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If your browser displays information which is outdated or doesn't include your most recent changes, it may be storing local copies of the website pages in its cache. One reason for doing this is that it can help to improve download times.

However, caching is best suited for pages that do not change very often. Clearing your browser's cache may help to resolve this type of problem.

The following steps might assist with clearing your cache:

STEP 1: Hold in your CTRL + F5 keys (this will initiate an attempt to bypass your ISP's cache server)

STEP 2: Failing this, try to access this site with and without the 'www' alias, for example:

http://www.your-domain.com
http://your-domain.com

STEP 3: If you have accessed your site within the last few days under either of the above URL's, both may be cached. In this case, try the following URL:

http://servername/ftp-username

Caching servers furthermore are usually refreshed on a periodic basis and the error is thereby automatically resolved on conclusion of the caching period (usually not more than 24 hours).

One thing you can try is to insert a Meta tag into your HTML code:

No-cache

This Meta tag tells the spider to not use a cached version of your website, and instead to use the most up-to-date version by downloading the site directly. A cached copy is a virtual snapshot of your web page that is used so that it's already on the engine's server, therefore letting user's download the page faster. The disadvantage is when your page contains info that is updated often and possible has time-sensitive data, like news or recent announcements. So, if you have that kind of time sensitive data, use the "no-cache" option.

PHP is a powerful, server-side scripting language that can be used to extend the functionality of your pages in many ways.  It is available for use with Basic Accounts and higher, and is invoked by naming the files that use it with the following extensions:

.php
.php3
.php4
.php5

The syntax of PHP is very similar to popular programming languages such as C and Perl.  If you have any previous programming experience, it is likely that you'll be able to pick up PHP in short order.  No one tutorial could ever cover the hundreds of built-in PHP functions, so we highly recommend following and reading over the related links given at the bottom of this article.

PHP is embedded within a page by enclosing commands within the start tag

echo "This text written by PHP!\n";
?>

Normal HTML tags and text cannot be included within blocks of PHP code.  You can output HTML code from within a PHP block to the browser by using the echo command as shown above, or by ending the PHP block, outputting your HTML, and starting a new one.  You can include as many separated blocks of PHP code in your file as you need, and any variables you set will be available to the block it was set in, and any block below that.

Related links:

http://www.php.net/tut.php
http://www.w3schools.com/php/default.asp

SMTP Authentication is the mechanism by which the clients of an ISP identify themselves to the mail server through which they intend to send email.  It is not possible for any person to send email via any mail server they choose; mail servers will only allow the sending of email by legitimate users.

How it works:

Upon sending an email, the user's mail client (Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, etc) will identify itself to the mail server by supplying the username and associated password of the email account.  Should these credentials be valid, the user's mail is accepted and will be processed and relayed to its recipient destination.  If the authentication fails, an appropriate error message is generated by the user's mail client.

What is a 'catch-all' mailbox and how does it work?

A 'catch-all' email account (with the account name webmaster@your-domain.com) is automatically created when an account is activated, and collects all messages addressed to non-existent or misspelled usernames at the domain, as long as the domain name is correct. For example: If your domain is www.your-domain.com and, as the website administrator, you have the only email account for this domain, namely webmaster@your-domain.com, all emails addressed to this domain (anything@your-domain.com) will be routed to the catch-all mailbox, webmaster@your-domain.com . The mail catch-all feature has become a valuable tool for larger businesses.  Emails are downloaded from our server to a company's mail server and then distributed to mailboxes throughout the company by an internal server.  This eliminates the need for each user to connect to the internet and download new emails, which will further assist in managing your bandwidth more effectively.

When you change hosting companies, your domain name Registrar must be given the necessary information to redirect traffic to your new hosting location. Once your domain name registration record is updated to reflect Imbali Studio's network (domain name servers), you are able to enjoy the full benefits associated with your hosting account.

Herewith the steps to follow:

STEP 1: Cancel your contract with current ISP

Your current ISP must be informed in writing that:

• You wish to terminate services. Be specific whether you wish to cancel or retain other services such as web design, dial-up, consulting services, etc.
• Your domain name will be moved to our servers.

STEP 2: Settle any outstanding payment

It is very important to meet all contractual obligations. If the ISP's co-operation is required at a later date, it is not likely to be forthcoming if payments are due.

STEP 3: Establish control over your domain name

Does the domain belong to you; is it registered into your ownership? Some ISPs incorrectly register the domain name into their ownership rather than the actual owner as 'surety' against outstanding payments.

STEP 4: Request our assistance in the actual update process

You can request assistance from us at any time.

Once steps 1, 2 and 3 have taken place, we will initiate the appropriate procedures to update your domain name. We will discuss any unusual circumstances that could affect the transfer process.

co.za and org.za domains: Imbali Studio will submit an Update Form via UniForum SA (the registrar for co.za domain names) or Internet Solutions (the registrar for org.za domain names). The legitimacy of this Update Application is verified by consolidating 'voting tickets' from the contact email addresses (i.e. the guardians of a domain name) listed on the registration record.

The Guardians of a domain name are: The Domain Owner (Registrant), The Administrative Contact, The Technical Contact and the address listed in the SOA record of the domain name as the contact person.  The Guardians can then use the tickets to vote on the update and have 24 hours to submit their votes.

If your email address is included, you will need to approve the ticket. If your email is not included, your ISP should respond favourably on your behalf. As a last resort, the domain name can be updated manually with UniForum SA or Internet Solutions.

International domains: .com/.org/.net/.info/.biz domains are usually administered by commercial registrars who provide online user accounts to manage domains. A login name and password will be required to log into a user account and update the domain's nameservers. Alternatively the domain can be moved to one of the registrars Imbali Studio liaises with for international domain name registrations. This procedure is known as a 'Registry transfer.'

STEP 5: Domain transfer process completed

Your hosting account with Imbali Studio will be browsable once domain propagation is complete.

Note: After sign-up, you have immediate access to your hosting account with us; you are therefore able to start using your account on receipt of your domain information, ensuring that you can upload your website to our server prior to domain transfer.

When visitors type your domain name into their web browsers, their request is referred to a nameserver that indicates the physical location (the IP address) of your domain on the Internet.  When your site location changes to a new IP address, or when you open a new site with a new domain name, nameservers around the world must be notified of the change.  This process of notification is referred to as propagation.

Propagation typically takes 48 to 72 hours.  During this time, if you are transferring your domain to another service provider, some nameservers will still refer to your site's old location while nameservers that have already been notified of the change will refer to the new location.  As a result, visitors accessing your site may be directed to either the old or new location, depending upon which nameserver they connect to.

If some visitors are still being directed to your old site location after 72 hours have elapsed, you should contact your previous service provider and request that they delete the DNS zone of your domain from their nameservers.

If your site is new, it may not be recognised by all nameservers until the propagation period has completed.

During the propagation period, you will need to use your temporary URL and IP address to upload files and view your site.  You can find this in the welcome email sent to you by Imbali Studio with your original sign-up.

Temporary URL format:
http://domain-name.servername

For example:
Using the format above, the domain name http://your-domain.com, that has been setup on server www3a.your-server.co.za, can also be reached at its interim URL http://your-domain.com.www3a.your-server.co.za .