Can I monitor more than one device?
Yes.

Can I monitor more than one service on a device?
Yes.

Can I search for text in a web page?
Yes! This type of check can also be used to verify that a database behind the web site is working properly. For example: a page www.mydomain.com/test.asp could make a call to your database with the string "the database is working" coming from the database. If that text does not appear in the check of the web page, an alert will be sent.

How do I know I won't get false alerts?
SolidSpace's Availability Monitoring performs availability checks every 3 minutes. In order for an alert to be generated, a service must fail three consecutive checks. This ensures that false alerts are not sent by requiring multiple failures. Also, the alert is being sent in approximately 10 minutes of a registered failure, where many other higher priced services perform only a single check every fifteen minutes. SolidSpace's Availability Monitoring doesn't cry "wolf".

Can I send my alert to multiple email addresses?
Yes. SolidSpace's Availability Monitoring allows you to set up multiple addresses for receiving alerts. Alerts can be sent to three email addresses.

Can I send an SMS message to my phone?
At this time SolidSpace's Availability Monitoring does not send SMS messages. However most cell phone providers have an email address associated with the phone in the format, ie: your telephone number @ the phone provider's domain. For example: 555-555-5555@cellphone.com.

How do I know the monitoring service is up?
SolidSpace's Availability Monitoring is provided from the SolidSpace datacenter. The datacenter has redundant power and multi-homed Internet connectivity, ensuring SolidSpace's Availability Monitoring always has the ability to check your service and alert you if there is a failure.

What type of monitoring is right for me?
Network monitoring and server monitoring are often used interchangeably. Depending on who you ask, they may or may not mean the same thing. In the most basic form, monitoring simply means availability. Is my server available? Is my network available? SolidSpace's Availability Monitoring Service is able to accomplish this. Server availability can be determined by testing the servers connectivity and the same can be done for the network by querying network devices such as routers and switches. Determining network availability is unique to each network and may entail monitoring many devices or just a single device depending on the network's complexity.

Network monitoring and server monitoring may also encompass more than just testing availability. For many the term means data collection. Data collection involves taking the network or server's vital signs and trending the data, much like a doctor may collect data on a patient to determine health or make a diagnosis. In this case, server monitoring would consist of collecting data on many of the server's components which affect its performance, such as CPU, memory utilization, disks utilization, disks queues, up time or a host of other metrics. Networks can be monitored in much the same way. Routers and switches also have memory and CPU which can be monitored and trended.

In addition to the router's or switch's internal components, such as memory and CPU, the amount of bandwidth in use can be tracked. Much like a doctor making a diagnosis, this type of trending information is useful in not only recognizing issues but also in fast remediation. Past history compared to current utilization during an issue can aid in quickly troubleshooting a problem.  

No matter which term you prefer or what its mean is to you, SolidSpace has the service to meet your needs.

What is Remote Managed Services?
SolidSpace's administrative team takes a role in administrating your server to ensure its health and utilization of resources via an internet connection. We combine our Availability Monitoring Service, SNMP and WMI trends, event alerting, and weekly reports to maintain the health of your server and its applications.

Will you patch my server for me?
Yes. As part of ensuring your server is healthy and able to provide a platform vital for your businesses applications, SolidSpace will take the responsibility for maintaining the patch level of your server.

Will you keep up with all patches for all applications?
No. SolidSpace specializes in administration of Microsoft and Linux platforms. We will patch all Microsoft products but can not be familiar with all computer business applications.

Will you protect my computer from viruses?
You must have a valid anti virus program but as part of the service we will monitor your AV program to be certain its virus definitions are up to date protecting your server from infection.

Will you install printers and setup user accounts for me?
Installation of printers and other peripherals along with account setups are not considered maintenance. These are not done as part of the service but can be done on a per incident basis at a cost of $65 per remote support hour and $125 per onsite hour. Remote Support is billed in 15 minute increments and onsite support is billed in 30 minute increments. We can also assist with the setup of Microsoft products such as Exchange and SQL for an additional fee.

