Business Support Internet

If you chose the NETSolution Professional package, you can view your Web site as soon as your account is set up (the second part of the installation process). Simply type your IP address (or domain name once it's approved) in the location box of your browser; for example, http://207.181.101.4 or http://www.yourcompany.com

You can find your IP address on your printed copy of the Summary Information panel of the Netcom@Work installation wizard.

The first time you visit your site, however, it will say Under Construction. That's because the space on the Allstream server is available for you to use, but you have not yet moved your Web files from your computer to the server.

To view the Web pages you have created in Visual Page (or other software), you must transfer, or upload, them to the Allstream Web Server using FTP.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

File Transfer Protocol, or FTP, provides a standard way to move files between computers on the Internet. Using FTP you can upload your Web pages from your computer to the Allstream server or download files from other computers anywhere in the world.

To use FTP, you need FTP software. There are many places to get such software; however, the easiest way is to access it through Visual Page.

Most FTP software, including the FTP window in Visual Page, asks you to identify the following:

Host Name  The address of the site, either in the form of a number, such as 207.181.101.4 or your domain name, once it is approved

User ID  Your user name. In Allstream's case, up to eight characters starting with a letter

Password  In Allstream's case, six to eight alphanumeric characters

Figure 2 shows the FTP window in Visual Page, with Host name, User ID, and Password.

Using FTP in Visual Page

Visual Page recommends that you set FTP preferences so you don't have to complete the FTP window each time you open it.

To set your preferences:

1. From the Edit menu, click Preferences. The Preferences dialog opens. Click the FTP Site tab to make it active
2. Type the host address, Web directory, user name, and password in the spaces provided.
3. The contents for these fields is the same as for the FTP window Typing them here simply means you don't have to type them in the FTP window each time you want to transfer files between your computer and Allstream's server or other computers on the Internet.
4. Click OK to close the FTP Site dialog.

To upload your Web files to the Allstream server:

1. From the File menu, click Open FTP site. The Open FTP Site window opens.
2. If you followed the steps outlined above, the boxes in the Open FTP Site window are completed. Click OK.
3. If you did not complete the FTP Site dialog in step 3 above, you must enter the host name, user name, password, and directory, manually in the Open FTP Site window.
   If you are not connected to Allstream, you are immediately connected. The Visual Page FTP window shows the Allstream server.
   
4. Locate the htdocs folder and double-click to open it. The first time you publish your files you will only see one file, called index.html. After the first time, you will see your published HTML and other Web files in the htdocs folder.
5. Click the Publish button, second from the left on the bottom toolbar. The Publish files dialog opens.
   
6. Select the files you want to add from the top window and click Add to copy them to the bottom window.
7. Use the Ctrl key to select more than one file at a time.
8. Click Publish to move the selected files to the Allstream server and the Web.
9. Select Prompt or Never in the Replace Files pane to make sure you don't overwrite a file you want to keep.

Congratulations!

After you move your Web files to the Allstream server, they are available to anyone who has access to the Internet.

Check your site yourself! Follow these steps.

1. Open your browser.
2. Type your Web address in the location box; for example, http://www.yourcompany.com or http://207.181.101.4.
3. Press Enter.
4. Be sure to check the Visual Page documentation for details about modifying and maintaining your Web site.