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**Bruce** · 29-Oct-2005, 07:57 AM

Hi,

You could get all this information for the Advanced Users Guide that can be downloaded from http://www.actinic.co.uk/support/downloads.htm

If you look in the Actinic installation folder C:\Program Files\Actinic v7\Sites\Site1 .. you should find a text file "Mail2hst.txt", copy the contents into an email and forward to your host, the contents will tell you all you need to be able to host Actinic succesfully.

The contents from the Advanced Users Guide are as follows :

Specifications Required for Actinic to Run
Actinic installs on a website by sending certain files to the website via FTP. The Actinic scripts do not have very complex requirements: all the user needs is a web hosting account that allows them to run CGI scripts written in Perl.
The specific requirements for Actinic to run successfully are as follows:
1. A UNIX or Windows NT system running a web server.
2. The web server must support POSTs and GETs to CGI scripts implemented in Perl
3. Perl 5.004 or greater must be installed on the server
4. The user must have access to a cgi-bin directory (or any directory that allows them to execute CGI scripts).
5. The user must have access to a web server document directory (a directory from which the web server distributes files). This directory is referred to as the web root directory.
6. The CGI scripts must have access to the web root directory (the directory from #5).
7. The effective user ID of the CGI scripts when they are executed via the web browser must have read and write access to the web root directory (from #5).
8. The user ID of the web server must have read access to the web root directory (from #5) and read/execute access to the cgi-bin directory (from #4).
9. The server must execute the CGI scripts in the directory in which they are installed. (There has never been a problem with UNIX servers or third party NT web servers violating this requirement, but Microsoft's IIS breaks this rule unless the cgi-bin directories are located in a particular directory specified by IIS.)
10. The user must have FTP access to the server, or they must be running in Actinic Freetrial* mode, or they must do manual installs**.
11. If the user plans to FTP files to the server, their FTP account must be able to read, write, and delete files in the cgi-bin directory and the web root directory (from #5). They must also be able to create sub-directories in the catalog directory. Users on UNIX systems must also be able to change the file and directory permissions.
12. If the user plans to run in Actinic Freetrial mode, they must have an account with an ISP that supports Actinic Freetrial.
13. If the user plans to perform manual installs, they must have some method of transporting and installing the files on the web server.
14. A SMTP server must be available to the CGI scripts if the user would like to be notified via email when new orders arrive.
15. If the user plans to use Actinic's Java applet to capture and encrypt credit card information at the final stage of the ordering process, the Java applet archive directory must be accessible via the web server that executes the CGI scripts.
16. If the user plans to use SSL to secure the credit card details of their customers, the catalog files (files in the acatalog directory created within the acatalog directory from #5) must be accessible to the secure server.
* Actinic Freetrial is a version of Actinic which comes preconfigured to be hosted on a specific server. It does not require FTP as all the cgi and java files are already loaded on the server. It is used for Actinic's trial hosting.
** A Manual Install is the process by which the cgi and java files, that are normally transmitted to the website via FTP, are generated on the desktop computer. The files can then be transmitted to the website via another method. This is normally used when a user does not have FTP access to their site.
Web Space Required by Actinic
A formula for estimating the amount of space you will need at the web site for your catalogue is as follows:

if p = number of products in the store
and s = number of sections you are planning on using
then
Size of store (in MB) = (0.85p + 15.55s)/1000 + 0.8

The above is based on the Business theme, with compacted HTML and an average of 30 words per full description. This figure includes the Perl and Java etc. but does not include images (which can often form the bulk of the space taken up on a website.)
Disclaimer: These figures are based only on rough estimates and should be accepted as such.
Permissions required by Actinic Ecommerce
UNIX Servers
If the customer is running in normal mode, the minimum permissions required are:
'cgi-bin' directory
� 755
'acatalog' directory
� The FTP user ID must have full permissions (7)
� The effective user ID of the CGI scripts must have read/write permission
� The effective user ID of the Web server must have read permissions. Depending on the set up, the permissions could be 700, 760, 764, 746, or 706. 700 and 760 are probably the most common.
If you encounter problems with permissions when trying to upload your store for the first time, try setting the permissions on the effective user ID of the web server to '777'. Once your store is uploaded, progressively tighten up the permissions on the web server to one of the settings recommended above, or until your store no longer functions.

Kind regards,

**Duncan Allan** · 29-Oct-2005, 09:09 AM

Hello Andy,

I'm about to do EXACTLY the same 1and1 Developer 7.0.5 with domains I've had parked for a while.

I'm transfering over from UK2.net who are a nightmare to 1and1 and they have been helpful with UK2's intransigence. Hopefully their support will be of benefit here too.

Perhaps we could exchange experiences as we work through the process.

Duncan

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