Your web hosting control panel (cPanel) is located at http://www.yourdomain.ext/cpanel/.

If you recently purchased a new web hosting account with Acera Technologies, you should type the following information into the address bar of your browser:

http://YourSiteIPAddress/cpanel/
(Example: http://1.2.3.4/cpanel/)

If your domain name is already pointing to Acera Technologies, then you can use the domain name to log into cPanel. Here is an example:

http://www.yourdomainname.com/cpanel/
or
http://cpanel.yourdomainname.com/

The username and password can be found in your welcome email. If you do not have the correct login, please contact us using the form to the left for assistance.

Disk space and bandwidth allotments are based on your individual hosting plan. For accounts with unlimited disk space and bandwidth, we initially allot a standard amount for each based on average customer usage and monitor both throughout the course of a calendar month. Based on your usage we may increase or decrease your allotment at any given time. If you will be uploading a great many files at one time or expect a sudden jump in your bandwidth due to your marketing efforts, let us know so that we can ensure that your allotment will be enough. Those on hosting plans with unlimited allotments will not be charged additional fees for extra disk space or bandwidth unless you use 25% of our total system resources in a given month. (This is highly unlikely for the average website.)

The public_html folder is the web root for your domain name.

This means that public_html is the folder where you put all website files which you want to appear when someone types your domain (the one you provided when you signed up for hosting).

The following details are important to keep in mind when preparing to purchase an SSL certificate:

Fees for Installing Third-Party SSL Certificates

Anytime you need a third-party SSL certificate installed, you must have our administrators install it for you for a one-time installation fee

Once these steps have been completed, we will install your SSL certificate.

It usually takes 24-72 hours for a domain to fully propagate from the time the nameservers are changed at the domain registrar.

Make sure you are uploading to the right web directory, which is inside the public_html folder. If you're sure you're uploading to the right folder, you have probably surpassed your current disk space allotment. Please contact us using the form to the left.

All monthly hosting is billed on the first of the month unless the first falls on a weekend or on a U.S. Federal Holiday. In that case, it will be billed on the first business day following.

The specific backup policy depends on what type of hosting/maintenance account you have. We do make weekly backups for all our servers.

We can restore your web, email and database content from those per your request. However, this is NOT a procedure you should rely on to keep copies of your content safe; we recommend you make your own backups of your files, email, and databases. Our backups are made every week on a random day, and only the newest backups are kept. We make no guarantees about our weekly backups, and we do require a fee to restore our backups. If you can provide your own backup file, then the fee is significantly less; Some types of hosting/maintenance accounts include backups and restorations for free. Additionally, if your account size exceeds 20GB or 100,000 inodes, your backup will be skipped.

To request a restoration of your content from a backup file, simply contact us using the form to the left.

You are responsible for your backups and web content.

For backups that we do provide, our backups are provided as a courtesy and we do not guarantee our backups. It is recommended that you make your own backups as extra protection.

We create our own weekly backups of shared servers of accounts that are under 20 GB and 100,000 inodes.

Inode Usage

An inode is a data structure used to keep information about a file on your hosting account. The number of inodes indicates the number of files and folders you have. This includes everything on your account, emails, files, folders, anything you store on the server.

There is currently a limit of 100k/250k inodes on our accounts.

What is the 100k/250k inode limit?

Our servers only allow 100,000 files per cPanel. This is a "Soft limit" meaning that while the limit is reached, you will still be able to upload files. However once the account passes the 100,000 file threshold it will no longer be included in our weekly backups. Additionally, if the account happens to exceed 250,000 files then it will be in violation of our Terms of Service and can result in possible suspension.

How can I reduce my inode count?

Simply delete any files or emails you no longer need.

Yes, we allow sites to have commercial advertisements.

We do not accept adult/pornographic sites or gambling sites, and we reserve the right to accept or reject any website for any reason whatsoever.

It is not always necessary to register a new domain name when the one you already own will work perfectly fine. Rather than registering a new domain name, you can always create a subdomain using a domain you already own.

A subdomain is a second website, with its own unique content, but there is no new domain name. Instead, you use an existing domain name and change the www to another name. The subdomain name looks like forums.domain.com, help.domain.com, help2.domain.com (assuming you already host domain.com).