Do I have to be in Winston Salem to sign up for your service?
No. If you have a server connected to the Internet we can remotely administer your server. For local clients, we are able to perform onsite work as needed. For those clients outside of the North Carolina Piedmont Triad Area, we can provide a watchful eye over your server and alert you when a technician physically needs to work on your server and coordinate with that person. For example, a failing hard drive may have been generating event log errors months before its demise. If you are outside of the North Carolina Piedmont Triad Area, we can not physically replace the drive but rather note the error before the failure and work with you and your technician to correct the problem and avoid costly downtime.

I already have a computer technician on staff. Do I still need a service like yours?
Possibly. Often companies will not have the resources to purchase the tools needed to properly monitor their networks. They may have a very knowledgeable IT staff but stuck in the trend of being reactive rather than proactive. Remote Managed Services help you move to a proactive model, increasing up time and productivity without the costly expenditure of high priced software tools. Our Remote Managed Service allows you to rent those tools from SolidSpace, giving you access to our administrative team for troubleshooting and determining a best course of action for your server and environment.

Can you host my domain's email for me?
Yes. We can host email at any domain accessible via the Internet.

What if I don't have a domain?
We can host your email under the solidspace.net domain. Your email address would be "user-name"@solidspace.net"

I already have email somewhere else. Do I have to register a new domain to have my email hosted by you?
No. You may migrate from your current provider to SolidSpace. Our technicians can assist you with any changes to be made in DNS.

But if I move won't I lose email during the transition?
No. It is possible that some ISP's may still try to deliver to the old provider. When moving email, it is generally best to leave the old location alive for about a week after the move. Any modern email client is capable of checking multiple email servers for mail and this is recommended during the transition.

Will I have the ability to mange my users?
Yes, provided you have your own domain. If using a solidspace.net address, you will only be able to mange your address. If using your own domain, any user you specify may be designated as a "domain administrator." A domain administrator has the ability to create new users, delete users, change passwords, create aliases, and also create processing rules.

Is the email scanned for viruses and Spam?
Yes, All email hosting accounts are scanned by SolidSpace's Strong Arm spam and virus protection. We also offer spam and virus protection for clients that host thier email in house.

Where does the spam go?
Spam is sent to a spam folder under each user's inbox. Each day users receive one system email which list the subject and sender of each email sent to the spam folder over the previous 24 hour period. Spam emails are automatically purged after 10 days.

Help I deleted my spam folder!
If no spam folder exists, it will be created when the first email designated as spam is received. However, we do not keep daily backups of spam folders.

I would like to send emails to a mailing list. Can I use your email hosting service?
No. SolidSpace does however offer an email marketing service. In the interest of keeping our servers free from being blacklisted, SolidSpace will not allow email lists to be utilized via our email servers.

What is the maximum number of people I can send a message?
Any single email may not be sent to more than 50 recipients.

How large can my mailbox be?
By default, email boxes are 100 MB. You may increase that to a maximum of 300 MB, increasing to this size counts as three mail boxes. You may also choose to increase your mailbox to 200 MB counting as two mail boxes.

Does your service work with my email client?
SolidSpace's email hosting works with any client supporting POP3 and SMTP. In order to send through our servers, your client must support SMTP authentication. SMTP authentication asks for a user / password when sending email and is supported in all modern email clients.

I'll be traveling and still want to check my email but I don't want to bring my laptop. Can I check my email through a web browser instead?
Yes. You may send and receive email via a web browser. Normally our standard is http://mail.yourdomain.com unless you or your administrator has specified something different. In the event you are composing a lengthy email, we suggest you do so in Word, Notepad, or another word processing program. Web mail sessions expire after 20 minutes of not clicking a link. Unfortunately the server has no way to "see" you are typing until you have hit submit.

I have a program I want to install as part of my site. Can I install it on your server?
No. We may make some very rare exceptions but for the most part you may not install programs on our web servers. In the case of shared web servers, we want to give all clients ample processing power for their site and will not allow a single client's program to potentially monopolize the CPU. Also many applications will have memory leaks causing the server to be rebooted occasionally. If you need to install programs along with our web site, we recommend you look at our dedicated server solutions.

