MiniPortal FAQ

 

Requirements :

Do I need a domain name to use MiniPortal?
No. You can use MiniPortal without a domain name and access your website either by using a web browser with the URL 'http://127.0.0.1/' from the machine running MiniPortal, or by hardcoding your IP address as the URL.  However, if your IP address is dynamic, or if you plan on making your website open to the internet, it is suggested that you obtain a domain name.

Do I need a static, or fixed, IP address to use MiniPortal?
No. But if you have a dynamic IP address, you need Dynamic DNS support.

Can I run MiniPortal with a cable modem?
Yes, but certain cable modem services do not permit servers to be run. Check your cable modem Service Agreement to find out if servers are permitted.

Will MiniPortal run with a firewall, router, or proxy server?
Yes. When you run MiniPortal, the Basic Access Test will help you set configuration values to work with these systems.

What operating systems does MiniPortal run on?
MiniPortal runs on Microsoft® Windows® 95 (OSR1 with Winsock2 or OSR2), Windows 98/98SE/ME, Windows NT 4.0 with SP/3, 2000, XP with SP/1 or later, and 2003.

How much memory does MiniPortal require?
MiniPortal requires a minimum of 16MB of memory for itself. It is possible to run MiniPortal on a machine having a total of 32MB of memory, but no other applications should be running.

How much disk storage does MiniPortal require?
MiniPortal requires about 100MB for storage of all of its files. Additional disk space may be required depending on the size of the website you plan to host. 

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Installation and Uninstallation :

Where in my directory structure is MiniPortal installed?
The default installation directory is C:/Program Files/InstantServers.  The root of your website is under C:/Program Files/InstantServers/MiniPortal/Apache/htdocs.

How do I uninstall MiniPortal?

  1. Exit MiniPortal by right-clicking the MiniPortal icon in the Window Task Bar System Tray (the small exclamation point in the lower-right corner of your screen).
  2. Open the Control Panel. From the Start Menu,  Start>Settings>Control Panel.
  3. Select MiniPortal from the program list and click "Add/Remove..."
  4. Check, "Remove all installed components".
  5. Windows may not allow you to remove all of MiniPortal's files, so you may receive the message, "Cannot Remove Locked File." Check, "Don't show me message again," then click "Ignore".

You will then see the message, "Uninstall complete."  However, there may still be parts of MiniPortal in the file folder. To complete the uninstallation, from the Windows 'Start' menu, select Programs, then click on Windows Explorer. Under Program Files, select the InstantServers folder, then press the delete key and confirm the deletion. The uninstall is now complete

Add/Remove won't let me uninstall MiniPortal; what do I do?
Make sure that MiniPortal is not running.  Right-click on the MiniPortal icon in the Windows Task Bar System Tray (the small exclamation point in the lower-right corner of your screen).  Select 'Exit' from the popup menu. Now, re-run the uninstallation.

If uninstallation still fails, check that MiniPortal servers are not installed as Windows Services. The servers can be removed from Windows Services by running MiniPortal, right-clicking the MiniPortal icon and selecting 'Open' to display the 'Manage Servers' window. Stop all servers and uncheck the 'Services' box. Then, select 'Exit' from the popup.

Alternately, the MiniPortal servers can be disabled in the Windows Services administration window, accessed by:
Start->Settings->Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Services
Disable the Services: 'Apache', 'ISFTP' and 'ISDynamicIP'.

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Hosting A Web Site :

How do I host a web site on MiniPortal?
To host a web site on MiniPortal, see How to Setup a Web Server with MiniPortal.

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Trial Copy of MiniPortal :

What can I do with the trial copy of MiniPortal?
The trial copy is a full copy of the MiniPortal software.  The trial copy is not limited in any way, but will expire after a limited time. 

How do I access my web server on the trial copy of MiniPortal?
You can initially access your web server by typing the URL http://127.0.0.1/ or http://localhost/ into a browser running on the same machine as the web server. A URL containing the IP address of the machine where the web server is running will also work if the machine is connected to a network.