Note: Some subdomain names are reserved: mail, www, FTP, cPanel, whm, webmail, webdisk. You can use any name except these.

To create a subdomain, please do the following:

1. Log into cPanel and click on the "Subdomains" icon.
2. In the "Subdomain" field, please select the name of the subdomain which you wish to use, for example, you might choose "blog". If you choose "blog," then your subdomain will look like "blog.example.com".
   NOTE: MAKE SURE the subdomain name you give it doesn't have a folder already named that name. If it does the sub will not work. Example: I want to create the subdomain test.yourdomain.com so my sub name is going to be "test." If I already have a folder in my public_html directory named test, I need to delete it or rename it to something different before I create the subdomain with the test name from cPanel
3. Next, select the desired domain you wish to create this subdomain for from the drop-down menu to the right of the "Subdomain" field. You may create a subdomain for any addon, parked or subdomain that already exists in your cPanel.
4. When you click on the "Document Root" field, it should automatically populate with a cPanel suggested location from which the subdomain will load its content. For instance, if you chose "blog" as your new subdomain, then the "Document Root" field will populate with "/public_html/blog". This means that the new subdomain will load its content from the folder named "blog" from within the "public_html" directory.
5. Once all three fields are set the way you prefer, simply click on the "Create" button to complete the creation of your new subdomain.

To delete a subdomain, please do the following:

1. Login to cPanel and click Subdomains.
2. At the bottom, under Actions, click Remove.

Databases offer a method for managing large amounts of information over the web easily. They are necessary to run many web-based applications such as bulletin boards, content management systems, and online retail shops.

Create a MySQL Database

1. Log into cPanel.
2. Under Databases, click MySQL Databases.
3. In the New Database field, type a name for the database.
4. Click Create Database.
5. Click Go Back.
   • The new database will appear in the Current Databases table.

Create a Database User

After creating the database, you will need to create a user and assign privileges. Please note that MySQL user accounts must be created separately from mail and web administrator accounts.

1. Log into cPanel.
2. Under Databases, click MySQL Databases.
3. Click Jump to MySQL Users in the top-right corner of the page.
4. Under Add New User, enter a username. Be sure that the username is 7 letters or shorter.
5. Enter a password in the Password field.
   • For help generating a strong password, click the Generate Password button.
6. Retype the password in the Password (Again) field.
7. Click Create User.

Assign Privileges to Database User

Privileges determine how a user is able to interact with the database. For example, privileges will dictate whether or not the user can add and delete information.

1. Log into cPanel.
2. Under Databases, click MySQL Databases.
3. Under Add User to Database, select a user from the User drop-down menu.
4. From the Database drop-down menu, select the database to which you wish to allow the user access.
5. Click Add.
6. From the MySQL Account Maintenance screen, select the privileges you wish to grant the user, or select ALL PRIVILEGES.
7. Click Make Changes.

Delete a MySQL Database

1. Navigate to the Current Databases section of MySQL Databases.
2. In the Actions column of the table, click Delete Database next to the database you wish to delete.
   If you would like to remove a user that has been assigned to a database, click the X next to the user on this table. Please see the instructions below  on how to assign a database user.

Delete a Database User

1. Navigate to the Current Users section of MySQL Databases.
2. In the Delete column, click the X next to the user you wish to delete.

Un-assign a User from a Database

1. Navigate to the Current Databases section of MySQL Databases.
2. Locate the database you wish to modify.
3. In the Users column for that database, click the X next to the user you wish to delete.

Acera Technologies requires DMCA notices to be filed via fax or letter. The complaint must include full contact information in the complaint (including phone number). We will call and verify. Email (unless digitally signed by a verified and trusted third party) is not an acceptable medium for legal complaints. Be sure your DMCA complaint is not missing one or more of the following: (a) the complaint does not contain sufficient information (b) the format of the complaint is inconsistent with the requirements of the DMCA (c) the complaint has been submitted via email without proper authentication (d) full contact information is missing. We will need you to re-submit your claim, using the proper format, including sufficient details, via postal mail or fax. Instructions on how to do so follow.

