File Transfer Protocol

FTP is one method users have to transfer their webpage files from their local machine to our digiweb servers. FTP is performed using a 3rd party FTP program. An example of an FTP program is FileZilla. Web developing programs like Dreamweaver can also be used to establish an FTP connection to our server.

Question:

What do I use to log into FTP?

Answer:

You will login using the FTP username and password that was supplied to you at the time you signed up for hosting with Digiweb. These are usually provided in an email to you and are the same username and password that you use to log into your H-sphere control panel, unless changed by you at a later stage

Question:

What software do I use to FTP?

Answer:

There are a number of FTP programs available. Some examples are SmartFTP, Filezilla, etc. You also have the option to use Internet Explorer. To use Internet Explorer please follow these steps:

1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Enter ftp://username@yourdomainname.com and press Enter.
3. When prompted, enter your password.

However we advise that you use a native FTP application as this has better results in the long run.

Question:

I receive a "Directory Listing Denied" or "Forbidden" error when attempting to view my web page in a browser. What should I do?

Answer:

In order to view your website with your domain name or IP address, your home page needs to have one of the following filenames:
index.html
index.htm
default.html
default.htm
default.shtml
default.asp
index.asp

If you need a different home page name (called a "default document"), you can adjust this in your h-sphere control panel. In most cases it is easier to rename your home page to one of the documents above. Please note that some file names (such as .asp and .shtml) are reserved for specific types of web applications. If you are unsure of which file extension to use, you should use .htm or .html .

Also, these documents carry an "order of precedence" as they are listed above. For example, if you have both an index.html file and a default.html file, the index.html file will be the one that shows up when viewing your site with the domain name.

Question:

After uploading, I cannot view the uploaded files in my browser. What could be the problem?

Answer:

This could describe two (2) different situations.

1. If you cannot see the home page, check if the home page file name is index.htm or index.html or the page names listed below. If the home page is named differently, change the file name. It is also possible that there are two indexes on your site, one index.htm which the you created and uploaded and the other, index.html which Digiweb put up for the temporary page. If two index files exist, then the one named index.html will take precedence. The index.html file should be removed (requires an FTP program) or rename your home page file to index.html and upload again.

   Default home page names and extensions:

   index.html (standard HTML extension)
   index.htm (standard HTML extension)
   index.shtml or shtm (standard SSI extension, used with server side includes)
   index.asp (standard "active server page extension)
   default.html (standard HTML extension)
   default.htm (standard HTML extension)
   default.shtml or shtm (standard SSI extension, used with server side includes)
   default.asp (standard "active server page extension)
   
   
2. If you do not see the updates made to your pages after transferring the updated versions, it is most likely the browser is reading the cache. Pressing F5 usually forces a reload direct from the server

Question:

The upload of my files stops before it finishes. What should I do?

Answer:

Wait 5-10 minutes and then upload again. Most common causes of this is customers internet connections and/or modems/routers.

Question:

When I upload my files, it only goes up to about 90 % and then my FTP program is disconnected from the FTP server. What can I do to fix this?

Answer:

It is probable that you do not have a clean connection. First try disconnecting and then re-connecting. Upload the file(s) again and see if it solved the problem.

Common Error Messages and Explanations

Error:

"Login incorrect..." when starting session.

Explanation:

Check to make sure you are using both the correct username and password. Remember that user names and passwords are also case sensitive.

Error:

"Permission denied..." or "Connection refused..." when attempting to upload.

Explanation:

First check and make sure you are using the correct FTP host, username, or password (Remember that passwords are case sensitive). If those are correct and the error persists, it is also possible that you are using an invalid character in the username/password. Check to make sure you are not using an invalid character.