Note: you can find the web server's IP address by rolling the mouse cursor over the MiniPortal "!" icon in the system notification area of the system tray (lower right-hand portion of the screen). After MiniPortal is running for a few seconds, a list of IP addresses used by the machine will be displayed.

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Domain Name System (DNS) :

Does MiniPortal support dynamic IP addressing?
Yes. If you use a dynamic DNS service, you will need to run the IP update client for that service.

Note that while MiniPortal responds to changes in your IP address almost immediately, DNS servers typically will take two or three minutes to update their databases. Consequently, each time you are assigned a new dynamic IP address there may be a slight delay before the new address takes effect. Since most ISPs that use dynamic addressing only assign a different IP address when a new connection is established, delays should normally occur only when you reboot

How do I view domain information?
From the MiniPortal Administrator, open the "Tools" folder, "Utilities" subfolder, then click "Domain Lookup". Enter the name of the domain you wish to view. You can find information about your domain and any other registered domain. 

How do I view subdomain information?
Limited subdomain information is also available using the steps in "How do I view domain information"?

How do I find my web server's IP address?
To find the internet IP address of the web server, run the MiniPortal Basic Access Test. The test will report the IP address of the web server as seen by internet visitors. This will also be the IP of any domain names. Note that (due to a router) this IP will likely be different from the web server's local IP address.

The web server's local IP address can be found by accessing the MiniPortal Administrator on the machine where the web server is located. Just login and look for the "IP Address" field.

On the machine where MiniPortal is running, positioning the screen cursor over the MiniPortal icon in the status area of the system tray (lower right portion of screen) will also display the local IP address(es) so long as the MiniPortal web server is running.

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Web Server - General Information  :

How do I access the MiniPortal Administrator through Windows?
From your local PC running MiniPortal, you can access the MiniPortal Administrator through Start->Programs->MiniPortal->MiniPortal Administrator.

How do I access the MiniPortal Administrator through the web?
From a local machine, enter the URL http://127.0.0.1/admin/ into any web-browser.  Accessing the Administrator via 127.0.0.1/admin/ does not require a registered domain name but it does require that you use your local PC that is running MiniPortal.  Alternatively, once you have configured MiniPortal with a registered domain name, you can access the Administrator from any web-browser, local or remote, through the URL http://YourDomainName/admin/ where YourDomainName is the domain name you registered using MiniPortal. 

For security reasons, accessing the Administrator via YourDomainName/admin/ is authenticated and requires a Admin username and password; accessing the Administrator locally through the Start menu or localhost/admin requires no authentication. 

How do I create an authenticated directory?
To create an authenticated directory, you must first create a directory to be authenticated. Then one or more accounts must be created to access the authenticated directory (see Accounts).

There are two basic ways to create directories using MiniPortal, either manually or using third-party software such as an FTP client or web-publishing software like Microsoft Frontpage. 

To create a directory manually:

The htdocs directory is the root directory for your website.  Any subdirectories created in the htdocs directories will be accessible from your website.  However, setting directory authentication requirements for a directory will limit accessibility of that directory to specific users.  Once you have created a directory you are ready to set authentication requirements.

To set authentication requirements on a directory:

How do I restart MiniPortal from Windows?
Right-click on the MiniPortal icon in the Windows Task Bar System Tray (the small exclamation point in the lower-right corner of your screen).  Select "Manage Servers" from the popup menu. Each MiniPortal server can be stopped and started from this dialog box.

How do I restart MiniPortal from the System Administrator?

Click the Home link in the MiniPortal Administrator main menu. Each server (except the web server) can be stopped and started from this menu. The web server can only be restarted, since stopping it would also stop the MiniPortal Administrator.

What version of MiniPortal do I have installed?
The MiniPortal version is displayed on the 'About' menu of the MiniPortal Manager (right-click the MiniPortal icon in the system tray and select 'About').

The version is also displayed on the Home page of the MiniPortal Administrator (http://127.0.0.1/admin/).

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Web Server - Accounts :

What type of MiniPortal Web Server accounts exist?