It is our policy to respond to clear notices of alleged copyright infringement. This response describes the information that should be present in these notices. It is designed to make submitting notices of alleged infringement to us as straightforward as possible while reducing the number of notices that we receive that are fraudulent or difficult to understand or verify. The form of notice specified below is consistent with the form suggested by the United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act (the text of which can be found at the U.S. Copyright Office Web Site, http://www.copyright.gov/) but we will respond to notices of this form from other jurisdictions as well.

To file a notice of infringement with us, you must provide a written communication that sets forth the items specified below. Please note that you will be liable for damages (including costs and attorneys' fees) if you materially misrepresent that a product or activity is infringing your copyrights. Accordingly, if you are not sure whether material available online infringes your copyright, we suggest that you first contact an attorney.

To expedite our ability to process your request, please use the following format (including section numbers):

1. Identify in sufficient detail the copyrighted work that you believe has been infringed upon (for example, "The copyrighted work at issue is the text that appears on http://www.thewebsite.com/tos") or other information sufficient to specify the copyrighted work being infringed (for example, "The copyrighted work at issue is "Intellectual Property: Valuation, Exploitation, and Infringement Damages" by Gordon V. Smith, published by Wiley, ISBN #047168323X").
    
2. Identify the material that you claim is infringing the copyrighted work listed in item #1 above. You must identify each web page that allegedly contains infringing material. This requires you to provide the URL for each allegedly infringing result, document, or item.
   An example:
   
   Infringing Web Pages:
   http://www.thewebsite.com/directory/
   http://www.thewebsite.com/something/blah.html
    
3. Provide information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact you.
    
4. Provide information, if possible, sufficient to permit us to notify the owner/administrator of the allegedly infringing webpage or other content (email address is preferred).
    
5. Include the following statement: "I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above as allegedly infringing is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law."
    
6. Include the following statement: "I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed."
    
7. Sign the paper.
    
8. If via postal mail, send the written communication to the following address:
   
   Acera Technologies
   Attn: Abuse Department, DMCA Complaint
   PO Box 1095
   Gaylord, MI 49734
   USA
   
   OR fax to:
   (800) 754-7101, Attn: Abuse Department, DMCA Complaint 

Regardless of whether we may be liable for such infringement under local country law or United States law, we may respond to these notices by removing or disabling access to material claimed to infringe and/or terminating users of our services. If we remove or disable access in response to such a notice, we will make a good-faith attempt to contact the owner or administrator of the affected site or content so that the owner or administrator may make a counter notification.

We may also document notices of alleged infringement on which we act. As with all legal notices, a copy of the notice may be made available to the public and sent to one or more third parties who may make it available to the public.

In order to ensure that copyright owners do not wrongly insist on the removal of materials that actually do not infringe their copyrights, the safe harbor provisions require service providers to notify the subscribers if their materials have been removed and to provide them with an opportunity to send a written notice to the service provider stating that the material has been wrongly removed. [512(g)]

If a subscriber provides a proper "counter-notice" claiming that the material does not infringe copyrights, the service provider must then promptly notify the claiming party of the individual's objection. [512(g)(2)] If the copyright owner does not bring a lawsuit in district court within 14 days, the service provider is then required to restore the material to its location on its network. [512(g)(2)(C)]

If it is determined that the copyright holder misrepresented its claim regarding the infringing material, the copyright holder then becomes liable to the OSP for any damages that resulted from the improper removal of the material. [512(f)]

When you have a site visitor, they use your domain name to view your website. As simple as it seems, there is a process that occurs from the time that the site visitor types in your domain and presses enter.

When a site visitor enters your domain name into a browser, the domain is then translated into your server IP address,  then the server sends that user your site files, which their browser represents to them as a typical web page. You can see that, without each of these 3 elements, you won't really have a web-site.

The three basic parts that make up any current day website are:

• Domain Names
• Web-Hosting Servers
• Site Files

Domain Names

Computers communicate by using numbers, called IP addresses, to contact each other, much like you use a phone number to dial a specific person's phone. Domain names on the internet are much like entries in a phone book. The phone book tells people looking for a business what the entries are just as a domain tells people (i.e. their computers) that a domain is hosted on the server.

