Newest KB Articles in Miscellaneous questions and troubleshooting

How to Edit the Hosts File

Fri, 19 Apr 2019 01:53:14 GMT

To edit your local “hosts” file, you need to open a text editor such as Notepad or Notepad++ using elevated privileges (i.e. Run as administrator).

Start by typing in “note” in the search function of Windows operating system, then right click on the Notepad icon and select “Run as administrator.”

Within Notepad, select File -> Open… and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. Change the file type drop down list to “All Files”, highlight hosts, and click on the Open button. You should see something similar below.

Add entries line by line using the format IP address -> whitespace -> domain name as shown above. Remember to save the file (File -> Save) when you’re done. Editing the local “hosts” file allows you to test your site using a domain name without having to purchase one or without having it affect your production site (if you already own the domain name and have it hosted elsewhere). The changes only affect your computer as it takes precedence over a normal DNS lookup. Because of this, remember to comment the entries with a # symbol when you’re done or delete them, otherwise, when you go to view your site, what you see may not be what others see because the DNS is pointing to a different IP address.

Running Telnet and Traceroute on MAC OS

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 00:05:46 GMT

How to run Telnet on MAC OS

Go to the Applications folder.
Navigate to the Utilities folder.
Click on Terminal.
At the command prompt enter:
Telnet [YourDomainName.com] [port number]

How to run a Traceroute on MAC OS

Launch Network Utility.
Click Traceroute.
Type the domain name you want the Traceroute performed on.
Click Trace.

How to capture Telnet and Traceroute results on MAC OS

Go to Edit/Select All. After everything is Highlighted go back to the menu bar Edit/Copy.
Go to Applications folder.
Navigate to TextEdit application.
Once TextEdit is open to to the TextEdit menu bar.
Click on Edit/Paste.
Save the text file.

Note: The value domain name can be any domain name. As an example webmail.YourHostedDomainName.com where YourHostedDomainName.com is the domain to your account. [port number] is the port number you will be testing such as port 25 for SMTP or port 1433 for MS SQL.

General Network Troubleshooting Tools: Ping and Traceroute

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:35:05 GMT

Ping is a utility that forwards data packets to check the quality of a link or verify the connection of a machine to the Internet.

How to run a ping if your computer is Windows 8 or later:

Hit Windows Key + R to bring up the Run Window.
Type "cmd" without the quote
This should bring up the command prompt window. type: ping -n 500 [hostname] > ping.txt
- Replace [hostname] with your domain name or the host you wish to ping.
- Example: ping -n 500 YourHostedDomainName.com > ping.txt
Depending on the network speed, this command will run for several minutes. Once the diagnostic is complete, the results will be saved in a filed named ping.txt.
If our Technical Support staff asked you to run a ping, please send them the text file for review.

How to run a ping if your computer is Windows Vista or Windows7:

Click on the "Start" and then type "Command Prompt" in the "Start Search" field.
From the search results, click on the "Command Prompt" icon that's listed under "Programs."
After the "Command Prompt" window is open, type: ping -n 500 [hostname] > ping.txt
- Replace [hostname] with your domain name or the host you wish to ping.
- Example: ping -n 500 YourHostedDomainName.com > ping.txt
Depending on the network speed, this command will run for several minutes. Once the diagnostic is complete, the results will be saved in a filed named ping.txt.
If our Technical Support staff asked you to run a ping, please send them the text file for review.

How to run a ping if your computer is Windows 2000 or Windows XP:

From the Start Menu, select: RUN
Type: cmd
In the popup window, type: ping -n 500 [hostname] > ping.txt
- Replace [hostname] with your domain name or the host you wish to ping.
- Example: ping -n 500 YourHostedDomainName.com > ping.txt
Depending on the network speed, this command will run for several minutes. Once the diagnostic is complete, the result will be saved in a filed named ping.txt.
If our Technical Support staff asked you to run a ping, please send them the text file for review.

A traceroute is a TCP/IP utility that allows the user to determine the route packets are taking to a particular host. A traceroute is useful in determining whether there is a network problem between your computer and our servers.

How to run a traceroute if your computer is Windows 8 or later:

Hit Windows Key + R to bring up the Run Window.
Type "cmd" without the quote
This should bring up the command prompt window. type: tracert [hostname]
- Replace [hostname] with your domain name or the host you wish to traceroute to.
- Example: tracert YourHostedDomainName.com
If the DiscountASP.NET Technical Support staff asked you to run a traceroute, please capture the results and send them to us for review. If you are not familiar with how to capture information from the command prompt, please see below.

How to run a traceroute if your computer is Windows Vista or Windows 7:

Click on the "Start Orb" and then type "Command Prompt" in the "Start Search" field.
From the search results, click on the "Command Prompt" icon that's listed under "Programs."
After the "Command Prompt" window is open, type: tracert [hostname]
- Replace [hostname] with your domain name or the host you wish to traceroute to.
- Example: tracert YourHostedDomainName.com
If the DiscountASP.NET Technical Support staff asked you to run a traceroute, please capture the results and send them to us for review. If you are not familiar with how to capture information from the command prompt, please see below.

How to run a traceroute if your computer is Windows 2000 or Windows XP:

From the Start Menu, select: RUN
Type: cmd
In the popup window, type: tracert [hostname]
- Replace [hostname] with your domain name or the host you wish to traceroute to.
- Example: tracert YourHostedDomainName.com
If the DiscountASP.NET Technical Support staff asked you to run a traceroute, please capture the results and send them to us for review. If you are not familiar with how to capture information from the command prompt, please see below.