How do I create new user accounts with usernames and passwords?
From the MiniPortal Administrator, click "Accounts". Complete the "Username", "Password", and "Retype Password" fields and then select the type of account you wish to create and click "Save".

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Web Server - CGI Scripting :

How do I run CGI scripts with MiniPortal?

CGI scripts should be placed into the domain CGI directory. On a default installation, this would be:
C:/Program Files/InstantServers/MiniPortal/Apache/cgi-bin

Note that if the cgi-bin directory is changed or a different cgi-bin directory is used for an additional domain, the script should be placed there instead.

Also, the first line of each script (the 'shebang' line) must refer to the script interpreter. On a default installation using Perl, the first line would be:
#!perl

See the MiniPortal User Guide for more information.

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Web Server - Site Activity :

How can I tell how many people have accessed my site?
In the MiniPortal Administrator, open the "Web Server" folder and choose "Site Report". Select a "Set Report Cycle/Period" (e.g. Today, This Week). Then click "Activity". A chart will be produced indicating the number and type of accesses for the period chosen.

How can I tell if site visitors have encountered errors on my site?
In the MiniPortal Administrator, open the "Web Server" folder and choose "Site Report". Select a "Set Report Cycle/Period" (e.g. Today, This Week).  Then click "Error". A list of the count and type of the most frequently encountered errors will be displayed. This is followed by a list of the count and URL which caused the error, also for the most frequently occurring errors.

How can I tell who is visiting my site?
It is very difficult to know exactly who is visiting a web site. However, it is possible to tell the origination IP address. In the MiniPortal Administrator, open the "Web Server" folder and choose "Site Report". Select a "Set Report Cycle/Period" (e.g. Today, This Week).  Then click "Visitor". A list of the number of hits and IP address of the top visitors will be displayed.

How can I find out where visitors are coming from?
The source of the link to your site that visitors clicked can (optionally) be recorded in MiniPortal's access log. To do this, first configure MiniPortal to record the "Referer" field in its log. In the MiniPortal Administrator, open the "Web Server" folder, and choose "Logging". Choose "Referer" then "Submit". The referring link for each new visitor will now be recorded. To view these links, open the "Web Server" folder and choose "Site Report". Select a "Set Report Cycle/Period" (e.g. Today, This Week). Then click "Referrer". A list of the number of hits and the referring URL will be displayed.

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Web Server - Domains :

How do I setup multiple domains with MiniPortal?
To setup multiple domains:

  1. Register each domain name with a Domain Name Registrar or Domain Name Reseller on the internet. If you wish to use an existing domain name, just proceed to step 2.
  2. Set the DNS entry for each domain (the DNS 'A' record) to the IP address of your server. Use the external IP address of your router if your server is not directly connected to the internet. Note that only 1 IP address is required even if more than 1 domain is used; this is because the HTTP protocol informs the web server of the domain name.
    • If you have a static (or fixed) IP address, your Domain Name Registrar may permit the IP address to be set directly in the DNS for the domain. Otherwise, you will need a DNS Service.
    • If you have a dynamic (or changing) IP address, you will need a DNS Service.
  3. Add each domain to MiniPortal using the MiniPortal Administrator (http://127.0.0.1/admin/). Open the 'Web Server' folder, click the 'Domains' link and click 'New'. Then:

How do I setup web space for multiple users if I have only 1 domain?
Web space can be setup for multiple users with 'subdomains'. For example, if you own a domain 'mydomain.com', then you can create subdomains:

A unique directory can be assigned to each subdomain, giving each user their own web space.

To add a subdomain to MiniPortal using the MiniPortal Administrator (http://127.0.0.1/admin/). Open the 'Web Server' folder, click the 'Domains' link and click 'New'. Then:

I setup two completely different domains; say, 'domain1.com' and 'domain2.com', but each shows the same page! How do I fix this?