I have multiple sites and I'm not using my quota for the first site I have. Can I spread my quota over all of my sites?
No. Each site will have its own login and they are separate quotas. You can share some content among your sites if you would like. If the sites have different start documents, then each is a different site with a different quota and billed as a separate site.

I have several domains but each one is the same site. Do I need a separate site for each or can I point them all to a single site?
You may use a single site. If each domain is pointed to the same start document and they all have the same web site content, then additional domains are called host headers. There will be a small setup charge but a hosting plan for a single site is all that is needed.

I've recently decided to add Cold Fusion to my site. Why do I have to change web servers?
SolidSpace has multiple shared web servers but not all are running the same software. Licenses for products such as Cold Fusion are costly and not all clients use it. To help keep our costs down, SolidSpace has products such as Cold Fusion installed on a minority of our servers.

I want to have an ecommerce site but I don't want to buy an SSL cert. Do you have one I can use?
We do have a shared SSL certificate that can be utilized by clients. SSL certificates are linked to domains however. Due to this if you are utilizing the shared SolidSpace SSL certificate the shopping cart link to your site would appear under the domain orderprocessingsite.com. Your site would still be active under its own domain, only the SSL shopping cart portion would be under the orderprocessingsite.com domain.

I signed up for shared hosting on you Linux platform. Will I be able to SSH to your Linux server and have a shell account?
No. No clients on a multi tenant server will be granted shell access. You will have FTP access and be restricted to your own directory. If you need shell access, we would direct you to one of our dedicated server plans.

I signed up for a hosting plan smaller than what I need. When I try to FTP more content to my site, my FTP client stops and will not allow me to send my updates. Can I get more web space?
Yes. Any shared hosting plan can be given additional space. You may step up to the next larger plan or purchase additional space. Please contact our support department for assistance.

I want to use Front Page extensions. Do your Windows plans have Front Page?
Yes. We currently offer Front Page 2000 and Front Page 2002 extensions.

I've put my web site content in my main FTP directory but my site doesn't show up.
When you FTP your content to your URL on our servers, you will see a directory named wwwroot. This is the location the server will look to for your web content. Please place web content in this folder rather than the root FTP directory.

I have a developer making my site for me. Can he contact you directly rather than going through me?
Yes. We need to have your developer on file and establish that person / company as a technical contact. An email from you with the person's email, phone number, and challenge phrase / response will allow your developer to be designated as a technical contact for your web site.

I want you to host our company web site but I would like to keep DNS where it is currently. Do we have to move DNS to SolidSpace to use your service?
No. As part of hosting we will gladly provide DNS resolution for your domain. However, it is not necessary that you move DNS to SolidSpace. Once setup, our support technicians will give you the IP address your site will be active on and it can be programmed with the existing DNS server.

I want to use your service in my home. Do you offer residential service?
We offer residential service to the downtown Winston-Salem area. Due to the placement of our antennas the majority of our clients are businesses. However if you live in the downtown area, we may be able to offer your service. Please contact our sales department for a survey.

You have different level plans. Is your bandwidth guaranteed?
No, we do not offer guaranteed plans as there are many factors in delivering wireless which are beyond our control. However we do not under deliver. Before adding any wireless client, we perform a survey from your location to be certain you are getting adequate signal to receive the bandwidth plan you are interested in.

I have wireless with you now but want more bandwidth. Can I change plans?
Yes. We will need to look at your signal strength. Provided there is enough strength you can move up to a higher bandwidth plan.

Your sales person said I would need an antenna on my building. My laptop has a wireless NIC can I use it?
It is possible that you may use your laptop if you are very near one of our pops. When you look at the signals available to you, you may see a very strong signal from one of our antennas. Laptops do not transmit as powerfully as our antennas. It is possible your laptop can "hear" our antenna very clearly but that we can not hear you.

I'm worried about putting an antenna on my building and it being an eye sore.
Our antennas are roughly the size of a phone book. The majority of our installations are not able to be seen. Roof tops are ideal placement for signal and keeping the antenna out of site.

