Allright, you have received the Configuration Form informing you of your login username
and password. What next? In this section, we will introduce our Cold Fusion system and how
Webvisions operates the Cold Fusion service.
Account Configuration
Before you jump right into programming your ColdFusion-enabled pages,
here are some helpful account configuration information to take into consideration.
When logging in to your Cold Fusion account through FTP, you will be presented with 3
folders. Namely databases, logs and www.
Take note that the databases directory
should only be used to store your databases. Whatever you upload here will not be
accessible via the web as it is just for referencing purposes.
In the logs
directory is a list of all the raw access log files which the server generates. There are
no error logs and/or ftp logs listed here. These logs are in the format of exYYDDMM.log,
for example ex990313.log would mean that particular log file is for the day 13th March
1999. On some rare occasions, you may not see the logs generated for some days. This
happens when there are no hits/accesses to your account for that whole day.
The www directory is where you
upload the files which you want to be displayed on the web. For example, if your domain is
coldfusion.acme.com and you upload the file index.cfm to the www directory, the file will
be available through http://coldfusion.acme.com/index.cfm
This directory has permissions for your scripts to
be executed and write to any files or subdirectories.
Requesting
Datasources (DSN)
You can use any ODBC-compliant database such as FoxPro, Access, Paradox, etc.
WEBVISIONS also provides its clients with Microsoft SQL Server if requested (additional
setup and monthly charges are involved).
In order for us to setup a new datasource, you must first upload the database to your databases directory and send us an email notification at support@webvisions.com requesting a new
datasource. Include the following information:
- Datasource Name
- Datasource Description
- Filename of the database you uploaded
- Username and password (if required)
By default, we will *not* setup restrictions on your datasource. However, please
specify if you need us to configure this option for your datasource.
Setting up of datasources usually takes approximately 1 to 2 days. You should receive a
confirmation email when the datasource has been setup. If not, please contact support@webvisions.com regarding this matter.
Overwriting
Datasources
Because of the way Cold Fusion accesses ODBC databases, you will often be unable to
copy over a database. This is due to a locking mechanism (Microsoft Jet Engine) which
prevents unauthorised access to your datasource apart from the ODBC client. More
importantly, your database is 'live,' meaning there is a constant possibility that someone
will try to access your database while you are copying over your new database. This
can often lead to a corrupted database or complications if you are trying to upload a new
copy of your database and a customer is accessing your database through the website
simultaneously.
To get around these issues, we ask that clients follow the steps below for a safe and
secure migration/modification of your current datasource:
- Upload your new database with a .new suffix behind the filename. For example, if the
database you are currently using is booklist.mdb, upload the new version as
booklist.mdb.new
- Once copied, send an email notification to support@webvisions.com
with "Switching databases" as the Subject of your email, stating the current
database you are using (booklist.mdb) and the database which you want us to overwrite it
with (booklist.mdb.new)
- You will receive a confirmation email when the necessary changes have been made and can
then proceed to use the modified datasource using the same settings as used previously.
General Enquiries
If you need assistance regarding your ColdFusion account, feel free to drop us a mail
at support@webvisions.com
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