  1. Check that the 'Document Directory' for each domain is different.
  2. Check that the contents of each domain's 'Document Directory' are correct (and different).
  3. Check that each domain has a name without a 'www' prefix; enter the domain name ('domain1.com' or 'domain2.com') in the 'Name' field.
  4. Enter a 'Domain Alias' using the '*' (e.g. '*.domain1.com' or '*.domain2.com'). This will allow visitors to use either the domain name (e.g. 'http://domain1.com' or 'http://domain2.com') or 'www' and the domain name (e.g. 'http://www.domain1.com' or 'http://www.domain2.com').

Note that the web browser temporary files may need to be deleted, and the browser may need to be restarted to see both domains.

I setup two domains; a main domain, say, 'domain1.com' and a subdomain, 'mysub.domain1.com', but each shows the same page! How do I fix this?

  1. Check that the 'Document Directory' for each domain is different.
  2. Check that the contents of each domain's 'Document Directory' are correct (and different).
  3. Check that each domain has a name without a 'www' prefix; enter the domain name (e.g. 'domain1.com' or 'mysub.domain1.com') in the 'Name' field.
  4. Do not enter a 'Domain Alias' for the main domain (e.g. 'domain1.com') or use only 'www' as the Domain Alias (e.g. 'www.domain1.com'). No Domain Alias will insure that any subdomains are checked if the URL is not an exact match of the domain name, but may not work if 'www' is used as a prefix. A Domain Alias using 'www' will work with both the main domain name ('http://domain1.com') and the main domain prefixed with 'www' ('http://www.domain1.com').
  5. In general, do not enter a Domain Alias for the subdomain, or only enter 'www' as the Domain Alias (e.g. 'www.mysub.domain1.com'). No Domain Alias may only allow visitors to use the exact subdomain name (e.g. 'http://mysub.domain1.com'). A Domain Alias using 'www' will work with both the subdomain name ('http://mysub.domain1.com') and the subdomain prefixed with 'www' ('http://www.mysub.domain1.com').

Note that the web browser temporary files may need to be deleted, and the browser may need to be restarted to see both domains.

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Web Server - ErrorDocument :

I created a global ErrorDocument using a text string for '404' errors, but I get a 'Page Not Found' when I access a non-existent page for the domain. How do I fix this?
Either:

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Web Sites :

How do I transfer my existing website to my local computer running MiniPortal?
First, download the content of your website from your ISP or wherever else it may be housed using an FTP client.  Then, upload the same content using an FTP client to MiniPortal using your registered domain name or subdomain name. If you are on the local machine running MiniPortal, you may also use "localhost"as the hostname.

How do I add Perl scripts to my site?
Perl scripts can be placed in either of two directories, cgi-bin or mod_perl.  For performance reasons, it is suggested that you use the mod_perl directory since scripts in this directory will be run under Apache's mod_perl extension.  Most, but not all, Perl scripts will run under mod_perl, so you may need to use cgi-bin. Both the mod_perl and cgi-bin directories are located under the default installation directory folder (e.g. under  "C:\Program Files\InstantServers\MiniPortal\Apache\"). 

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Firewalls, Routers, and Proxy Servers :

How do I get MiniPortal to work behind a firewall, router, or proxy server?
A firewall, router, or proxy server is designed to be located between a user's machine and the internet. It will hide the IP address of the user's machine from view, thereby preventing direct access by external users or programs, some of whom may be malicious. MiniPortal operates on a very restricted set of ports and contains a number of security safeguards. It can be exposed for access to the HTTP (port 80) and FTP (port 21) protocols. Most firewalls, routers, and proxy servers can be configured to enable external access to these ports for one or more machines which they protect. Check the vendor's user manual for instructions on how to do this. Typically, it can be done using a telnet program or web browser.

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FTP :

Who can publish web sites to MiniPortal via FTP?
Only FTP accounts of type "Author" can publish web sites. 

How do I publish a website to MiniPortal using FTP?
You can connect to MiniPortal using an FTP client via your registered domain name, or if you are on the local machine running MiniPortal, via the domain name 'localhost':

  1. Open your FTP client
  2. Enter your domain name as the host to connect to, or if you are on the machine running MiniPortal you may also enter 127.0.0.1 instead of your domain name.  (The 127.0.0.1 technique will also work if you have not yet registered your domain name.)
  3. When prompted, enter a valid username and password. If you are on the machine running MiniPortal, you can type the username "anonymous" and no password.