My sales person said you would need to run a cable into our building. If it is wireless service why do I need a cable?
The wireless signal is between your location and SolidSpace's antennas. Traditional services use a copper line ( DSL, Cable, dial-up ) for the connection between you and your provider. With our service, this piece of the transport is wireless. In order to bring the connectivity into your location, the signal is sent through routers, switches, and then your PC using a wire from the antenna into your location.

I'm concerned about running a wire from the outside into our building. How can I be sure nothing will be damaged and it is run properly?
SolidSpace uses a professional cabling company to connect our antennas to your networking equipment. Premium cabling is used designed to withstand the elements. Each location is unique and distances very per install. Due to this, we will need to assess your location prior to installing in order to determine feasibility and costs for setup of the service.

If my information is being transmitted wirelessly, is it secure?
Yes. All network traffic between your location and our antennas is sent with 128-bit encryption. This is the same level of encryption online banking systems utilize. The traffic remains encrypted through our entire wireless network and is only decrypted once it leaves our wireless systems and is sent onto the Internet.

Does encrypting and decrypting all of my traffic slow it down?
No. The encrypting and decrypting of data is handled at the speed of transmission. There is no slow down due to encrypting and decrypting data.

I have a VoIP system and want to use your wireless. Can I use VoIP with your service?
Yes but you will need to check with your VoIP provider / vendor. Our system is very low latency and offers very high throughput. All traffic however is encrypted. Some VoIP providers / vendors also encrypt their VoIp traffic. Some VoIP systems will have issues with their traffic being encrypted and then it again being encrypted by our systems.

I want something other than the server builder on your site. Is it possible to get a server with a different configuration?
Yes. Please contact our sales department and we can assist you in customizing your server.

What type of access will I have to the server?
For Linux servers you will have root and can SSH to the server. For windows servers you will have RDP - remote desktop protocol.

I have programs I want to install on the server. Will I be able to if I get a dedicated server from you?
Yes. On a dedicated server, you are the sole tenant on the server therefore are free to install programs as you would like.

I don't need help administrating my server. Is it possible to lease a server from you but do everything myself?
Yes. We can setup the server and get it connected to the Internet and give you the credentials to the server. If you do not wish for us to administer the server, that is fine. However, any servers using our Microsoft Licensing will have managed services attached.

I am administering my own server but I need help on occasion. Will you still provide me with support?
Yes. We will be glad to help you by answering questions. If you do not have managed services but need us for occasionally troubleshooting or administration, we can do so for $125 per hour.

I have my own Windows Server license. Can I use it instead of yours?
Yes. Our support department will need to contact you prior to installing your operating system.

How many sites can I host on my server?
You may host as many as you would like. You are only limited by disk space and the amount of bandwidth you have purchased with your server.

I see your dedicated servers come with email. Do you install an email program on my server?
No. Email accounts are given from our shared email servers. You may still use your domain and you will have control of your users.

Do I have to use the server for web site hosting?
No. You may run custom applications, use it as a development server, or even as off site storage or backup of an existing server.

I'm not sure how much disk space I would like. Can I change it later?
You may add additional disks at any time for a small monthly fee. If you do not wish to add disks but rather replace the existing disk, it will require a reinstall of the operating system and all programs. A setup fee would apply. It is best to add additional disks if more space is needed.

Can I add RAM or bandwidth if I need more?
Yes, depending on your configuration it is possible you may already have the maximum amount of RAM. RAM is limited by what the motherboard will recognize and we use a variety of motherboards. Please contact our support department for details in increasing your RAM. Bandwidth can be increased at any time and is usually done within hours of your request.

I have a server I want to colocate with you but I need more than 30 IP addresses. Can I get more IP's for my server?
No. We do not allow more than 30 IP's with a single server. If you have an environment larger than a single sever we will be happy to discuss the potential of obtaining a larger public address space for your environment.

I have a server I want to colocate with you but it isn't a rack mount server. Can I still colocate it?
Yes. Pricing will depend on the size of the server and its power requirements. Please contact our sales department with the details of your server for a quote.

