FAQs

Can I Get Separate Access Logs for Subdomains?

Yes. Create a directory in /var/log/usage (as root) that has the same name as the subdomain and you should have logs in 48 hours. Otherwise, email Support and we will do it for you.

How Can I Restart Apache

You have root access and can therefore restart Apache yourself: 'apachectl graceful' as root. Or, 'apachectl stop' and 'apachectl startssl'.

Backups FAQ

Backups, they never seem important until you lose data. We take backups seriously at High Speed Rails and so should you. Here are some important questions and answers on this critical issue.

Why are my Emails Rejected with an Error that Mentions 'chkuser'?

If you get back a bounced email with this error: "553 sorry, that domain isn't in my list of allowed rcpthosts (#5.5.3 - chkuser)", the chkuser part of the error message means that the email address you sent your email to does not exist.

Can I Run Random Daemons?

Yes. However, please let us know what you plan to do and ask us what IP and port(s) are suitable before beginning. This way we can make sure your daemon starts on boot and that other good things happen.

I deleted my VHM and Can't Access the ZMI - What Can I do?

You need to access your Zope directly, by going around Apache and connecting to Zope's webserver directly. You can do this by getting the IP your Zope is using (its usually in /usr/local/etc/apache/conf/vhosts.conf) and the port its webserver is using, which is also in the same place. The port is usually a four digit number that begins with 8 or 9. Now open your browser and put IP:port/manage into the address field and login. Once you're in you can undo the deletion of the VHM or add another one (VirtualHostMonster) from the Add Menu.

Domain Mapping FAQ

Your questions on domains - answered.

E-mail Services FAQ

Questions and answers on our email services.

How Can I Cancel an Account?

Simply send an email stating which account and that you wish to cancel it to billing@highspeedrails.com. Make sure you send the email from the email address that you either used when you first ordered the account, or that you subsequently authorized for use with your account. This safeguard is in place for your protection. Please note that we ask for 30 days notice of cancellation.

How Can I Change an Email Account Password Without Using the Postmaster Account?

Any email account can be used to login to Qmailadmin (http://mail.highspeedrails.com/cgi-bin/qmailadmin). Instead of using postmaster as the username, use the handle (part before the @) of the email account and that email account's password. The owner of that email account will be able to login and manage his email account alone, including changing his/her password or setting a vacation message.

How Much Diskspace am I Using?

Run this command from the shell (as root) to find out: du -hd 1 /.

Someone is Using my Domain to Send Spam - What Can I do?

What is probably happening is that someone is forging the from header of the spam emails they are sending out. The from header in an email is actually fairly meaningless and can be easily forged. There is nothing you can do about this, other than publishing SPF (http://spf.pobox.com) records for your domain(s). If you would like a second opinion about any weird emails, feel free to send the full headers to Support. You can also email Support if you would like to publish SPF records for your domain and thereby help other mailservers identify and block forged email that uses your domain(s).

I Locked Myself Out of Zope - What do i do?

When you are locked out of Zope, either because you lost the password or because you deleted your user(s) or acl_users folder, you can use the zpasswd.py script and a zope restart to get back in. Read on for how to do this.

How do I Map My Domain to the Root of My Zope or PloneSite?

If you are using Zope then you can use the Virtual Host Monster (VHM) that came pre-installed. Read on for how to use your VHM.

What Maximum Email Size is Allowed?

The maximum size of email that can be sent through our mail server is 15Mb. I'm sorry, we can not increase it at this time.

How do I get the MD5 Fingerprint of a File?

To get the MD5 fingerprint of a file simply run this command on the CLI: openssl dgst /path/to/file .

How Can I Migrate My Domain to HSR With Minimal Downtime?