You can now upload your HTML source files and directory structure using your FTP client's put commands.

How do I create an FTP account?
Open the "Web Server" folder and then click "Accounts". Click the "New" button. Enter a user name, a password, re-type the password, then select an FTP account type of either "Author" or "Other" and press "Save". "Author" accounts have the ability to both read and write using FTP, while "Other" accounts are read-only. 

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Microsoft FrontPage :

What versions of the FrontPage Server Extensions does MiniPortal support?
MiniPortal supports the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions; MiniPortal does NOT support the FrontPage 2002 Server Extensions.

The FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions provide some compatibility for versions of FrontPage other than FrontPage 2000. To check compatibility, we recommend testing your web site thoroughly with MiniPortal.

What are the FrontPage Server Extensions for Microsoft FrontPage 2000?
The Server Extensions provide additional capabilities for users of FrontPage 2000. These include managing the web site, publishing with HTTP (in addition to FTP), creating page hit counters, discussion lists, and using other FrontPage extended features. 

How do I get the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions for Windows?
The FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions are available on the FrontPage distribution media, the Windows 2000 or XP Professional CD, or the Microsoft web site.

If you are using the Windows CD:

Note: IIS may also need to be installed in order to install the Server Extensions. After installation is complete, check that IIS is stopped using Start->Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Computer Management. Open 'Sevices and Applications' and then 'Internet Information Services'. Right-click the web server entry to check that IIS is stopped.

If you are downloading from the Microsoft web site:

How do I enable the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions in MiniPortal?
Open the "System Administrator" folder, then the "Web Server" subfolder. Click "Domains". Then choose "Edit". Click the "FrontPage Server Extended Web" checkbox and then "Save".

What versions of Microsoft FrontPage can be used?
All versions of Microsoft FrontPage can be used. Also, the FrontPage Server Extensions for Microsoft FrontPage 2000 are supported.

Note: the Microsoft FrontPage 2002 Server Extensions are not supported, and Microsoft ASP is not natively supported (a separate ASP extension is available).

Is MiniPortal 100% compliant with the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions?
No. MiniPortal does not support all of the FrontPage Server Extension features. For example, MiniPortal does not support the FrontPage Management Console (MMC), the HTML Administration Forms, subwebs, NTLM authentication, or permissions for site visitors.

Does MiniPortal support 'Web Folders' with the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions?
MiniPortal supports 'Web Folders' on machines with Office 2000 installed for domains with the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions installed.

Why isn't support for the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions installed in MiniPortal by default?
First, not everyone has FrontPage (or the FrontPage Server Extensions) installed on their system. Second, in order to manage the web site, supporting the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions requires some modifications to the default security settings of the web server which could open additional entry paths to hackers.  For these reasons, support for the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions is only added when the user chooses to do so.

I get an error message when I try to enable the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions in MiniPortal. What should I do?
First, check that the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions are installed. MiniPortal can not use the FrontPage 2002 Server Extensions. See "How do I install the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions on Windows?" for more information.

If the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions are installed, you may be experiencing a version conflict. Please note the version of the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions (if possible) and contact us for a remedy.

I get an error message when I try to install a User Accounts on MiniPortal when the Microsoft FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions are installed. What should I do?
Versions of MiniPortal prior to 1.1.6 would allow the Document Directory to be changed when the FrontPage Server Extensions were installed. However, the Server Extensions were not moved to the new directory. This resulted in problems creating Accounts. Versions 1.1.6 and later fixed this problem.

If you are using a version of MiniPortal more recent thatn 1.1.6 and you still encounter this error, contact us for a remedy.

The Microsoft FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions don't seem to work. What  should I do?
First, check that the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions are installed. MiniPortal can not use the FrontPage 2002 Server Extensions. See "How do I install the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions on Windows?" for more information.