I would like some help administering my server. Am I able to get managed services on my server?
Yes. SolidSpace can participate as much or as little in the administration of your server as you would like. We offer two levels of data center managed services.

I have my own firewall but I do not have a switch. Can you provide switching as part of my collocation service?
Yes. SolidSpace will provide switching with your service. We will provide up to two ports per server but more ports are available for an additional charge.

I am administering my own server but I need help on occasion. Will you still provide me with support?
Yes. We will be glad to help you by answering questions. If you do not have managed services but need us for occasionally troubleshooting or administration, we can do so for $125 per hour.

My server has power requirements that call for a large amperage circuit. Is it possible to have a large amperage circuit with my service?
Yes. Please contact our sales department with the details of your requirements for a custom quote.

I do not want managed services, but I may need help administering my server on occasion. Are your support services available just as I need them?
Yes. You my use our support services on a per incident basis. Billing is done at $125 per hour in 15 minute increments for per incident support.

I am colocating some servers with you but none are an email server. Can I make use of your email servers?
Yes. Depending on the number of servers you have, we can give you a set number of mailboxes as part of your service.

I'm not sure how many addresses I need. Do I have to address my servers before I send them to you?
If you would like to address your servers first you may but it is not necessary. The SolidSpace admins will be happy to assign your server(s) an IP address and gateway once they are received at SolidSpace.

I'm going to ship my server to you. Is there a carrier you prefer?
You may use any carrier you are comfortable with. If you have no preference, we have found UPS to be reliable. We have yet to receive a server damaged in transit from any carrier.

I have signed up for Colocation. What address should I ship my server to?
Please ship your server to:

I have web sites on my server but need some SQL space. Can I use your SQL servers but my own web server?
Yes although there will be a charge for SQL services that is dependant upon the amount of space you need. Please contact our sales department.

What if a part fails on my server?
SolidSpace can be the "hands-on" for troubleshooting these types of issue. There is a per incident fee of $125 per hour billed in 15 minute increments. Colocation clients with a managed services plan will have first response services with troubleshooting to identify the problem. If problems require remediation it is billed on a time and materials basis.

Can I have physical access to my server?
Yes, you may come any time during regular business hours. We do ask that you give us a notification before coming. If you need after hours access, please schedule it with our support department.

What if I need after hours unscheduled emergency access to my server?
As a colocation client, you will have a login to the SolidSpace customer center. From there, you may page one of our on call administrators that will grant you access to your environment.

Can I move my domain name to the SolidSpace DNS servers as part of my service?
Yes. SolidSpace will provide DNS resolution for your domain as part of your service.

Do you only install new networks?
We will install new or work on existing networks.

I already have a network but I want to replace some switches and routers. Can you help?
Yes, we can help you add network devices such as switches, routers, network printers, and servers to your existing network.

Is there a particular vendor's equipment that you use?
No. We will work with almost any vendor's networking devices.

What is the coverage area for your network services?
Mainly the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina but we do have a few clients a little outside of this area.

What operating systems can you help me with?
Microsoft and Linux operating systems.

Do you install cabling?
No. We do however have good relationships with companies that provide cabling and can make recommendations.

What is Software-As-A-Service (Saas)?
1) Software-As-A-Service or SaaS refers to applications and services that are provided via an internet connection to an end user's computer or network server instead of as a licensed product to be purchased and installed on the end users computer or network server.

2) SaaS are software-based services or applications that are accessed via a web browser. Services are paid for on a monthly per user or per service subscription basis.  End users only pay for what they use. There are not additional costs such as hardware or infrastructure to host the software, license maintenance and support fees, or the rights to use the software as the fees are all built into the monthly subscription fee.

What are the advantages to SaaS?
1) End users can access their software anywhere they have an internet connection because the software is delivered via a web browser.
2) Eliminates the high cost and extensive implementation times of purchasing your own software.
3) Secure Infrastructure and Redundancy.  The software is hosted at a secure datacenter, with all of the redundancies and environmental controls built-in.

