Web Crossing Configuration Quick Setup Checklist

WEB SERVICES AND FTP:

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Web Service
Port, domains, etc.
Control Panel > Web Service

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Secure Web Service
Control Panel > Secure Web Service Certificate
Enter an SSL certificate

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FTP services?
Master Switch: Control Panel > FTP Services
Enables built-in FTP server.

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WebFiles (file system mirroring)
Resynch to host filesystem: Control Panel > Resynch to host filesystem
Automatically enabled. Needs resynch when changes are made with an external FTP account or directly on the server console.

DISCUSSIONS:

 

Enable Discussions
Enable discussions plugin (on by default).
Control Panel > Folder Item Manager > Enable folder items for this site

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Threaded view or conversational?
Master Switch: Control Panel > Customizing > Discussions
Can also set on a folder-by-folder basis.

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Order of folder contents:
Oldest first, oldest last, most active first, alphabetic.
Control Panel > Customizing > Folder > Presentation

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Spell checking?
Control Panel > General settings > Spell Check

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Attachments with messages (like a file attachment)?
Master Switch: Control Panel > General Settings
Can also set on a folder-by-folder basis.

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Search?
Control Panel > Customizing > General Settings > Search
Enable search of site, or site and Forum One (other communities).

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Bookmarks and Message Center?
Control Panel > User Item Manager > Enable user items for this site
Enable "mark" button next to each post, and use of message center page.

LIVE EVENTS/CHAT:

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Enable chat?
Enable: Control Panel > Folder Item Manager > Enable folder items for this site
Configure: Control Panel > Chat Services

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Enable HTML chat? (for non-Java-compliant browsers)
Control Panel > Chat Services > Web Crossing Usage
(Requires Web Crossing to be running in Direct Web Service mode)

EMAIL SERVICES:

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Enable email services?
Control Panel > Email Services
(Master switch for mirroring an external mailing list, user POP3, IMAP, and webmail services).
Lists must alst be configured on a folder-to-folder basis.

SUBSCRIPTIONS & EMAIL LISTS:

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Which types of subscriptiors to enable?
Web, email posts, email URLs, email digests.
Control Panel > General
Must also enable SMTP outgoing mail for any email-based subscriptions.

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Allow email posting back to forum?
(Thus creating an email list).
Folder > Edit Folder


NEWSGROUP ACCESS:

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Enable newsgroup access?
Control Panel > Extension Manager > Choose Extensions
Must also edit folder to give it a newsgroup name.

COSMETICS:
[Many of these can also be set for any individual folder and its child folders in the "edit folder > theme manager > edit theme settings" area for that folder.]

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Theme settings (which theme, fonts, colors, sidebar contents, etc.)
Control Panel (or Edit Folder) > Theme Manager > Edit Theme Settings

 

Virtual Forums?
Edit Folder > Basic Folder Appearanace & Hidden Files
If turned on, folder will be appear to be essentially independent with no links back to the top level.

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Banner changes (separate from the theme settings)
Control Panel > Customizing > Banner, footer and background

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Footer changes (separate from the theme settings)
Control Panel > Customizing > Banner, footer and background

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Characters per Title, Heading, etc.
Control Panel > Customizing > General Settings > Presentation

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Show user pictures, or not?
Control Panel > Customizing > User pictures

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Toolbar - always three-row or not?
Control Panel > Customizing > Other Settings

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Buttons and Icons
Control panel (or edit folder) > Theme Manager > Edit theme Settings > Global Settings

USER ISSUES:

Guest Users:

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What privileges to give them?
Choices:
read only
read and post
add discussions, links, or folders
edit existing items (that aren't their own)
delete existing items (that aren't their own)

Master switch: Control Panel > User Management > Guest users
Individual access lists for discussions or folders can be set to give guests more restrictive access.

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Show line that says "you have guest access...." at top of screen?
Control Panel > Customizing > General Settings

Registered Users:

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Allow self-registration?
Control Panel > User Management > Registered users

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Block certain domains from registering?
Control Panel > User Management > Registered users

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What privileges to give them?
Choices:
read only
read and post
add discussions, links, or folders
edit existing items (that aren't their own)
delete existing items (that aren't their own)

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Use Email Validation?
User Management > Registered users
Assures that the user has a valid email address before being given full access to site.

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If using email validation, what privileges to give unvalidated users?
Control Panel > User Management > Registered users

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HTTP Basic or Digest authorization?
(Takes authentication information from the server).
Control Panel > User Management > Registered Users

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Authentication with external database?
(Need authentication filter in WCTL).

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Certificate-based authorization (default)?
Control Panel > General Settings > Automated Logout
Set automated logout time for certificates if user is inactive

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Cookie-based authorization?
Control Panel > User Management > Registered Users
New users have cookies on or off?
Existing users have cookies on or off?
Also can be set for each individual user in their own Preferences.
Control Panel > User management > Set a user's preferences

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Passwords are case-sensitive or not?
Control Panel > User Management > Registered Users

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User certificate is only valid coming from the same IP address as they signed on from?
Control Panel > User Management > Registered Users
(Advantage is security; disadvantage is that users from WebTV will be asked to log in multiple times as their proxy server changes their IP address. This can also be turned off for individual users in their preferences area.)
Control Panel > User management > Set a user's preferences

Access and Moderation:

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Special access privileges for any individual user or group of users?
(This can be set under the Access List button for any individual object or the whole site, on the top level.)
Choices are:
Host
Participant
Read-only
Moderated
No Access

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Let users with host-level privileges edit Access Lists?
Control Panel > General Settings > Site Information

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Allow hosts to edit WCTL?
Enable: Control Panel > User Management > Registered users
Allow special permissions Make hosts who should be able to edit WCTL members of the "wctlUsers" group.
Make hosts who should be able to edit CGI web files members of the "cgiUsers" group. Control Panel > User Management > Groups

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Enable moderation? Moderate all posts, or just those with possibly-objectionable words?
ontrol Panel > Customize > General Settings
To moderate all posts, set the top-level access list for all registered users (and guests, if you allow guest posting) to Moderated. Leave as "participant" for no moderation.
If you fill in any words into this list, then just posts containing those words will be moderated. If the list is blank, all posts will be moderated. Settable per folder.

BACKING UP:

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Set up automated backup on a schedule of your choice
Control Panel > Backup

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Automatically archive any discussions?
Edit Folder > Expired discussions (automatic archiving)
Set actions to be taken when discussion expires.

PERFORMANCE ISSUES:

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Memory settings:
Control Panel > Memory Usage
Start with disk cache about 1/3 size of webx.db (minimum 600KB)
Start with small object heap about 1/6 size of webx.db (minimum 600KB)
Monitor performance and adjust as necessary.