Without a domain, you would have to tell your customers that your site is located at a temporary URL such as 123.456.789.123/~mysite instead of using a domain name such as mysite.com, making your site appear unprofessional and impractical.

Web-Hosting Servers

The web-hosting or server is much like the space that you rent out to have your business in. It's merely the space itself. It does not include furnishings like shelves for your products, just as the web-hosting account doesn't include a site for you to sell your products.

Without the hosting services, you won't have a place for your files to reside, so your domain would then become like a disconnected phone number in the phone directory, and your site files would have nowhere to stay.

Site Files

The site files are what your visitors and potential customers actually see when going to a site such as your products and services. The site files are the same as any other file you normally use, like a .jpg photograph, or .mp3 music file. Though, website files are also .php files or .html files, which are PHP scripts or HTML pages respectively.

The web-hosting server knows how to read these files, which explain how the web page looks or instruct the server to do a series of computations. These computations are things like figuring out what blog article it's supposed to send back to the viewer, or what forum post it's supposed to send back.

To password protect directory:

1. Login into your cPanel and click on the Password Protect Directories icon, found under Security.
2. Choose Web Root (and you may need to select Show Hidden Files)
3. Click on the name of the directory that you wish to password protect.
4. Check the box for "Password protect this directory:"
5. Fill in "Name the protected directory". Actually, this is just the message that will show to visitors when they try to log in, and can be anything you like.
6. Click on Save button below.
7. Click "Go Back"
8. Fill in a Username and Password at the bottom of the page, and click "Add/modify authorized user".
9. You are Done. The directory you selected is now protected by a password.

To ensure you directory has been password protected, launch your browser and visit the folder. If the browser prompts you to log in, then your directory has been password protected.

Note: At this time you can only protect directories (not individual files) from cPanel. Any file that needs protection should be placed in a protected directory.

STORING FILES - Our shared servers are not for archiving data, files, videos, mp3s or anything else. Archiving means storage, keeping a copy or backup, etc. We try to be flexible but if someone wants the Baby plan to store 80 gigs of videos this is not something we can do.

MEDIA STREAMING - HTTP stream has a defined beginning and end. Live stream joins in the middle of a broadcast, like TV, radio or webcam. We do support HTTP stream, but not live stream on a shared server.

All services provided by Acera Technologies may only be used for lawful purposes. 

Use of our services to infringe upon any copyright or trademark is prohibited. This includes but is not limited to unauthorized copying of music, books, photographs, or any other copyrighted work. The offer of sale of any counterfeit merchandise of a trademark holder will result in the immediate termination of your account. Any account found to be in violation of another's copyright will be expeditiously removed, or access to the material disabled. Any account found to be in repeated violation of copyright laws will be suspended and/or terminated from our hosting. If you believe that your copyright or trademark is being infringed upon, please email support@aceratechnologies.com with the information required. A list of required information may be found below under "How do I file a copyright complaint?". If the request is of a licensing issue, we may require further documentation.

Using an account as a backup/storage device is not permitted, with the exception of one cPanel backup of the same account. Please do not take backups of your backups.

Examples of unacceptable material on all our servers include:

• Topsites
• IRC Scripts/Bots
• Proxy Scripts/Anonymizers
• Pirated Software/Warez
• Image Hosting Scripts (similar to Photobucket or Tinypic)
• AutoSurf/PTC/PTS/PPC sites
• IP Scanners
• Bruteforce Programs/Scripts/Applications
• Mail Bombers/Spam Scripts
• File Dump/Mirror Scripts (similar to RapidShare)
• Commercial Audio Streaming (more than one or two streams)
• Escrow/Bank Debentures
• High-Yield Interest Programs (HYIP) or Related Sites
• Investment Sites (FOREX, E-Gold Exchange, Second Life/Linden Exchange, Ponzi, MLM/Pyramid Scheme)
• Sale of any controlled substance without prior proof of appropriate permit(s)
• Prime Banks Programs
• Lottery/Gambling Sites
• MUDs/RPGs/PBBGs
• Hacker focused sites/archives/programs
• Sites promoting illegal activities
• Forums and/or websites that distribute or link to warez/pirated/illegal content
• Bank Debentures/Bank Debenture Trading Programs
• Fraudulent Sites (Including, but not limited to sites listed at aa419.org & escrow-fraud.com/)
• Push button mail scripts
• Broadcast or Streaming of Live Sporting Events (UFC, NASCAR, FIFA, NFL, MLB, NBA, WWE, WWF, etc)
• Anonymous or Bulk SMS Gateways
• Bitcoin Miners
• PayDay Loan Sites (including any site related to PayDay loans, PayDay loan affiliate programs, etc)