The first step is to configure your domain and everything that relates to it with us. This includes asking us to pick up DNS on it. You should map the domain in Apache/Zope/etc. as needed, create any email accounts you need, and otherwise replicate your current domain setup on our servers. A couple days before the move you should lower the TTL's (Time to Live) on your A records where the DNS is currently hosted to 600 seconds. About 24 hours later you can then safely change the nameservers for your domain at your registrar and wait until the change is fully completed. This will keep any downtime to an absolute minimum. About 24-48 hours later, get any email at your old MX and have them drop DNS and email service on your domain(s).

How do you Monitor My Account to Make Sure My Services Are Always Available?

We maintain a distributed monitoring system that tests all critical services every 2-4 minutes and can alert us 24/7/365 via email, Jabber, SMS, regular telephone and other means if there is a problem, so that we can immediately take corrective action. We also deploy daemon-monitoring and restart daemons to all servers and virtual servers to locally monitor and restart if need be important services like Apache, MySQL, Zope and others. We can plug you into this system so you can also receive alerts for events that pertain to your account. Email support with a description of your needs to get started. There is no charge for this service.

How Can I Serve Multiple Domains from Zope?

This is very easy, and we pre-configure accounts that include multiple domains to handle multiple domains. Please email support asking us to pick up your domain. We will add it to our nameservers, mailservers, setup logs for it and add it to your apache configuration. All you need to do now is map the domain using the VHM in the root of your Zope and then change the nameservers on file for your domain to ours. Search our Knowledge Base for information on how to use the VHM or find out the names of our nameservers.

Must I Use HSR's Nameservers for my Domains?

Of coure not. You can use any nameservers you like and simply make A records pointing to your account. The following are some of the advantages of using our nameservers: (1) If we need to change your IP address, we can do so seamlessly without service interruption; (2) If you decide to upgrade/downgrade your account, we can make any migration seamless without any work on your part; (3) Our nameservers are fast and well-maintained as they are a core part of our business, this is not true of everyone else and you may experience slowness or downtime if you select a separate DNS provider.

Why Do the Changes to My Plone Site not Appear?

When you make a change to something in portal_skins you need to sometimes also clear the ZODB cache in order for the Plone site to show the change. To clear the cache, navigate to Control Panel > Database Management > main (or whatever ZODB the Plone site is on) > Flush Cache and click on the Minimize button.

Can I Get Access to my Raw Apache Logs?

Yes. We break them up by domain and keep them around for 6 days by default in /var/log/usage. We can break up logs by any number of subdomains upon request.

Why was an Email Sent to Me Rejected by Spamcop?

High Speed Rails employs several tools to protect you and your email inbox from spam and viruses. Among those tools are RBL's (Real-time Blackhole Lists) that list IP addresses that are known sources of spam. Sometimes a mail server that someone will send legitimate email to you from will get on one of these lists and will be blocked from our mailserver. If you don't want this RBL protection then you can email support and we will move your domain to an alternate MX that is free of RBL protection.

Can I Use My Account to Resell?

Yes, but keep in mind that its up to you to support the people you resell to. Never encourage your clients to contact us directly for their support needs.

How Can I Restart sshd?

You can do the following as root: kill `cat /var/run/sshd.pid` && /usr/sbin/sshd .

How Can I Make Zope Appear at a Subdirectory of My Site?

Perhaps your website is non-Zope but you have a Zope application that you want to appear as a subdirectory of your website. Here is an example of the Apache Rewrite Rule you need to make this happen.

How Can I Use a Separate ZODB for Each Plone Site?

Zope 2.7.x and above allow you to create ZODB Mount Points, thereby using multiple ZODB's instead of just the one we were limited to before. Read on for more information on how to use this feature.

My ISP Blocks Port 25 - How Can I Send Email?

Use port 2525 instead.

Can You Publish SPF Records for My Domains?

Yes. All you need to do is email support with the list of domains you want records for and, if you send email using your domain(s) from anywhere other than the HSR network let us know that as well. Once we have added your SPF record(s) to our nameservers, you can test them here: http://www.dnsstuff.com/pages/spf.htm .

