How to Install Joomla and Joomla Templates with 1and1 Hosting

For a first time customer, 1and1 Internet, an Accredited Registrar based in Germany is one of the worst registrars in the world. It takes for example 48 hours for your order to be confirmed when GoDaddy and other registrars confirm your order in less than 2 minutes. Creating a mySQL database can take upto 24 hours, the same with creating subdomains and so on.

The 1and1 cPanel is not the kind of cPanel you are used with. It's not that intuitive and it will take you hours of exploration to navigate it with ease. 1and1 has one click installs for CMS like Joomla, Wordpress, Drupal etc but you will be limited only to the pre-installed templates. There's no world class customer support like in DreamHost or BlueHost. So if you are a novice, i suggest you give 1and1 a wide berth. But why is 1and1 one of the largest registrars in the world? It has to do with the quality beneath and the amazing offers. The cPanel has over 65 applicatiosn and you are spoiled for choice, you can create hundreds of subdomains ; you can have hundreds of emails and all for free. For me, the eventual quality I got from 1and1 Hosting and which shows the more you use their service surpassed its failures in customer service and in offering users an intuitive easy to manage interface. I will briefly explain how to install Joomla .zip file and Joomla templates with FileZilla on 1and1 Hosting. Remember, you cannot add  your own templates with 1and1's one click installations. So here we go:

1.ON purchasing your hosting services at 1and1.com(which comes with a free domain, during promos) you’ll receive a confirmation email(after 48 hours) with your Customer ID, which is required for you to log into the server cPanel.  As indicated in the email, go to http://admin.1and1.com and fill in the form with the Customer ID from the email you received and the password you indicated during the hosting purchase and registration process.

2.Under "Domains and Webspace", you'l see "Access".  Choose "FTP Account" under Access. Create FTP account and add a strong password. The FTP username is the odd string of characters beginning with letter "u". You will need these details to login to your account wit FileZilla. You can always create a new FTP account by clicking "New User"

3.Finally, locate your Domains. Still under "Domains and Webspace", click "Domains". Your Domains will appear listed if they are hosted with 1and1.

4.Now open FileZilla and select File > Site Manager, click New Site and fill out all the appropriate information.  Use the default FTP Port 21.

5.Next, click Connect and hopefully after a moment you will see all of the files currently stored on your portion of the server.  On the left hand side of the FileZilla interface you’ll notice you have the capability to browse your computer’s directories.  Find the zipped Joomla! file you downloaded and double-click it to send it to the server.  After a few moments the file should appear on the right hand side of the screen.  This signifies the file was successfully uploaded to your server space.

6.  Now, close FileZilla and return to the server control panel.  Next we’ll unpack the zip file.  We sent a zip file because it’s easier to send a single pack of information and unzip it server-side rather than send thousands of files separately.  This way we reduce the risk of skipping files during the upload.  Sometimes it only takes one file out of a thousand to make the whole thing come crashing down.

Under Web Space & Access click WebspaceExplorer.  This will allow us to browse the contents of the server and unzip the zip file.  Sadly, FTP Clients such as FileZilla are incapable of unzipping files.  Create a new directory folder by clicking the New Folder button in the top left corner.  Name it “joomla”and click ok. Find the zipped Joomla! file and right click it.  Select Unzip and select the “joomla” folder from the menu and click ok. The server will now unzip the file server-side.  Hassle free.

7.  Before we can start the Joomla! installation we’ll need to create a database, which can take 1and1 up to 24 hours to create.  Under Web Space & Access click on MySQL Administration and in the center of the page click New Database.  Give it a description that you’ll recognize and is relevant to its purpose. I named it something that reflects the website I’m creating.  Select MySQL 5.0 and give it a password.  A strong one remember!  Click Set Up.

8.  Now we wait.  It says 24 hours, but you can check back sooner and it may be installed.  Mine was up in less than a few hours.  You’ll know it’s been successfully created because all of the fields under the MySQL Administration page will be populated for an entire row.  The following example information is FAKE and is used to help you identify important information to be used during the Joomla! installation process.