Any account found connecting to a third party network or system without authorization from the third party is subject to suspension. Access to networks or systems outside of your direct control must be with expressed written consent from the third party. Acera Technologies may, at its discretion, request and require documentation to prove access to a third party network or system is authorized.

We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. Any material that, in our judgment, is obscene, threatening, illegal, or violates our terms of service in any manner may be removed from our servers (or otherwise disabled), with or without notice.

Potential harm to minors is strictly forbidden, including but not limited to child pornography or content perceived to be child pornography (Lolita). Any site found to host child pornography or linking to child pornography will be suspended immediately without notice.

There are several FTP clients which you may download and install for free. Click on the "Download" link next to the name of the FTP client you wish to use to be taken to the download page for that FTP client.

• Filezilla FTP - Download
• Core FTP - Download
• Cute FTP - Download
• Smart FTP - Download

Please allow 24 hours for your FTP password to sync with your cPanel password. If it does not work within 24 hours, please contact us using the form to the left.

The hosting control panel we use is called cPanel.
Yes, a manual for cPanel is available. Go to https://documentation.cpanel.net/display/CKB/cPanel+Knowledge+Base to view it. We currently use cPanel version 11.40.x.

All Acera Technologies servers run on CentOS 6.4 Enterprise Linux x86. Our hosting servers run on 16 Core AMD Opteron™ Processor 6376 with 16 GB of RAM and a 100mbps uplink with Raid 1 and SSD caching.

We are running PHP 5 on all our servers. The current version is PHP 5.2.17 & PHP 5.3.27 (dual environment). Configuration plugins are available via the hosting control panel for PHP 5.2.x, 5.3.x, and 5.5.x, with 5.4.x being the default version.

We are using version 5.5.23.

Our servers automatically stay up to date with the most recent stable cPanel version. Our current version for cPanel is 11.40.x .

We are using Perl version 5.8.8.

All hosting accounts come with:

• Linux x86 CentOS 6 (a free version of RedHat) 64-bit Operating System - All servers have now been upgraded to CentOS6, a 64 bit Operating System.
• Kernel - latest stable release, updated as needed
• Dual Xeon E5520 2.26 GHz Quad Core Processors
• Apache 2.2.x , (includes mod_rewrite and mod_security) in a SuExec environment
• Outgoing email (SMTP) = Exim 4.x (Exim)
• Incoming email (POP3 and IMAP) = Dovecot 1.x (Dovecot)
• WHM 11.40.x
• cPanel 11.40.x
• PHP 5.2.x , 5.3.x , and PHP 5.4. PHP is run as CGI (not Apache/DSO) in a suPHP environment.
• Zend Optimizer 3.3.9
• PEAR 1.7.x
• ionCube 4.2.2
• ionCube Loader 4.4.3
• GnuPG 1.2.6
• GD2 Library 2.0.34
• openSSL 0.9.8t (for PHP)
• SOAP
• PHP Modules
• phpMyAdmin 3.2.4
• MySQL Database 5.5.x
• ROR Ruby Version : 1.8.7 , Gem Version : 1.4.2 , Rails Version : 2.3.14
• cURL 7.15.x (also libcurl and PHP/CURL)
• PERL 5.8.x , PCRE Library Version 7.8
• Python 2.6 and 2.7 (Use the version number in the binary when executing. i.e. python3, python2.6)
• ImageMagick 6.6.x
• Ghostscript 8.15.x
• Rsync
• RoundCube 0.2b, SquirrelMail 1.4.13, Horde 3.1.7p8

Here is a list of commonly used paths:

• The webroot path is /home/username/public_html
• The path to your email is /home/username/mail/domain.tld/user's name/
• The save session path is /home/username/tmp
• The path to AWStats is /home/username/tmp/awstats
• The path to cgi is /home/username/public_html/cgi-bin/ or /var/www/cgi-bin
• The path to Perl is /usr/local/bin/perl
• The local path to Sendmail is /usr/sbin/sendmail
• The path to PHP is /usr/bin/php
• The path to PHP 5.3 on shared & reseller servers is /opt/php53/bin/php
• The path to Zend Optimizer is /usr/local/Zend
• The path to MySQL is /var/lib/mysql
• The path to Mysqldump is /usr/bin/mysqldump
• The path to Pear is /usr/bin/pear
• The path to Python is /usr/bin/python
• The path to Python 2.7 is /usr/bin/python2.7
• The path to openSSL is /usr/bin/openssl
• The FTP root path is /home/username/ (only accessible if using the cPanel login)
• The FTP directory path is /public_html/ or just leave blank
• The path to Aspell is /usr/bin/aspell
• The local path to ImageMagick is /usr/bin/
• The local path to convert with ImageMagick is one of the following...
• /usr/bin/convert
• /usr/local/bin/convert
• /usr/bin/X11/convert
• The path to the GD2 library is /usr/lib
• The path to the GD2 include directory is /usr/include
• The path to rsync is /usr/bin/rsync
• Path to ghostscript is /usr/bin/ghostscript
• Path to Exim logs is /var/log/exim_mainlog
• Path to Alias files is /etc/valiases/
• The path to PHPmyadmin is http://yourdomain.com:2082/3rdparty/phpMyAdmin/index.php
• The path for sbin is /usr/sbin - but is not accessable.
• The path for cgi-sys is /var/cpanel/cgi-sys
• The path to Apache on a Linux server is /usr/local/apache
• You must contact us using the form to the left and ask us to enable the following commands:
• The path to Get is /usr/bin/GET
• The path to LYNX is /usr/bin/lynx
• The path to WGET is /usr/bin/wget
• The path to CURL is /usr/bin/curl

First, make sure the script files are in the cgi-bin folder.
Second, make sure the file permissions are set to 755.

Every place that sells SSLs has a different transfer procedure. You will need to ask the supplier you purchased it from.

All of the servers at Acera Technologies have been updated for PCI compliance.

When you accept credit cards online through a merchant account, some of the details of PCI compliance are handled by your web host (Acera Technologies), some are handled by your merchant account provider (payment processor), and some aspects are handled by you (the merchant).

Acera Technologies handles all of the server related PCI Compliance requirements.

No; unfortunately, Acera Technologies is not HIPAA compliant. You may NOT use our services for hosting "protected health information" under the federal HIPAA law and related regulations. Our services are not represented to be HIPAA compliant, and you may not use them for such purposes. Our Terms of Service expressly states:

HIPAA Disclaimer. We are not "HIPAA compliant."  Users are solely responsible for any applicable compliance with federal or state laws governing the privacy and security of personal data, including medical or other sensitive data.  Users acknowledge that the Services may not be appropriate for the storage or control of access to sensitive data, such as information about children or medical or health information.  AceraTechnologies.com does not control or monitor the information or data you store on or transmit through our Services.  We specifically disclaim any representation or warranty that the Services, as offered, comply with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA").  Customers requiring secure storage of "protected health information" under HIPAA are expressly prohibited from using this Service for such purposes.  Storing and permitting access to  "protected health information," as defined under HIPAA is a material violation of this User Agreement, and grounds for immediate account termination.  We do not sign "Business Associate Agreements" and you agree that AceraTechnologies.com is not a Business Associate or subcontractor or agent of yours pursuant to HIPAA. If you have questions about the security of your data, you should contact us.

Other hosting providers may specifically price and offer HIPAA compliant hosting services which are typically more expensive and involve the hosting company signing a Business Associate Agreement. We do not offer such a product at this time and we do not sign Business Associate Agreements; therefore, storing "protected health information" on our servers constitutes a breach of our User Agreement and is an unauthorized use of our services.