I Need Some MySQL or PostgreSQL Databases. How does that work?

If you didn't request MySQL or PostgreSQL databases when you ordered your account, then you won't have any. To get some, just file a support ticket letting us know how many of which kind you need and if you have any naming preferences. If you would like to run your own MySQL server then please let us know that as well. The PostgreSQL server does not run inside our accounts so we maintain separate PostgreSQL servers for your use.

My SSH Password Stopped Working - Why?

SSH passwords are set to expire after 180 days. So please reset them to something new regularly, by typing 'passwd' on the commandline. When you login you will get a message about the coming expiration if it is near. You can type 'genpass' on the commandline to get some secure password suggestions.

How does SSL Service Work?

We can setup SSL service for you on any account. Some charges may apply. You can purchase your own SSL cert, use a self-signed one, or we can get you one from InstantSSL/Comodo for $49/yr. Keep in mind that each SSL cert is for one FQDN, eg, secure.mydomain.com, only and that each SSL VirtualHost requires a dedicated IP. So, if you need multiple SSL VirtualHosts then you also need multiple IP's which means multiple accounts or a Managed Server with multiple IP's.

How do I Upgrade or Downgrade My Account?

You should file the order through our website for the new account that you want and mention in the setup instructions that your order is an upgrade (or downgrade). After you have placed the order and the payment has cleared, we will cancel your old account and make any appropriate refunds. Also, we perform account upgrades (migration of your data to the new account) at no additional cost, if required.

What is SFTP?

SFTP is part of OpenSSH, the application that enables secure communication among networked devices. SSH and SCP are companion applications of SFTP, and all three use the same username and password. SFTP enables you to easily transfer files to and from your HSR account with an interface similar to the well-known FTP

What is WebDAV?

WebDAV is the common name for a set of extensions to HTTP that enable collaborative sharing of files and editing, creation, sharing and deletion of files much like with an FTP server. WebDAV is commonly implemented as part of a webserver, for example with Apache or Zope.

Why Can't I FTP to my Apache Space?

We don't offer unsecured FTP service by default because FTP is not secure, but we can set it up for you by request. Otherwise, try WebDAV or SFTP instead.

Why Can't I Send Email from my HSR Email Account?

You can, however in order to prevent unauthorized use of our email service we require that you authenticate in order to send email (SMTP) through our mailservers. Many email clients have a checkbox that enables you to use the same login information for SMTP as for checking your email (IMAP or POP). When you try to send email without authenticating, Qmail will usually give you a error like this: 553 sorry, that domain isn't in my list of allowed rcpthosts (#5.7.1).

How Can I Run Zope in Debug Mode?

Putting your Zope into Debug Mode and being able to watch all log messages on your console/terminal is easy. Read along to find out.

Can you Rotate my Zope Log Files?

Yes. We can set this up for you with newsyslog. Just file a support request, including the path to the log file(s) you want rotated.

How Can I See My Zope's RAM Usage?

Login via ssh, type 'top' then u and then zope. The RES number for the python process is your Zope's RAM usage in KB.

How Do I Change Zope's Time Zone?

If your Zope version is 2.7.x or above, try putting export TZ=X near the top of the runzope script for your Zope instance (INSTANCE_HOME/bin), where X is the desired timezone, for example GMT. Restart your Zope to make the change effective.

What are HSR's Nameservers?

High Speed Rails maintains multiple, fast, geo-redundant nameservers for your use. Currently they are: a.highspeedrails.com and b.highspeedrails.com.

How Can I Stop my Squirrelmail Session from Timing Out?

By default our Squirrelmail webmail service should not time out for 24 minutes but if you need more time and would like to simply disable the timeout then you can do so as follows. Login to Squirrelmail and go to Options > Folder Preferences. Set the Auto Refresh Folder List setting to 5 minutes and submit the form. Now your session will stay active until you manually sign out.