    Database Name – db123456789
    User Name – dbo123456789
    Host Name – db1234.random.net

9.  After you’ve found this information you’re ready to go, BUT WAIT!  We need to redirect the main domain to look into the joomla folder.  So when you type in your URL the server will redirect you to the joomla site that is stored in your joomla folder.  On the control panel select Domains under Basic Settings.  Check the box next to your domain and click the Destination drop-down menu and select Edit Destination. Go to the Existing Directory combo box found under the Home Directory area of the page.  Drop it down and select the folder ”/joomla” and click ok.

10.  Wait a few moments and type your URL or domain address in the address bar of your browser and await the installation prompt of Joomla!

11.  Everything is fairly straight forward.

    Language | Select your language.
 
Pre-Installation Check | Verify that 1and1 offers compatible servers.  A few options will be tagged Red; Display Errors and Register Globals.  These will appear in red because 1and1 has a PHP 4.0 / 5.0 installation conflict, but it should not affect your Joomla! installation.

    License | Select I Agree.
    Database | Now refer to the unique names mentioned in Step 8 of this tutorial.
        Select mySQL for the database type
        Host Name: Your unique name (db1234.random.net)
        User Name: (dbo123456789)
        Password: The password you set for the database
        Database Name: (db123456789)
     
Lastly, select Advanced at the bottom of the page and create a different prefix for your tables to use.  A bad example would be abc_ but don’t forget the underscore.  This will help prevent hackers from messing with your data because they will likely know the default jos_ prefix.

    FTP Configuration | Select No and leave the rest blank

Configuration | Create a site name (can be altered later), fill in information for the site’s SuperAdmin account, and finally click Install Sample Data (this will put sample info into the Joomla! site, which will help you understand where information is displayed on the front-end versus the back-end of the site.
Finish | You’re done, but…

12.  Click the link "Delete Installation Folder Now" or something close to that to delete your installation folder. This is a mandatory step. Your site is now ready for configuration.

The next step is installing your desired Joomla template:

Installing Joomla Template on 1and1 Hosting
Navigate to the tmp directory of Joomla via FileZilla and create a new folder. Give the folder a name, for example, template1. Now upload the template to the template1 folder and unpack(Remember that to unzip the template, you to navigate back to the cPanel>WebspaceExplorer  and locate the template1 folder and right click to unzip the template) it, then in the installer make it the path. This will install the Joomla template in less than 10 seconds!

Work can be republished with attribution. Email Us africadomainnames@gmail.com

DCA opposes inclusion of “.africa” (DotAfrica) gTLD strings in list of reserved names

The DotConnectAfrica (DCA), one of the orgnisations that have expressed interest to implement and manage “.africa” gTLD, has opposed plans to include “DotAfrica,” “DotAfrique” and “DotAfriqiya” top level internet doamins in the List of Reserved Names, a move that would make the strings unvailable during the ICANN’s new gTLD application process in February 2012.

In a commentary posted on the DCA website in reaction to an article published in ComputerWorld Kenya, DCA states that: “The proposal to include DotAfrica gTLD in the List of Reserved Names is a tactic to make this string and similar strings in any language to be unavailable in this ICANN gTLD round so as to give special legislative protection that will benefit the AU, and give it extraordinary powers to separately negotiate and delegate these names outside the ICANN programme.”

The DCA post in reaction to the article which DCA claims creates makes the impression that   “the ministerial meeting agreed that the .africa gTLD should be reserved” which means“that organizations that want to bid to manage it must be sanctioned by the AU” and that “ICANN’s new gTLD application process provides for countries and regions with interest in certain names to reserve them.”

DCA further states that even though it was opposed to the the draft resolution, the final resolution was later adopted without any regard for dissenting viewpoints by the Experts Meeting of the African Ministerial Round-Table.

