Signing Up, Costs and Payment / Billing Options
Upgrading your Plan and Adding Extra Features
Cancellations
Easymail
WebsiteOS
FTP and Uploading Instructions
E-Commerce
Bandwidth
Domain Names
Multimedia
CGI
Databases
Signing up, Costs and Payment / Billing Options
 Why are your prices so low?
Host Max knows what it's like to be a start-up with a tight budget. We believe that you should get value added services at an affordable price. Testdrive our new WebsiteOS to see the website management tools you get with each hosting package.
What are the total fees for services?
You pay for the hosting package you choose, either monthly or annually. If you register a new domain, you are charged for that as well. Your total is your hosting package + your new domain name. That's it! No hidden fees! You will own that domain even if you decide to host it somewhere else in the future. Please review our Terms and Conditions for more information. If you transfer your domain from another hosting provider, there's no extra charge; all you pay for is your hosting package.
How long does it take to activate an account? When will my site be live on the Internet?
When you sign up for a hosting account, you will immediately have access to our WebsiteOS. You will also be given FTP access, so you can begin uploading your site. You will receive emailed instructions on how to login to your WebsiteOS, how to configure your new EasyMail accounts and how to use FTP. If your domain is a new registration, it usually takes 24-48hrs for DNS propagation. This is the time it takes for your domain to be visible on the Internet. If you transfer an existing site to our servers, the registrar can take up to 3-5 days to make the necessary modifications.
My address and/or email address has changed. How should I let you know?
Send your new contact info to accounts@hostmax.com, or contact your sales representative by phone or email.
Upgrading your Plan and Adding Extra Features
How do I upgrade to a different plan? Is there an extra charge?
To upgrade your package, contact our sales department by phone, 1-877-988-3774, or email, sales@hostmax.com. Any payments you have already made will be credited toward your new plan. There is no charge for upgrading or downgrading.
When can I start using the features of my new upgraded account?
Immediately! Upgrades are performed in "real time," so changes are effective instantaneously.
Can I get extra mb's of webspace?
Please contact our sales department by phone, 1-877-988-3774 or email, sales@hostmax.com.
Can I get more EasyMail accounts than are included with my package?
Please contact our sales department by phone, 1-877-988-3774 or email, sales@hostmax.com.
What if I go over my allotted bandwidth transfer?
You will be contacted by email or by phone if you exceed your web bandwidth transfer for the month.
Cancellations
How do I cancel my account?
To cancel, contact your sales rep or email accounts@hostmax.com.
If I cancel, do I get any money back?
If you cancel your hosting account within 30 days, you fall under our 30 day money back guarantee. If your account is cancelled because you do not follow the Terms and conditions, you may not be eligible for a refund. If you have been a customer for over 30 days, we cannot refund your money unless you' have an annual account. If you have an annual account, we will refund you for unused months.
EasyMail
What is spam? What are your policies regarding spam?
Spam is unsolicited email or newsgroup postings, usually advertising products or services. Spamming (sending junk email) generates a very negative response from most of its recipients. Since it is best to avoid this, we enforce a strict Anti-Spamming Policy. According to our policy, if you send spam from your domain, your account will be terminated. To ensure that you do not unintentionally generate spam, please obtain permission from your intended recipients before you add them to your distribution list.
What is EasyMail?
EasyMail removes 100% of the hassle and frustration associated with administering local mail services. It completely eliminates the need for specialized hardware on your premises. We run it all for you from our network and give you access to our innovative EasyMail Wizard! remote email administration tools. The EasyMail Wizard! assists you with all aspects of running a corporate email network. You can change your employees' Internet email addresses, delete old accounts and create new ones, all from one simple interface.
Can I get more EasyMail accounts than are included with my package?
Definitely! Extra accounts cost US$2/month each or. Please contact our sales department by phone, 1-877-988-3774 or email, sales@hostmax.com.
Are EasyMail accounts POP3 accounts?
All EasyMail accounts are POP3 accounts. This means that your mail sits on our servers until you download it to your email software.
Can I check my EasyMail with Microsoft Outlook, Eudora or Netscape Mail?
Yes, you can use any of these email programs to send and receive your mail. All you need to do is configure them to download incoming mail (POP3, IMAP) and send outgoing mail (SMTP).
What is the name of your POP3 and SMTP servers?