Am I responsible for daily backups of my data?
No. As part of your subscription fee, SolidSpace will backup your data multiple times daily.  The data is fully encrypted and is stored onsite as well as an offsite copy for redundancy.

Is my data secure?
Yes. The software is hosted at a datacenter facility, offering both physical and network layer security plus the peace of mind that your data is backup daily.

How do I upgrade to a newer version of my software?
If a new version of the software is released, the upgrade is typically included in your subscription fee. There are occasions a small upgrade feel will be charged.

Is there an additional monthly fee for technical support?
No. Technical support is included in your monthly subscription fee.

How do I connect to my Mac Server GUI?

Customers with Dedicated or Colocation servers can connect using Apple Remote Desktop Administrator or Timbuktu (both require a license on the Customer side) or use any free VNC software. For PC users, we recommend Tightvnc. RealVNC 4 doesn't support Macs, and RealVNC 3.3 requires the Preferred Encoding "Hextile" under options(Auto Select won't work). For Apple, we recommend Chicken of the VNC.

How do I connect to my Mac in text mode (terminal)?

You can connect to the server using an SSH client. You can download the free client Putty here.

My VNC session froze and I can't connect to my server anymore. How do I fix it?

VNC seems to have problems when using multi-display computers in the client, and it may freeze. To restart the service, you can SSH to the Mac and then run:

sudo killall ARDAgent

if ARD is not responding, it may be necessary to restart it with:

sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/ Resources/kickstart -restart -agent

How do I upload web files to my Mac shared space

Using any FTP client, copy your files in your folder "Sites". The main page must be named "index.html" .

Is there a free graphic tool to help me administer my Mac?

We recomend webmin. To install:
1) Download the latest version from here. Choose the Unix tar/gzip version.
2) From a terminal, execute:
cd /Applications
gnutar -xzf webmin-*.tar.gz
cd webmin-*
sudo ./setup.sh
3) To access your webmin interface, open a web browser and navigate to:
http://127.0.0.1:1000

Technical FAQs: Apple Mac

How do I enable DNS (bind) in my Mac Mini

The DNS service comes disabled in OS X Standard. To enable, follow the steps described in the article How to Enable Bind.
The steps follow:
1) sudo -s
2) Edit /etc/named.conf to comment the following line:
//include "/etc/rndc.key";
3) In the same file, modify the controls section to look like this:
controls {
inet 127.0.0.1 port 54 allow {any;};
//keys { "rndc-key"; }; };
};
4)Edit the file /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/org.isc.named.plis, and change the like under <key>Disabled</key> from <true/> to <false/>
5)To make bind listen to the public IP, edit /etc/named.conf to adding this section inside the options section:
listen-on {
my-ip-here;
127.0.0.1;
};
6) Launch named:
cd /System/Library/LaunchDaemons
launchctl stop org.isc.named
launchctl unload org.isc.named.plist
launchctl load org.isc.named.plist
launchctl start org.isc.named

How do I enable SMTP in my Mac Mini

The mail service comes disabled in OS X Standard. To enable, follow the steps described in the article How to Enable Postfix.
After that, to make SMTP listen to requests from the Internet, edit the file /etc/postfix/main.cf, and change the line "inet_interfaces = localhost" to "inet_interfaces = all".
Restart the service with "service org.postfix.master stop" and "service org.postfix.master start"

How do I enable IMAP and POP3 in my Mac Mini

Easy way: For $9.99, let PostFix Enabler do it for you. Get it here
Otherwise, follow these steps:
1) Install XCode Tools from the OS X Installation CD/DVD
2) Install DarwinPorts. Download it here
3) Install IMap-uw, with the following command:
sudo port install imap-uw
4) The following commands will set the service to start automatically:
cd /opt/local/var/db/dports/sources/
cd rsync.rsync.darwinports.org_dpupdate_dports/mail/imap-uw/files
sudo cp etc-pam.d-imap /etc/pam.d/imap
sudo cp etc-xinetd.d-imap /etc/xinetd.d/imap
sudo cp etc-xinetd.d-imaps /etc/xinetd.d/imaps
5) Edit the files /etc/xinetd.d/imap and /etc/xinetd.d/imap. Replace __PREFIX with /opt/local
6) Edit the file /etc/inetd.conf, and modify the line for pop3, to:
pop3  stream  tcp  nowait   root   /usr/libexec/tcpd   /opt/local/libexec/ipop3d
7) Restart the service with:
sudo kill -HUP `cat /var/run/xinetd.pid`

What is Podcasting?

