Online Manual: Remote Server Setup Click here to exit manual

General Controls Remote Server Setup Virtual Site Settings Reports Support Multimedia Overview

These controls are what you use to tell FireSite all about your remote server (or servers, in the Multimedia Edition). The values you enter for "Remote Server Setup" allow FireSite to know: how to FTP files onto the remote server, how to access remote files through the Web (HTTP), how much storage space is available, and how fast the remote server's Internet link is. With this information, FireSite can make informed decisions about which files to replicate, and can perform the replication automatically.

Storage Size
Specify the maximum amount of space that FireSite should try to use on the remote server, expressed in kilobytes (K). One megabyte is 1024 kilobytes, so if you have access to 5 megabytes of space, enter 5120 K (5 Mb x 1024 = 5120 Kb).
FireSite will never exceed the storage limit you specify. If your Web site contains 7Mb of files, and you have rented 5Mb of remote storage space, FireSite will automatically replicate 5Mb of files from your site to the remote server, concentrating on the most frequently used, most recently used, and largest files. The list of files to replicate are determined by the size of the files, the number of requests in a given period of time, and other related factors.

Replication Limits
FireSite Speed Booster Edition can replicate up to 5Mb of GIFs and JPEGs.
FireSite Standard Edition can replicate up to 50Mb of GIFs and JPEGs
FireSite Multimedia Edition can replicate an unlimited amount of graphics and multimedia files.

Internet Link Speed
In order for FireSite to keep accurate statistics about your Web Sites, you need to tell FireSite how fast your Internet link is. Enter the correct value for your configuration.

FTP Information
FireSite needs to know how to copy files to the remote server. You should supply the host name of the FTP server, your username and password for the remote server, and the location of the directory where you have permission to store your files.
FireSite stores your password in an 'lightly encrypted' format inside the FireSite database, so it is fairly secure.
If you are unsure of what setting to enter into the FTP directory, simply leave it blank, and FireSite will attempt to determine the correct directory setting automatically. If FireSite cannot determine the FTP directory location automatically, you will have to contact your ISP to find out this information.

HTTP (Web) Information
FireSite needs to know how to access your remote storage space through the Web. You will need to tell FireSite the host name of the remote Web server, and the directory in which to find your files. If the remote web server is operating on a port number other than 80, you can specify the port number as part of the host name. For example, you could enter "www.remote.com:8000" into the host name field. If the values are not correct, or if FireSite cannot retrieve files from the host and directory you have specified, FireSite will catch the problem and allow you a chance to adjust the values you have entered. Use Server for Replication / Put Server on hold You can temporarily put a server "on hold" if you do not want FireSite replicate any more files to the server, or if you want FireSite to stop serving files from the remote server.

Deleting the settings for an FTP server
You may decide that you wish to stop using a particular FTP server, and have FireSite no longer use it for replication. To do this, click on the "delete the setings for this server" hyperlink, and FireSite will immediately forget all about that server. You should then connect to the FTP server using a standard FTP program and manually delete any replicated files that are still there.

Additional Options in the Multimedia Edition

Gravity Zone settings
FireSite Multimedia Edition allows you configure multiple, parallel (or pooled) replication servers. The 'gravity zone' setting for each replication server lets you control which domains and/or IP subnets will load their graphics this particular replications server, instead of being automatically bandwidth- and load- balanced between all the replication servers.
This lets you (for example), establish a replication server in Los Angeles and another in Tokyo. The Los Angeles replication server would have a gravity zone including .com, .gov, .org, .edu, and .us domains, while the Japanese replication server could have a gravity zone including .jp and .au. All other vistors would be band-balanced evenly across both replication servers.

In the other Editions, there can be only one replication server, and gravity zones cannot be adjusted.

Blocked MIME Types
When FireSite Multimedia Edition replicates an 'advanced' MIME type file, such as QuickTime, it tests the replication server to make sure that the replicated file is served as the same MIME type as from the main FireSite server. If the MIME types do not match, FireSite will not replicate any files of the 'conflicting' type. It keeps a list of conflicting types, which you can submit to the ISP's Webmaster, for them to update their settings with. Once the remote server has been correctly configured, you can reset the Blocked MIME Type report, and FireSite will re-attempt to replicate the advanced media files.

In the other Editions, only .GIF and .JPEG files can be replicated, and this report is not included.