POP3 (incoming) Server: mail.yourdomain.com
SMTP (outgoing) Server: mail.yourdomain.com
Username or Login: user.yourdomain.com
Do you offer email forwarding?
Yes, you can forward your EasyMail accounts to any existing email account, whether it's on our servers or not. It's easier than forwarding a call on your phone!
How do I use your WebMail feature?
To check your mail online, use our new WEB BASED email client at:
WebMail Login. Using your username and password, you can check your mail from anywhere in the world. Remember, your email will not function correctly until domain name propagation is complete. This typically takes between 24 and 48 hours.
Can I use the Auto Responder with an Alias account?
No, the Auto Responder feature works for POP accounts only, no forwards allowed either.
WebsiteOS
What is the WebsiteOS?
This browser based website management application allows you to manage many aspects of your website. Using this application, you can:
- Administer your email accounts
- Generate usage statistics
- Promote your website
- Manage your files on the server
- Change passwords
- Setup your own ad server (available on Silver and higher plans)
- Add and remove FrontPage extensions
- Analyze your website's structure and integrity
- Create and manage an effective single page website
- Check your disk usage
- Manage server logs
- Secure sections of your website
- Configure and install common CGI scripts
Why can't I login to the WebsiteOS?
If you have trouble logging in to the WebsiteOS, several easy solutions could solve your problem.
- Check that you are entering the correct, case sensitive domain name and password.
- Make sure that cookies are enabled on your browser. You can enable cookies by going to Tools, Internet options, Security, Custom level, Enable cookies.
- If you have a Free Parking account for your domain, you do not have access to our WebsiteOS. To upgrade to a hosting account with WebsiteOS access, please contact sales at 1-877-988-3774 or email, sales@hostmax.com.
FTP and Uploading Instructions
How do I upload my site to your servers?
To upload your files with FTP, you will require FTP software. We suggest WS_FTP or CuteFTP for Windows users or Fetch FTP for Mac users. You can download your own FTP client at the following site:
www.tucows.com
How do I configure my FTP client?
Here is the information you will require to configure your FTP client. Remember to insert your actual domain name when you see "yourdomain."
Host Name / Address : ftp2.yourdomain.com
User Name : yourdomain.com
Password : your WebsiteOS password
Where do I put my files once I have connected with FTP?
Once connected, you will see the following directories:
/cgi-bin
/logs
/private
/public
Open the public directory, and upload all of your files to this folder. Your home page must be called one of the following: index.htm, index.html, index.shtml, index.phtml, index.php or index.php3. This is what a browser will look for when someone visits your domain.
Any files (other than CGI scripts) that will be viewed by the public must be placed in your "public" directory or a subdirectory under "public." If you place files in a directory other than "public," only you will be able to access them. CGI scripts must be placed in your "cgi-bin" directory.
How do I publish my site using FrontPage?
If you are using Microsoft FrontPage to design and publish your website, it is essential that you follow these instructions:
Use your browser and go to http://www.hostmax.com. Click on "CLIENT LOGIN."
Username: yourdomain.com
Password: yourpassword
Once inside, click on FRONTPAGE on the left hand navigation menu. Click the "INSTALL" button. You will be prompted for a password. This will be your FrontPage password, and you will need it when you use FrontPage. For the sake of simplicity, it may be best to use your WebsiteOS password. Enter and confirm your password, then click the "SUBMIT" button. FrontPage Server Extensions are now installed on your domain.
Publishing your FrontPage Website to the server:
When you finish editing and saving your website, go to FILE and PUBLISH
You should publish to http://www.yourdomain.com/. You will be asked for a username and FrontPage password.
How do I allow people download files from my site?
Insert a link to the file in your HTML. For example, to allow people to download a file called file.mpg, insert this HTML on your page:
<a href="file.mpg">click here to download video!</ >
E-Commerce
What do you mean by "Real time credit card processing"?
Real time credit card processing is the process in which a credit card transaction is processed as it happens. In an e-commerce environment, this is often accomplished by using a third party "transaction portal" like E-xact, or WorldPay.
What is E-xact?
E-xact is a transaction processing gateway that provides real-time financial transaction processing and management. E-xact requires that the end user obtains an SSL certificate and a US or Canadian merchant account. The E-xact solution requires the end user to install and configure connection software.
More information about E-xact can be found at:
www.e-xact.com
How does Host Max support e-commerce?