Podcasting is a way to distribute audio content. It allows users to create audio files and make them available for people to listen to. People can then download the podcasts whenever they want - allowing them to listen to the files whenever they want.

How do I listen to Podcasts?

You can download podcasts to any computer. There is a free client called iPodder that is open source and available for Mac, Windows and Linux. Step-by-Step instructions can be found here on how to use it.

How do I create a podcast?

Creating your own audio show using Podcasts is easy to do. You first need to create the audio files and then store the audio files on a web server. Several companies now have software that will help you accomplish these tasks. FeedForAll is an easy to use and inexpensive application to help you get started. Once you download the software you can go here for a step-by-step walk through.

Where do I save my files so that people can access them?

SolidSpace has server space set aside and ready for your Podcasts. It's easy to get started just click here.

How do I get started using my new shopping cart?
How do I add my products?
How do I add the Store’s business details?
How do I customize the pages on the web site?
How do I view my customers’ orders?
How do I change the overall look of the store?

 

How do I get started using my new shopping cart?

When your new account is created, an email is sent to you with your setup instructions. The setup instructions contain a link to access the administrative portion of the shopping cart web site. Click on the link provided in your email. The link below is for demonstration purposes only.

            https://www.orderprocessingsite.com/cart/yourdomain/admin/login.php

Enter your username and password and click “Login.”

This shows the title menu page that allows you to access the various parts of the shopping cart back end. If you hover your mouse over each title, a sub menu will appear with more options. Not all options are needed to get a standard shopping cart up and running. As you become more familiar with the cart, you can explore the options but for now we will focus on getting the cart up and running. As you make changes and save them, you may want to view the cart as your customers will see it. To do this, click on the link in the upper right hand corner of the Home page labeled “Online Catalog.” The online catalog link will pull up your cart as the customers see it. This way you can see how your changes to the admin side affect the client side.

Back to top

How do I add my products?

Adding new products is easy to do, just hover over Catalog and then click on “Categories/Products.”

The Categories and Product screen has two main choices. You can (1) add a new category of products or (2) add a new product.

 

Create a new category

If you click on “new category” you will see that you have a place for:

(1)  Category Name
(2)  Description of the category
(3)  Category Image is the location of the image you want to upload (if adding a new Category change the “Upload to directory:” to Categories.)
(4)  Save the new category.

Categories are a general class or family of items, an example might be Games, Age Ranges or Videos. Once you have chosen your first Category and filled out the details click on (4) “Save.”

Create a new product

If you click on “new product” you will see that you have many options; however, you will only need to fill out a few options to get started. Take a moment to look over all the options. The default selections will be fine for most cart users but, you should review the options to see if you want to make changes. The numbered items show the selections that will need to be filled out.

On this screen you see that you need:

(1)  Product Name

(2)  Product Price (Net):

 

(3)  Products Description can be added and the text modified with the built-in document editor.

(4)  Product Quantity is important because as products are purchased the quantity is reduced. This allows you to keep track of stock.

(5)  Product Image is the location of the image you want to upload.

 

When you are finished adding the details, click “Preview” to view the item as it will appear in the cart. If you are happy with the new entry click “Insert”

This will take you back to the Categories/Products page. Now that you have added a product, click on the “Online Catalog” link in the upper right hand corner of the page and view the web site as the customer will see it. By adding items and viewing the cart as the customer sees it, you will create a better custom cart faster.

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How do I add the Store’s business details?

You will want to add Store details like Store Name, Store Owner and Store Address and Phone. Move the mouse over Configuration and click “My Store”

To the right of each entry is an Action that allows you to edit each Title. The titles most often changed are marked in the picture below with red dots. To change the details click on the Action icon and then click “Edit.”

