Virtual Web Hosting on SME Server with Ibays

How to use SME server for virtual web hosting. Setting up ibays and mapping domains to ibays

This is not a complete document, rather simple trick and tip. This may be updated as needed. It describes how to host virtual web site using SMEserver

We assume, that DNS for this domain is already set up. If not this may be done in SME Server itself or elsewhere. Same is true of Emails.

Reference: SME Server V 7.2 / 7.3
(May work with earlier versions – Not tested)

Example domain mydomain.com

1. Create a user

Create a user, for example names u1, and group g1 (also make, user u1 a member of group g1. remember, users, groups, ibays are though different entities, yet they can not have same names, i.e. they share same namespace in smeserver)

2. Create Ibay

Create an Ibay, – for example ibay1 (Keep in mind restriction on Ibay name – 12 Characters) . Settings are as follows

• Group – g1
• User access via file sharing or user ftp – Write=group, Read=everyone (Read=group may also work)
• Public access via web or anonymous ftp – Entire Internet (no passwor required)
• Execution of dynamic content (CGI, PHP, SSI) – Enabled

3. Create a Domain

Go to menu in left side bar for domain and add a domain with following settings

Name – mydomain.com

• Brief description – Description for this site (free format)
• Content – ibay1 (this is important, select the desired ibay, previously created Ibay, in step 2, above will appear in the drop downlist, this needs to be selected)
• Domain DNS Servers – Select “Internet DNS Servers”

Save it and you are ready to go.

Files Location:

HTML Directory (Web Root)

Absolute path: /home/e-smith/files/ibays/ibay1/html
Relative URL : / or /ibay1

CGI-Bin directory for Executables

Absolute Path: /home/e-smith/files/ibays/ibay1/cgi-bin
Relative URL : /cgi-bin/ or /ibay1/cgi-bin

Extra File Directory also in web server accesible space:

Absolute Path: /home/e-smith/files/ibays/ibay1/files
Relative URL : /ibay1/files OR /files

Just put some HTML, PHP and simlar files and see your site in the browser!

Note: This uses default set up of PHP (viz PHP4), Perl, Apache etc.