You can also check that the Extensions are installed by looking in the Registry for the key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Shared Tools. (You can use Start->Run->regedit or other Registry editor to view the Registry). The key should have a value "SharedFilesDir" under it. Look in the directory specified by "SharedFilesDir" for a folder named "Web Server Extensions". If present, this folder should have subfolders leading to the programs which support the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions. If these program are present, then the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions are installed.

Note: if this registry information is not present, make sure you have at least version 5 of Internet Explorer installed. Older versions did not have this folder.

Next, check that you have installed the Microsoft FrontPage 2000 Server Extension support in MiniPortal. See "How do I enable the Microsoft FrontPage 2000 Server Extension support"?

Then, make sure you have a FPSE Author account for your domain, and that you use its username and password when publishing from FrontPage. If you do not have a valid FPSE Author account, FrontPage will fail to login to MiniPortal when you attempt to publish your site. An Admin account will not work for this purpose since MiniPortal provides publishing and not administration capabilities for the FrontPage Server Extensions.

Finally, be sure to use the HTTP protocol when  publishing from FrontPage so that FrontPage can manage your web. If you do not use http, but instead use FTP, FrontPage will not be able to manage your website and will not be able to perform special functions such as installing hit counters, discussion lists, etc..

Can I create multiple FrontPage "root webs" to use with different domain (or subdomain) names; that is, one "root web" for each "virtual host"?
Yes. Each domain (or subdomain) has a FrontPage Server Extended Web option. Also, directories can be shared between domains, but one domain can not have a Document Directory which is a subdirectory (subfolder) or any other domain's Document Directory.

Can I publish a "sub web" using FrontPage (i.e. a web that lies beneath the "http://domainname.com/" directory, like "http://domainname.com/testweb")?
You can publish a web containing multiple levels of directories to the "root web" (i.e. to "http://domainname.com/") but they are treated as subdirectories, and not as "sub webs".

Can I use the Fpsrvadm utility to administer the Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions or other services of MiniPortal?
No. MiniPortal is managed using a web browser and System Administrator.

Can I use the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Snap-in to administer the Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions or other services of MiniPortal?
Certain functions of the MMC snap-in work. But there is no technical support for it at this time.

Can I use the Microsoft Server Extensions HTML Administration Forms to administer the Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions or other services of MiniPortal?
No. MiniPortal is managed using a web browser and System Administrator.

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Security :

How secure is MiniPortal?
The MiniPortal web server allows HTTP access to your machine on port 80. Access is restricted to a subdirectory (e.g. "htdocs") where MiniPortal is installed.

The MiniPortal FTP server allows access to your machine on port 21. The FTP server requires user authentication at the "Author" or "Admin" level. Only those accounts necessary should be created, and passwords should be chosen safely (i.e. no dictionary works, birthdates, etc.). The FTP server can only read and write files and directories within the account's directory level.

All passwords on MiniPortal are encrypted, and stored outside of the default web and FTP directories. Because of this encryption, it is not possible to recover a lost password; if a password is lost, a new one must be created from the server machine using http://127.0.0.1/admin/ to access MiniPortal Administrator.

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Windows 95 :

How do I upgrade Windows 95 to support MiniPortal?
MiniPortal requires Winsock2 to install and operate. Earlier versions of Windows 95 (i.e. OSR1) did not include Winsock2.

You can download and install the Winsock2 upgrade from the Microsoft web site (http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/) Follow the instructions for "Windows Socket 2 Update".

If you are using an older version of Windows 95 (4.00.950 or 4.00.950A), you should also install "Windows Socket Update - Kernel 32".  This fixes a memory leak when opening and closing sockets and will improve system reliability.

Note: If you are also updating Dial-up Networking 1.2b or earlier, install the Winsock2 update after the Dial-up Networking update.

Note: DO NOT INSTALL the Winsock2 update on Windows 95 OSR2 (4.00.950 B) as this problem has already been fixed.  You can check your system version using Start->Settings->Control Panel->System.