“Therefore, it must be noted that the official request contained in the communiqué still has to be reviewed by the ICANN Board, the only relevant authority that has the power to approve or deny the request to include DotAfrica in the List of Reserved Names,” notes the post.
“The current name strings in the

List that are in the approved version of the ICANN new gTLD Applicant Guidebook does not include DotAfrica, and any approval of this extraordinary request by the AU will necessitate an amendment to relevant sections of ICANN’s New Applicant’s Guidebook,” notes DCA.

The DCA post further states the move to include the strings in the list of reserved names “is an invidious plan that would make DotAfrica unavailable to other applicants simply based on a special legislative protection that will create an anti-competitive situation and unfairness.”

Noting that it is is “quite problematic to change the rules very late in the game,” DCA adds that correnbtly the only the names for the Olympic movement and the International Red Cross movement are the only gTLD strings ineligible for delegation during this initial application round.

“The DotAfrica name string is not at risk, and as such could be applied for under the open and transparent new gTLD programme of ICANN. Our belief is that those who have advocated for the inclusion of DotAfrica in the List of Reserved Names are only doing so to enable them bypass the ICANN process, and obtain the mandate for DotAfrica through a separate process negotiated directly with the African Union,” states DCA, adding that proponents of “this approach lack the confidence to apply directly at ICANN and are only hoping that the AU will assist them in their illegitimate agenda to hijack DotAfrica.”

Read  More


Work can be republished with attribution. Email Us africadomainnames@gmail.com

South Africa's Internet Solutions Increases its African Footprint

South Africa's ISP Internet Soutions is expanding its operations in Africa beyond its home turf of South Africa by establishing a new subsidiary IS International to handle its overseas operations. IS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dimension Data based in Africa and the Midde East and was the first commercial ISP in South Africa.

In October this year, Dimension Data increased its shareholding in IS Kenya from 52% to 80%. IS initially acquired a 51% stake in local Kenyan service provider iConnect in 2005, which was rebranded IS Kenya. IS sees East Africa as a strategic market as the region is experiencing a boom in internet connectivity. This is largely due to the increased international bandwidth capacity in the region supplied via the numerous undersea cable systems, of which IS has secured substantial capacity on. These include; Seacom, EASSy and Teams. There is also massive investment being made into fixed line and wireless infrastructure in the region bringing more users online and driving the demand for data services.

The new unit, IS International, will provide significant additional support and investment to the group’s existing operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Mozambique. With pan-African expansion in mind, the information and communications technology company also plans to establish further sales and operational presences in the largely untapped markets of Angola, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

To fully harness the business opportunities in Africa, IS will augment its existing London office by opening new sales offices in North America and Australia, with offices to be opened in other selected countries over time. These sales offices will work with wholesale and multinational clients that are eager to expand into Africa and need a globally experienced and reliable ICT partner on the ground. The offices will also help African clients to expand their communications internationally thanks to the global presence of IS.

IS International will be established as a focused business unit responsible for executing on these initiatives. It will be led by Tony Walt, who will become MD of IS International from January 2012. Walt will report to Derek Wilcocks, the MD of IS.

Wilcocks says Tony Walt is the best person to head the group’s international expansion given his 15 years of experience in helping IS’ clients in South Africa with all their communications needs. “Tony understands that Africa is a tough market and needs sound resilient IT solutions,” Wilcocks said.

The new structure would give foreign companies a trusted and experienced partner able to provide all their communication needs across various African countries, Walt said. It would also be better equipped to help its existing African clients expand internationally through this new structure. “We are very excited to firm up our expansion plans into Africa and to ensure we help global companies to capitalise on the great business opportunities within our continent,” Walt said.

The country managers of the group’s existing operations in the UK, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Mozambique will report directly to Tony Walt in his new role as MD of IS International.

Courtesy IS Corporate Communications

Work can be republished with attribution. Email Us africadomainnames@gmail.com