the User Defined Mime Types area. Enter the details of one of these in the Mime Type and Extension(s) fields.

3. Click on the button.

Topics
   

Apache Handlers

Apache is an open-source HTTP server, and is used to serve your site. Apache handlers tell the server how to deal with web files that need to be processed on the server. For example, Apache is set up to process files with .pl extensions using Perl. However, if for some reason you also wanted to process files with .script extension using Perl, then you would have to set up a custom Apache handler for your site.

Note: People often get confused as to the difference between Mime types and Apache handlers. Basically, Mime types tell your browser how to handle files, while Apache handlers tell the server how to handle files.

Warning: Check with your hosting administrator before adding an Apache handler, as they can easily alter the correct functioning of your web site.

To add an Apache handler:

1. Click on the Apache Handlers link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Enter the file extension in the Extension(s) field. You need to add the . before the extension name.

3. Enter the Apache handler in the Handler field. Have a look at the list of system-wide Apache handlers to show you how to add a new one or add to a pre-existing one.

4. Click on the button.

Topics
   

Deleting an Apache handler

You can delete any custom Apache handler at any time. However, you can not delete system-wide Apache handlers - please contact your hosting administrator if you have a problem with one of these.

To delete an Apache handler:

1. Click on the Apache Handlers link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. A list of customized Apache handlers is displayed underneath the User Defined Handlers area. Enter the details of one of these in the Extension(s) and Handler fields.

3. Click on the button.

Topics
   

Redirects

The Redirects area allows you to redirect Internet traffics from one web page to another. This is usually used when a web page has been moved to another location.

To set up a redirect:

1. Click on the Redirects link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Enter the address of the web page to move in the first field.

3. Enter the redirection address in the second field.

4. Choose one of the following options in the drop-down list:

   • Temporary - This tells Internet traffic agents (browsers, search engines, etc.) that this is only a temporary redirection, and that they should return to this initial location again in the future for the same page.

   • Permanent - This tells the Internet traffic agents to go to the redirection address in the future, as the old address will never be used again.

5. Click on the button.

Topics
   

Removing a redirect

You can remove a redirect at any time. There is no way to modify a redirect - if you need to change the details of an existing redirect, you need to delete the existing one and start again.

To remove a redirect:

1. Click on the Redirects link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Click on the required redirect in the Remove Redirect drop-down list.

3. Click on the button.

Topics
   

Preventing hotlinks

Hotlinking is when another web site owner links directly to one or more of your images or multimedia files and includes it on their web page. Not only is this theft of your intellectual property, you are paying for the bandwidth used by that site. Refer to this article for more information on hotlinking.

cPanel can prevent hotlinking by only allowing named sites (such as your own web site) to access files on your site.

To prevent hotlinking:

1. Click on the HotLink Preventor link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Enter any other addresses that you will allow to access your site other than the provided defaults in the central area.

3. Enter the protected extensions in the Extensions to allow field. Make sure you separate each extension with a comma.

4. Enter the address to redirect any hotlinking to in the Url to Redirect to field.

5. Click on the button.

Topics
   

Disabling hotlink protection

You can disable hotlink protection at any time.

To disable hotlink protection:

1. Click on the HotLink Preventor link in the Advanced Menu area.

2. Click on the button.

Topics