We supports e-commerce by supplying the platform architecture to enable e-commerce websites.
I have my own shopping cart but need an SSL. Do you have a Secure Server (SSL) in place that I can use?
Yes, our SSL is available on the Commerce and higher hosting packages.
Do I need my own certificate for SSL?
No, you can use our generic certificate.
How do I setup my SSL site?
All you need to do is access the SSL Manager within the WebsiteOS.
How do I access my site with your generic certificate?
Your site will be accessible using the following URL:
Site - https://secure25.securewebsession.com/yourdomain.com
Do I get a secure cgi-bin as well?
Your cgi-bin will be accessible using the following URL:
CGI - https://secure2.securewebexchange.com/yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/
Where do I place my content for the SSL with your general certificate?
You'll need to place your content inside the directory called "secure" in your home directory. This directory is a symbolic link to the securewebexchange domain. Any CGI programs should be placed inside the "secure-cgi-bin" directory.
How can I purchase my own certificate?
If you want your own certificate, we can assist you in obtaining it. Contact us or use the SSL Manager to generate a private key and an electronic certificate request (CSR) with our SSL software (OpenSSL). You will need to supply us with your desired name for the secure site (www.domain.com, domain.com, etc.), the company name, operational division (if desired) and address (including city, province/state and country code).
The CSR (which we will send to you via email) will have to be sent to a Certificate Authority, along with "Proof of Organizational Name" and "Proof of right to use Domain Name".
The "Proof of Organizational Name" in most cases is a copy of your customer's company registration documents or certificate of incorporation. The "Proof of the right to use Domain Name" in most cases is a printout your whois information. There are exceptions to both proofs. Contact your Certificate Authority for their exact specifications before sending any documents. If you are using Thawte, this information can be found at:
thawte.com
While we recommend Thawte Consulting for SS certificates, you are free to choose any Certificate Authority.
How do I download the certificate?
After the Certificate Authority generates the certificate, you will be notified to download the certificate. After the certificate is downloaded, it must be uploaded to the SSL Manager via the WebsiteOS.
Where do I place my content for the SSL with my own certificate?
Once we receive the certificate, your secure site will be setup. Secure content will be placed in the "secure" directory located in your site's home directory. CGI scripts are to be placed in the "secure-cgi-bin" directory.
Bandwidth
What is bandwidth
Bandwidth is the amount of information that is transferred from your website to people surfing your site. For example, if your first page is 10KB and 100 people go to your page in a month, you've used 1000KB or 1MB. Each hosting package we have offers a different amount of bandwidth transfer per month. Please see our Packages section for specific details.
What if I go over my allotted bandwidth transfer?
You will be contacted by email or by phone if you exceed your Web bandwidth transfer for the month.
How can I tell how much bandwidth I'm using?
Simply login to the WebsiteOS and look at "Account Information" on the left hand side or you can click on Web Stats and Display Report. Under Kilobytes you can see you how much bandwidth you've used for that month.
Domain Names
What is a domain Name?
A domain name tells people (and the computers they use) how to find your homepage on the Internet. Your hosting provider assigns each domain name to a numerical IP (Internet Protocol) address. People remember names better than numbers, but computers translate www.yourname.com into IP address numbers.
Why do I need to register a domain name?
Registering a domain name for your business or organization is essential to your marketing efforts. A domain gives your business credibility and a unique identity on the World Wide Web.
What is a URL?
It stands for Univesal Resource Locator. Some people refer to it as a web address (although URL is not limited to the web). An example of a URL is http://www.hostmax.com. Please note that a URL is a unique identifier. No two websites can have the same URL. This is the reason why you should register your domain name before someone else does.
What is an IP address?
Every computer on the Internet has a numeric address called IP-Address that is used to identify the location of the computer. An example of an IP address is 216.251.32.100. This kind of addressing system is cumbersome and hard to remember for humans. Having a domain name will eliminate the need to remember an IP address.
What is a DNS?
DNS stands for "Domain Name Server". It translates domain names into IP addresses that computers understand. For example, if someone wants to access our website (www.Host Max ), the DNS will translate the domain into the IP address 216.251.32.100, which will allow the computer to locate our web server.
What are the components of a domain name?
A domain name consists of two or more words separated by a period. The last word (the far right) is called a "top-level domain". Here are some common top-level domains and their use:
.COM
Used for commercial entities. It is the most popular top-level domain. Anyone can register a .com domain.