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Troubleshooting :

What should I do if I get a 'Page not found' or other error when accessing http://127.0.0.1 or http://127.0.0.1/admin/setup?
First make sure that MiniPortal is running. The MiniPortal program '!' icon in the lower right portion of the screen should be green.

Next, flush your browser cache. In IE, select Tools->Internet Options->Delete Files and check 'Delete all offline content'. Exit IE and then restart it. Enter http://127.0.0.1/

Next, your DNS cache may need to timeout. Rebooting the machine may help, or just letting a few minutes pass before you try accessing http://127.0.0.1/ again may work.

Next, make sure that you are not using a Proxy Server from your web browser. In Internet Explorer 5, select Tools->Internet Options->Connections->LAN Settings. The 'Use automatic configuration script' box should not be checked. In Netscape 4, select Edit->Preferences->Advanced->Proxies. Make sure 'Direct Connection to the Internet' is checked.

Finally, the '127.0.0.1' entry may have been deleted from the local 'hosts' file. You can manually add it back in. On Win9x, open: 'Windows\hosts.sam'. On Win2000, open: 'WINNT\system32\drivers\etc\hosts'. Then add the following line:
127.0.0.1 localhost
and then save the file. Exit and restart MiniPortal and try accessing the URL again.

What should I do if http://127.0.0.1 is empty or shows 'Parent Directory?
Make sure you have an 'index.html' file in your web server default document directory. Normally, this is the 'Apache/htdocs' subdirectory located under the MiniPortal installation directory.

What should I do if I can access http://127.0.0.1 but not the MiniPortal Setup page (http://127.0.0.1/admin/setup/index.html)?
This is most likely a timing problem between your web server startup and your browser startup. The browser may try to access the Setup page before the web server has finished initializing. Try to flush your browser cache. In IE, select Tools->Internet Options->Delete Files and check 'Delete all offline content'. Exit IE and then restart it. Rebooting the machine may help, or just letting a few minutes pass before you try accessing the Setup page again may work.

What should I do if I cannot access my domain or subdomain?
Run the MiniPortal Basic Access Test. This will check your machine's IP address and check that your web server can be accessed from the internet.

If your web server can not be accessed from the internet, follow the instructions given by the Basic Access Test to find and fix the problem.

What should I do if the Basic Access Test passes but I still cannot access my domain or subdomain?
If you add '?domain=your-domain-name.com' to the end of the Basic Access Test URL, it will check that your domain is registered on the internet, and display your domain's current IP, so that you can check if it matches your server's external IP.

If your server's external IP does not match your domain's IP, then your domain's DNS is not pointing to the right IP address. If you are using a Trial Subdomain name, login to your InstantServers account and check that MiniPortal has been configured with the correct domain information.

If you are using a full domain name, you will need to update the DNS for your domain name (if your IP is static, you should be able to change the IP address at your Registrar's web site. If your IP is dynamic, you will need a dynamic DNS service, such as this).

What should I do if the Basic Access Test passes but I still cannot access my domain or subdomain, and I have a router?
Certain routers do not allow a machine 'behind' the router (i.e. on the local area network) to access itself, or to access any other machine 'behind' the router using a domain name. The reason for this is that the domain name refers to the external IP address of the router. So, any request is routed 'out' to the internet and then back 'in' through the external IP of the router (which is configured to forward requests to the server machine). The router gets confused by this. The solution is to use the internal IP of the server (or 127.0.0.1 if on the server machine) when accessing the domain. The internal IP can be found by rolling the mouse over the MiniPortal icon in the lower right of the screen.

What should I do if I have two domains with different folders, but I only see one domain?
See 'Web Server: Domains'.

How else can I tell if my domain name refers to the correct internet address?
Open an MSDOS window, and type "ping yourdomainname.com" (e.g. "ping instantservers.com"). The address returned is the internet address to which the domain name refers.