The email address used during the account set up with SolidSpace will be the one used by default for all cart related emails. If you would like to change this, contact support or go to our Advanced Shopping Cart FAQ.

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How do I customize the pages on the web site?

Move your mouse over Tools and then click on “Define Page Editor” as shown below.

Now click on the “Define Pages Editor” drop down menu as shown below.

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Scroll down and select the “define_main_page.php.” This is the home page of the shopping cart. Text can be added and edited with the built in text editor. Take a minute to hover your mouse over the icons on the built in text editor. You can see that many options you will want to use are built right in such as Background Color, Font and Insert Image. When you have edited the page to your satisfaction, click on “Save.” Now that you have saved the page click on the “Online Catalog” link in the upper right hand corner of the screen and view the web site as the customer will see it.

From the “Define Pages Editor” drop down menu you can modify all of the pages needed for a basic shopping cart. You will want to customize each page and add your own custom graphics and text to give the cart pages continuity from page to page.

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How do I view my customers’ orders?

To view orders hover your mouse over Customers and click on “Orders.”

The Orders page shows you the relevant details of a purchase. You can click on the “Action” menu item to edit, invoice, delete or create a packing slip.

If you have already created a product for your store, click on the “Online Catalog” link in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Now pretend to buy the item you created and follow the steps to purchase the item. Include your real email address as you sign up. Notice that in order to buy something from your store customers must fill out some basic information and create a unique identity with a username and password. After you purchase the items, notice that emails are sent to the person who purchased the item and to the Store owner notifying them that someone purchased an item. Whenever a purchase is made an email is sent automatically notifying the Store owner that someone purchased an item.

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How do I change the overall look of the store?

You can change the look and feel of the cart by selecting templates. To view the various templates hover the mouse over Tools and then click on “Template Selection” as shown below.

 

The Template Selection page allows you to “Preview” the various Templates before choosing one. Click on “preview” next to “Telus Grey.” An example page will pop up showing the overall look of a site using the selected Template.

 

Once you have decided on a Template click on the “edit” button select the Template name from the drop down list and click “update.” Now that you have saved the page click on the “Online Catalog” link in the upper right hand corner of the screen and view the web site as the customer will see it.

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Where is SolidSpace's datacenter?
SolidSpace's datacenter is locally owned and operated within our office building in Winston Salem, NC.

What type of backbone does SolidSpace have to the internet?
We have redundant 100 meg connections, one with Time Warner Telecom and the other with Level3.

How secure is the datacenter?
Entry into the datacenter is restricted to authorized keycard access by our technical personnel only.

What if I believe someone has tampered with my hardware without SolidSpace's knowledge?
SolidSpace's datacenter is equipped with 24/7 video monitoring and recording to ensure that all equipment is kept safe.

If the power goes out, will our hardware in the datacenter go down?
No, SolidSpace's power is connected to an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) and 200KW generator that maintains a clean and steady flow of power to our facility at all times.

Is the datacenter temperature controlled?
Yes, we have redundant multi-ton air handlers that control the temperature and humidity of the datacenter at all times. The floor is also raised to allow improved air flow and protection from the elements should a natural disaster occur.

Can another client's hardware in the datacenter affect the performance of my hardware?
No, each server has its own rack space and connection. SolidSpace also monitors all hardware health and datacenter statistics 24/7 to ensure everything is operating appropriately.

Is the datacenter protected from fires?
The datacenter is equipped with a state-of-the-art KIDDE FM-200 fire suppression system for maximum effectiveness and minimum damage.

Who is SolidSpace?
SolidSpace is a hosting and managed provider in the IT industry for over 10 years.

Does SolidSpace offer technical support?
Yes, we have a Support Helpdesk available M-F from 8am-8pm

Does SolidSpace offer after-hours support?
Yes, after-hours support is available Mon-Sun for service down situations.

Does SolidSpace only consist of technicians?
No, SolidSpace has full management, marketing, sales, and technical branches, all of which are available to assist the client's needs.