You must probably be asking, what is the use of the control panel in a Web hosting package? What can it help you? Well, actually, this is your best buddy when it comes to monitoring the Web server. Here, you can take control of all the applications that you have on your server. It serves as a shortcut for changing and updating your Web sites. You can also pre-set your e-mail accounts through the control panel. In short, it is the administrator's panel.
It is better if the control panel you have is Web-based and you can perform tasks like accessing and configuring your e-mail accounts, backing up and restoring data, and many others. You can also filter spam on your e-mail through the control panel and pre-set your mailing lists. See, the control panel really makes it easier for you to keep up with your Web server tasks.
You can also access some statistical logs through your control panel. Some of these that are accessible on UNIX are the FTP stats and the Webalizer Web. Even the AWStats and Analog programs can be accessed.
Your control panel would let you know if your website encounters errors. It is where you can also check on the users that have visited your site. It would also inform you of how much bandwidth have you been using. You can also administer multiple domains because you have access in adding, removing, and changing add-on domains.
With control panels, you are also capable of managing your directories on your Web site. You are also capable of editing and developing error messages. And yes, even the MIME types can be edited through the control panel. Installing and uninstalling Frontage extensions are also another feature of the control panel. This is advantageous to you if you use Microsoft Frontpage to build your own website.
You can also market your Web site with the use of your Web-based control panel. Some of the more sophisticated control panels nowadays give you the access to search engines where you can submit your Web site. You will also have your file manager in the control panel, where you can delete and transfer your files into the directory structure of your Web site.
Deploying the CGI and ASP scripts on the control panel is easier. You don't have to configure them. Since they are pre-configured and installed, the scripts give you more benefits such as being able to have random HTML generator, an application on online chatting, a bulletin board, and a counter generator. These CGI and ASP pre-installed scripts also have e-commerce and secure online form applications, a guest book for your visitors, a clock, an internal search engine, and many other exciting tools.
One of the most important functions of the control panel is to give you access to your database system. With the panel, you can, in anytime, add, change, or remove database on the system. It also gives you access to the database services that are compatible with SQL.
The control panel also gives you technical support. It provides you with a support manual where you can rely on in case you encounter some problems with your system. Its section for your frequently asked questions must always be functional so you won't have to call the hosting firm for your inquiries and you can troubleshoot it yourself with the guide of the manual.
On the other hand, for incidents that you cannot troubleshoot, you can always make use of the trouble ticket system provided by the control panel. Through this system, you can simply report to the customer support service whatever problems you are encountering. |