What do I do if I forget my MiniPortal Administrator username and/or password?
For security reasons, you cannot login to the MiniPortal Administrator from a remote machine if you do not have a valid username and password.  However, logging in to the MiniPortal Administrator on your local machine does not require a username and a password.  Thus, if you have forgotten your username or password:

  1. Open the MiniPortal Administrator from your local PC running MiniPortal (Start->Programs->MiniPortal->MiniPortal Administrator)
  2. From the MiniPortal Administrator, open the 'Web Server' folder and click on the 'Accounts' link. 
  3. Click 'Edit' and select an account to modify the password.  Remember, only and 'Admin' account can login to the System Administrator from a remote machine.
  4. Edit the appropriate fields and then click 'Save'. 

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Troubleshooting: FTP

The FTP server does not start? What should I do?
Check if another FTP server is already running:

If a connection is established and an FTP 'greeting' message is displayed, there is another FTP server running which must be disabled before MiniPortal's FTP server can be used.

Another FTP server is running on my system. How do I disable it?
There are many FTP servers and each is controlled differently. However, the server may be running as a Windows Service. To check this on W2000/NT:

If the FTP server is not found:

I can not login to FTP? What should I do?
To check the FTP server:

The server should indicate that the login was successful (enter 'quit' to logout). If the login was not successful, then another FTP server is running (see above).

How do I setup an FTP account?
From the MiniPortal Administrator (http://127.0.0.1/admin/):

I can login to FTP but can not list folders or transfer data? What should I do?
Disable 'passive mode' in your FTP client (or web browser if using it to FTP; if using IE, there is a checkbox for doing this on the Tools->Internet Options->Advanced screen).

I have disabled 'passive mode' in my FTP client, but I still can not login to the FTP server from an external machine? What should I do?
If the external machine is behind a firewall (or router) and the FTP server is also behind a firewall or router, then then the client must use 'passive mode'. The only way to make this work with a server behind a firewall (or router) is to open all ports (possibly ports 20, 21 and >=1024) on the firwall (or router) protecting the server.

Troubleshooting : Advanced

What do I do if I have multiple network cards (NICs) and my MiniPortal shows an IP address of '169.254.x.x'?
This external, but so-called 'private address' may be incorrectly used by MiniPortal to setup the DNS for your domain (or subdomain) name. You must use a valid 'internal' network address for your internal network. If you are using ICS, change the Network settings to assign an IP address to the NIC connected to the internal network as follows: select Start->Settings->Control Panel->Network, then choose the 'TCP/IP' entry for your internal NIC card and select Properties. Select the 'IP Address' tab and click 'Specify IP Address'. Enter 192.168.0.1 as the 'IP Address' and 255.255.255.0 as the 'Subnet Mask' then click OK. Windows will require a reboot for these settings to take effect. MiniPortal should now show the new address (192.168.0.1) and the domain (or subdomain) can now be setup correctly in the DNS.

The MiniPortal icon turns red shortly after running MiniPortal. What should I do?
The most common reason for this is an error in the Apache configuration file ('Apache\conf\httpd.conf'). This can happen if that file is hand-edited. To check if this is the problem:

  1. Open a DOS command window
  2. cd to the MiniPortal installation directory (this may require that you use 'short' pathnames if running on Win9x since the Win9x shell does not accept spaces in pathnames).
  3. cd to the 'Apache\install' directory.
  4. If you are running Windows 9x, type 'spp.bat'. If you are running Windows 2000 or XP, type 'spp2k.bat'.
  5. cd to the 'Apache' directory ('cd ..').
  6. Type 'apache'.

If you see an error message, usually Apache will display the line number of the 'Apache\conf\httpd.conf' file containing the error. If the error is not obvious, you may be able to get an idea by comparing 'httpd.conf' to 'httpd.conf.prepl'. The latter is a copy of 'httpd.conf' before the last change made by the MiniPortal Administrator.

The MiniPortal Manager does not start and I do not see a MiniPortal '!' icon in the system tray. What should I do?
The most likely cause of this problem is a corrupted 'servers.txt' file. If this happens check if the file 'MiniPortal\servers.txt.tmp' exists. If so, make a copy of it and rename it to 'servers.txt'.

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