Welcome to Phantom 2.2, the Web crawler and site search tool that makes the Web and your Web site more accessible. This read me file has tips for getting started with Phantom along with installation and startup instructions. See the "Get Started" read-me file installed with the software for new features in version 2.2, and upgrading instructions for users of previous versions.
Demo Version
This demo version is fully functional, but will expire 30 days after it is first launched. When you are prompted to enter a serial number, just click OK without entering anything and Phantom will run as a demo. If you have purchased Phantom or purchase it after running the demo, you can simply enter your serial number to remove the expiration date- even after the demo period has run out.
A Few Tips
We strongly recommend that you use Phantom in Web Server mode to get started. Phantom will run with your favorite Web server as a CGI, but using Phantom as a stand-alone server keeps things simpler. When you launch Phantom, it starts in Web Server mode by default, so just don't switch to CGI Mode until you are comfortable using Phantom.
Web crawling is a substantial process. If you are crawling remote web sites, it is very easy to set Phantom to a tremendously large task by indexing just a few sites. Take the time to investigate the size and structure of sites you would like to crawl. If you just paste a list of URLs into Phantom and start crawling you will most likely be disappointed.
Follow the QuickStart guide's tutorial on setting up searching for a simple web site. Using Phantom is not hard, but it has a large number of features and options. Taking the time to get a firm grasp of the basics will put you ahead when you are ready for something more advanced.
If you need answers that aren't in the QuickStart or Reference guides, check out our Frequently Asked Questions list at:
http://www.maxum.com/Phantom/FAQ/FAQList.html
If the answer to your question isn't answered there, send e-mail to our technical support staff at:
support@maxum.com
Installing Phantom
Just double-click the Phantom Installer and click the "Install" button to install Phantom on your Web server.
Starting Phantom
Phantom is primarily controlled from a Web Browser. In fact, the Macintosh interface within the program can perform only a few functions, such as stopping the robot, importing and exporting.
The first time you launch Phantom, it will ask you to specify a data file, which will be used to store the index of Web pages, preferences, etc. Click the "New..." button to create a new data file, and then click "Save" with the default data file name in the Phantom folder. Phantom will automatically re-use the same data file the next time it is launched.
Once Phantom is launched on your network, start your favorite Web browser and connect to Phantom using:
http://your.IP.address:8080/Phantom.acgi$admin
Of course, replace "your.IP.address" with the IP address or domain name of the computer where Phantom is running. By default Phantom runs on port 8080 (to avoid conflicts with your primary Web server).
If you are running the browser on the same computer as Phantom, the Administration Home Page will appear immediately. If you are browsing from another machine you will be asked to enter a username and password. The default user name is "Phantom" and the default password is "Duppies". Both the user name and password are case sensitive.
Both the QuickStart and Reference guides are available in HTML format. The table of contents for both is linked from the "Help" link on the Phantom Administration Home Page. You can also jump straight to:
http://your.IP.address:8080/docs/index.htm
See the QuickStart guide for complete information on starting your first Web crawl.
----- Last Update on 7/19/99 by John O'Fallon -----