How to capture results from the command prompt

Right click in the command prompt screen.
Select "Select All."
Press the "Enter" key (this will copy the text).
Open Notepad.
Right click in the Notepad screen.
Select "Paste."

Our servers and PCI compliance

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:31:52 GMT

The requirements for PCI compliance change frequently, and we keep up with those changes on specific servers. Since the configuration required for strict PCI compliance requires the disabling or removal of many older technologies, we maintain a number of separate "hardened servers" that are PCI compliant.

Because many sites still make use of the older technologies that are not allowed on a PCI compliant server, it is not typically possible for a site to achieve PCI compliance on our regular web servers.

If you need to be on a PCI compliant server, please let us know and we can arrange to migrate your site to one of our hardened servers.

Bear in mind that the server configuration is only one part of PCI compliance for a website. Compliance assessment includes a number of things, many of which are related to how your application handles and stores data, who in your organization has access to that data, etc., things that are unrelated to the server itself.

So a non-compliant site will fail a PCI scan on an otherwise compliant server. The scanning company will tell you what needs to be fixed should your site fail a scan, and we'll certainly work with you if any of the issues are server related.

General Information on DiscountASP.NET/Everleap U.S. Data Center Facility

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:32:09 GMT

Facility

Concrete Tilt-Up Construction
24 inch raised floor
Steel Seismic Bracing added to meet the 1997 Seismic / Earthquake codes (Title 24 Seismic) for Los Angeles area
All racks / cabinets are seismically braced and bolted directly to the concrete flooring
Dimax – Building Management / Alarm Monitoring System
Power and data cables are run perpendicular from each other to minimize any electrical field interaction
Janitorial service is bonded, insured and licensed

Security

7/16 inch thick steel sheeting around the front door and within the front reception area
2 level, man-trap, security access – before actually being able to enter the raised floor area
Two-factor authentication required to access
256+ - fixed positioned, security cameras
Camera footage is recorded and held for 90 days
Level 5 bullet-resistant walls / glass (Kevlar Lined walls) in the front entry, lobby, guard station, and shipping and receiving areas
24 x 7 x 365 on-site security guards
Security service is bonded
No signage on building

Air conditioning

Data Center temperature maintained at 72 degrees +/- 2 degrees
Thermostats / Humidistats are located around the building on the walls, posts and ceilings
16 – 135 Ton air conditioners N+6 – all 16 are running continuously w/redundant capacity
- 6 – 135 Ton air conditioners support redundant capacity
- 2 – 30 ton air-conditioners independently support NOC and NODE
Air handlers are located on the roof (roof access is restricted and monitored)
Supply air temperature entering the IDC averages 55 – 62% varying with load conditions
Ring duct in ceiling allows us to add diffusers (vents) where needed to provide additional air flow
Two 125 Ton A/C Units, and one 70 Ton unit is dedicated to UPS Room

Power

Pager notification service with California Independent System Operator (ISO) to monitor California utility power Stage Alerts and rolling black outs
6 main electrical distribution buses
24 MGE UPS's
10 Caterpillar 2000KW (2.0MW) generators
Each generator has 3,000 gals of diesel fuel – enough to power it for 22 hours at full load
4 – 12,000 gal. Diesel Fuel storage convault tanks (in addition to the primary fuel tanks) provide enough fuel to run generators continuously for 72 hours at full load
UPS batteries support data center load until automatic transfer to generator is completed
50 power management modules (PMM's) with 168 – 20 amp power circuits from each 165KVA power distribution unit (PDU); customized circuits provided as needed
Power is served to the PDUs via 2 separate independent UPS power sources
Each PDU has it's own Automatic Static Transfer Switch which can switch the power to the alternate source within 4 milliseconds
Contracts with local fuel companies to provide additional on-site fuel, once generators are started

Fire suppression

VESDA – Very Early Smoke Detection and Alarm system; small white 'air sampling tubes' draw air into chambers, where lasers analyze the air for smoke content
Clean-Gas hand-held fire extinguishers are through-out the building
Fire station located approximate 600 feet from the data center
Heat (140 degree) and smoke detectors are located on the ceilings around the building

Network/bandwidth

Redundant OC48s
X – 4 inch conduits for telco fiber leading to the street
Multiple redundant network paths
All network operators certified internet systems engineers

General Information on DiscountASP.NET EU Data Center Facility

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:25:55 GMT

Facility

State of the art Tier 3 data center
Certified in accordance with DIN ISO/IEC 27001:2022

Security

24/7 manned security guards
Entry via electronic access control terminals
24/7 Video-monitored high-security perimeter fencing around the entire data center park
Secure perimeter fence
Intruder alarm, Equipment alarm

Environment

Energy efficient direct free cooling N+2 redundancy
Cold aisle containment
Cold air supply channeled through a raised floor system

Power

Redundant UPS facility
Backup power system to ensure continuous operation during extended power outages
Redundant power supply from the substation
Diesel generators

Fire suppression

Modern early warning fire system; automatic fire alarm system that uses aspirating smoke detectors
Direct connection of the data center's fire alarm system to the local fire and rescue coordination center; includes fault monitoring
Fire detectors include alarms
Separation of the various fire protection areas by fireproof doors
Doors automatically shut when system detects smoke
Handheld CO₂ fire extinguishers and portable wheeled CO₂ fire extinguishers in every data center unit
DC units (buildings) separated from each other with a gap in between them to prevent fire from spreading (flashover)
Rooms for transformers, medium-voltage stations, and battery rooms built with firewalls and fireproof doors
Cable ducts in firewalls are sealed for at least 90 minutes
Ventilation ducts in the firewalls equipped with self-closing fire dampers