.NET
Originally used for networking organizations such as Internet Service Providers and backbone providers. Today, anyone can register a .net domain.
.ORG
Designed for miscellaneous organizations, including non-profit groups. Today, anyone can register a .org domain.
.EDU
Four-year, accredited colleges and universities.
Country Codes
Other top-level domains include those for countries (.CA for Canada, .UK for the United Kingdom, .HK for Hong Kong, etc.), which are based on the International Standards Organization's 3166 standard for country abbreviations.
Multimedia
Do you support Macromedia Shockwave or Flash?
You can use Shockwave and Flash on any plan.
Do you support Real Audio/Video Streaming?
Yes, Real Streaming is available on our Supreme packages.
How do I make Real Audio/Video files?
You need to get the Real Encoder software from www.real.com.
Can I perform live streaming via Windows Media format or RealServer?
No, we do not support Windows Media streaming. We support RealVideo/audio streams through pre-recorded files.
How do I allow people download files from my site?
Insert a link to the file in your HTML. For example, to allow people to download a file called file.mpg, insert this HTML on your page:
<a href="file.mpg">click here to download video!</a>
CGI
How do I upload my CGI scripts using FTP?
All CGI programs must be uploaded to your cgi-bin directory. You should be sure to use ASCII mode when uploading Perl scripts.
How do I call my CGI script?
In your HTML documents, reference your cgi script with the following path:
http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/script
Are there any limitations placed on CGI scripts?
The following limitations will be placed on ALL CGI scripts:
- CPU TIME = 10 Seconds
This is the amount of CPU time one CGI program can use at a given time.
- MAXIMUM FILESIZE = 100 KBytes
This is the maximum size that one CGI script can reach
- MAXIMUM STACK SIZE = 8 MBytes
This is the amount of stack memory that can be used by any CGI program.
- MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PROCESSES = 32 Processes
This is the number of processes that can be created by the CGI program at a given time.
- MAXIMUM NUMBER OF OPEN FILES = 32 Open Files
This is the number of files that can be opened by the CGI program at a given time.
What version of Perl is supported?
5.005_03
What path do I use to call Perl?
/usr/bin/perl
What path do I use to call sendmail?
/usr/sbin/sendmail
I'm getting 'Internal server error' running my Perl script. What's wrong?
- When executed, you must print an HTTP header followed by a blank line. The header
must contain either a Content-type field or a Location field.
eg. print "Content-type: text/html\n\n";
- You have incorrectly set the path to Perl in your script.
- You have used invalid Perl arguments.
I'm getting 'file not found' running my script. What's wrong?
Check the following:
- script is located in your cgi-bin directory.
- page that calls the script has the path properly specified.
- script has world read & executable permission.
Do you support Server Side Includes?
Yes!
My SSI doesn't seem to be running at all. What could be wrong?
You need to make sure that the page with the SSI has a .shtml extension. The web server will only parse files with this extension.
I'm getting '[an error occurred while processing this directive]' when running a perl script as an SSI. What can I do?
Make sure that you are using the following format to call include your program:
<!--#include virtual="/cgi-bin/script.pl"-->
Note that your SSI will not function if you use the exec cgi directive. You should also ensure that your file's extension is .shtml.
Can I user server-parsed image maps?
Yes. You may store the image and its associated map file in your own directories. The server then processes the map file as part of the normal html document parsing performed.
Can I change file permissions if I only have FTP access?
Yes. ftp access also allows you to run a variety of Commands. These include the chmod &chown commands.
What path do I use to access files in my home directory using my cgi script?
The path would be as follows:
services/webpages/[first_letter_of_domain]/[second_letter_of_domain]/[domain]/[file]
[domain] is replaced with your domain
[file] is replaced with the filename including sub-directory information being accessed
Here is an example:
/services/webpages/h/o/hosting.Host Max /chat/chat.log
Databases
How many Data Source Names (DSNs) can I have?
Maximum 2
How can I create a DSN?
Email support@hostmax.com providing the database name and prefix to be used. Make sure the database exists in /databases directory outside of /public and that Windows services are enabled (ASP or ColdFusion). The naming convention for a DSN is prefix_domainname_com.
How many databases can I utilize?
Two if DSNs are required, however Access files can be used with a DSNless connection from public directory.
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