Web Hosting FAQ

What is domain name hosting?

A domain name is required in order to have a website on the Internet. An example of a domain name is yourcompany.com. When someone tries to access your website at www.yourcompany.com, a computer called the Domain Name Server (DNS) tells the user computer where to find the website. Allstream can transfer, register, and host your domain name for your website or your e-mail.

Allstream’s whois query can help you determine whether a domain name is available or find contact information for a domain name that is already in use.

For more information on domain names, please visit http://www.internic.com/faqs/domain-names.html

Can Allstream host just my email?

Yes, Allstream can provide your e-mail service even if you have a domain name that is hosted at another company.

Can Allstream host just my web site?

Yes, Allstream can host your website even if you have a domain name that is hosted at another company.

What top level domains, such as .com, can you host?

Allstream can host any top level domain available through an ICANN-Accredited registrar. These include .biz, .com, .name, .net, and .org. A list of top level domains available and ICANN-Accredited registrars can be found at http://www.icann.org/registrars/accredited-list.html

What are the paths to common programs, like perl?

For Unix web hosting, perl and Sendmail are:

  • PERL: /usr/local/bin/perl
  • Sendmail: /usr/lib/sendmail
How do I use the form-to-mail and counter scripts?

The system form-to-mail and counter scripts are added as tags into your web page. You do not need to obtain any additional files to make this work. Visit our CGI Help page for more information on how to implement these into your site.

What services do your servers support?

Allstream’s Unix and Windows servers support a number of basic web services:

  • PERL / CGI (Unix)
  • Custom CGI scripts, running from your own CGI-BIN directory. (Unix)
  • SSI, Server Side Includes (Unix)
  • PHP (Unix and Windows)
  • ASP, Active Server Pages (Windows)
  • ASP upload (Windows)
What versions of software are Allstream web servers using?

Software updates happen frequently, so we’ve created a method to provide up-to-the-minute information about the software versions our web hosting platforms are running. We built links that query our systems in real-time and provide dynamically-generated, detailed platform information reports.

Installed versions as of November 1, 2015:

  • PHP 5.4.17 (Unix) / 5.6.0 (Windows)
  • MySQL 5.0.90 (Unix) / 5.6.26 (Windows)
  • Apache 2.2.23 (Unix)
  • ASP .Net 2.0 and 4.5 (Windows)
  • Microsoft-IIS 8.5 (Windows)
Do your servers support databases?

Our Unix and Windows servers support MySQL databases.

How can I password protect a web page?

Password protection can easily be added to a folder using .htaccess files for sites on our Unix server. More information on .htaccess files and how to use them can be found on the .htaccess page.

What do you need to setup my SSL certificate?

After you have obtained a certificate from a certificate authority such as VeriSign, Thawte, or Entrust, provide us with the RSA Private Key and the certificate and we can put it on our server.

How do I make changes to my DNS records?

Please contact Allstream’s ISP Support team at [text-blocks id=”365″ slug=”isp-support-number” plain=”1″] and request the change. Allow 48 hours for the change to take effect. If you would like to directly administer your DNS records, please contact ISP Support to enable our new Customer Control Panel system for you. The CCP allows you to modify your Zone Files directly.

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