Web Crossing/ISP - Sysop Documentation

Web Crossing/ISP allows you to run multiple separate Web Crossing conferences through a single server.

Each Web Crossing conference has its own directory/folder:

 Web Crossing [directory/folder] webx.db [settings for ISP sysop] logNN files ... [log files if turned on] standard.tpl [standard templates] Images [directory/folder] button images... [shared buttons] help files... [shared help files] conf1 [directory/folder for Conference 1] webx.db [database for conf1] standard.tpl [standard templates] webx.tpl [custom templates for conf1] expNN files ... [export files if any] deleted [recovery for deletes] html [optional directory/folder] html files... [optional whole files] conf2 [directory/folder for Conference 2] webx.db [database for conf2] ... ...

When you install Web Crossing/ISP, it automatically creates confNNdirectories/folders as specified in your license certificate. A single Web Crossing/ISP server can support up to 100 totally separate Web Crossing conferences.

The various settings supported by the Web Crossing/ISP server are documented in the ISP sysop control panels. As a result, this document is primarily concerned with overall site management issues.

» Installing new conferences

You install new conferences through the ISP sysop panel. Just click on the confNN link to the conference settings, fill in the various settings, and click on the OK button.

After you install a new conference, it is a good idea to give the conference sysop FTP access to his/her conference directory/folder, so that import/export files can be accessed.

» Logging

You may enable logging if desired. A single log file is used for all conferences.

A log file is typically not required, because usage statistics are kept for you as the ISP sysop, as well as for each conference for the individual conference sysops.

» Usage statistics

Web Crossing/ISP keeps track of the number of hits and posts across all conferences. These hit/post counts are displayed in the main ISP sysop control panel. You can clear these counts at any time.

You should check these counts periodically to make sure that no individual conference is swamping the Web Crossing/ISP server. If any one conference is taking an inordinate number of hits, you should move it to a stand-alone Web Crossing server so that the other conferences do not suffer degraded performance.

For the individual conference sysops, Web Crossing also keeps tracks of hits and posts for each folder and discussion in each conference. These counts are available to the individual conference sysops, and can be cleared by these sysops.

» Memory Usage

Web Crossing/ISP will run any number of conferences with the minimum memory settings. However, this will typically require conferences to be rolled into memory when they are accessed.

By allocating more memory for Web Crossing/ISP, you can increase the number of conferences that can be cached in memory at any one time. See the Memory usagecommand in the ISP sysop control panel.

The memory usage display includes information about the number of memory reclaims (to open folders/discussions), and about the number of disk pages read from disk and later discarded to make room for other information. You can use these counts to help tune the Web Crossing/ISP server performance.

» Backup

You need to backup all the files in the various confNN directories/folders. You also need to backup the ISP's webx.db file.

You should always shut down the Web Crossing server while you are doing a backup. This will guarantee that the various webx.db files are intact.

» Shutting down a conference

Shutting down a conference, either to move it to a single-user server or to delete it, requires shutting down the Web Crossing/ISP server.

After you shut down the server, simply rename the confNN folder for the conference to be removed. Then restart the Web Crossing/ISP server. The server will automatically create a new empty conference.

» Upgrading to more conferences

Upgrading to additional conferences is done by ordering a new license certificate that allows additional conferences. Call sales at (510)521-5855 or e-mail to to order a new certificate.

You install a new certificate by using the Install new certificatecommand in the Web Crossing/ISP sysop control panel.

» Serving a stand-alone conference

To serve an existing stand-alone Web Crossing conference through a Web Crossing/ISP server:

Create a temporary directory/folder for the existing conference, named temp. Move webx.db, webx.tpl, standard.tpl, exp*, and html (if any) into this new directory/folder.
Run Web Crossing/ISP (if not already running), and make sure that you have an unused conference slot for the existing conference.
Shut down the Web Crossing/ISP server (use the Shut down command in the ISP sysop control panel).
Rename the confNN directory/folder you are going to assign to the existing conference. For example, if you are going to use conference 3 for the existing conference, then rename conf3 to conf3.old.
Move the temp directory/folder into the Web Crossing directory/folder. Rename temp to the confNN directory/folder you removed. For example, if you removed conf3, then rename temp to conf3.
Restart the Web Crossing/ISP server.
Use the ISP sysop control panel to assign a script name and/or conference code.
Login to the conference as its sysop to set its Images and Help directories/folders. (Use the sysop General Settings command.) If the existing conference uses the standard buttons, you can change its Images and Help URLs to be blank. Otherwise, you will need to set these to the location of the correct directory/folder.

» Converting a conference to be stand-alone

You can move a conference from a Web Crossing/ISP server to a stand-alone server. This might be required, for example, when the traffic for a conference requires requires that it be moved to its own machine.

Note the conference directory/folder for the conference to be moved.
Shut down the Web Crossing/ISP server.
Rename the confNN directory/folder for the conference to be moved to temp.
Restart the Web Crossing/ISP server.
Install the Web Crossing stand-alone server as desired. Link to it through a Web browser to make sure that the setup is correct (but you do not need to go through the HTML installation forms).
Shut down the stand-alone Web Crossing server.
Move all the files in the temp directory/folder into the new stand-alone Web Crossing server's directory/folder (replacing the webx.db, etc. that were created by the stand-alone server).
Start the stand-alone server, and make sure you can link to it through a Web browser.
Install a certificate for the now stand-alone conference (use theInstall certificate command at the end of the sysop control panel). You may also need to adjust its Images and Help URLs (use the General Settings command in the sysop control panel).