I keep getting a message that says: "The server does not have a DNS entry." What does this mean?

That message can mean one of three things:

1. The place you are trying to reach is not available. It might be off-line temporarily or permanently, the Internet backbone has a problem making them temporarily unreachable or you have typed the address wrong.
2. You no longer have a functioning connection to tdl.
3. The setup information for domain name service on your computer has changed.

1. Try Yahoo. If it works, nothing is wrong with tdl or your system.
2. Try http://www.tdl.com/. If it works, and Yahoo doesn't, call support.
3. Try http://204.182.16.7. If this works, call support for help with your DNS setup.
4. Reboot and try again. If none of the above work after a reboot, call support.

What should I try before calling support?

Before calling support, try the following:

1. Reboot your computer and reconnect. This solves most user problems.
2. If you are able to log in and send e-mail, but have a problem or question about some other account feature, send e-mail to support@tdl.com.
3. If you can not connect or can not send e-mail, and rebooting doesn't fix your problem, carefully write down your error message, and be ready to answer the question: "Have you added or removed any hardware or software since your connection last worked?" Then phone support.

Some sites take forever to download, especially between 7 and 11 PM. Is this because tdl is busy?

No, it means the slow site is busy. If you can get to any site quickly, both your computer and tdl are working properly.

Isn't one modem pretty much the same as another?

No. Especially in the case of modems, you get what you pay for. While some people are able to get satisfactory performance from inexpensive modems, many people have nothing but trouble. Further, it is difficult to get support information for the budget modems.

My e-mail keeps repeating the same messages over and over. What do I do?

Several things will corrupt a mailbox and cause this to happen. It is usually caused by a very large message, or a message with bad data.

1. Make sure your e-mail program is set to remove messages from the server after download.
2. E-mail support for help with your corrupt mailbox. Please include your phone number in the message.

I am going on a trip. Is there any way to check my e-mail while I am gone?

Yes, there is. You can check your e-mail at tdl from any Internet connection in the world. Many cities have "Internet Cafes." Chances are, someone you are visiting will have an Internet account they will let you use. Once you are connected to the Internet, all you need to read your tdl mail is:

1. SMTP (outgoing mail) server: mail.tdl.com
2. POP3 (incoming mail) server: tdl.com
3. Your username: the part of your e-mail address before the @.
4. Your password.

What do I need to know to create and upload my home page?

First, some information about creating your home page:

• It is not necessary to use a development tool to create html pages. They can be done in a simple text editor.
• If you use commercial development tools, the auto-publish function will frequently either not work, or will introduce errors.
• www.tdl.com (our web server) is running in UNIX, and is therefore "case sensitive." This means that your <:IMG SRC = "filename.gif"> and actual file name (filename.gif) must match exactly. <:IMG SRC="filename.gif"> and FileName.gif would not work together.
• You may use custom cgi scripts at tdl. They will be placed in your cgi-bin sub-directory. The call to them is not logical, and must look like this: /cgi-bin/cgiwrap/user/script.name, where "user" is your user name, and "script.name" is the name of the script.
• For those using custom PERL scripts, the local path to PERL is: #!/usr/bin/perl. NOTE: this must be the first line of your PERL script, and must be followed by a blank line.
• Apache, our Web server, provides support for image maps.
• If you would like your home page linked from the tdl home page, send e-mail to support@tdl.com requesting the link and we will be happy to add it.
• The path to your cgi-bin sub-directory is either /clients/username/public_html/cgi-bin or /home/username/public_html/cgi-bin
• A graphic visitor counter, and a script to format and mail the contents of a form are available for your use. See the tutorials on the previous page for instructions on using them.

Once your home page is ready to place on our web server, keep the following in mind:

• You need to ftp to www.tdl.com and log in with your username and password. This will place you in the root of your directory. cd (change directory) to public_html and place your files there. Name your first page index.html. This will cause it to be automatically loaded.
• Your URL is http://www.tdl.com/~username/. If you have a virtual domain with tdl, your URL is http://www.your-domain.com (or .org or .net).
• If you place all of your files under public_html, your link path is very simple, for example, <A HREF = "secondpage.html"> secondpage</A> would be a hot link to secondpage.html. It is not necessary to use full URLs for internal (on our server) links.
• If any of your links or images do not work, the problem is most likely in the case. Make sure that the call and the file called have identical names.
• Scripts must be executable to execute. To make a file executable, use the chmod command. chmod 755 filename.ext
• Files that will be written to by a script must be write enabled. To make a file write enabled, use the chmod command. chmod 755 filename.html

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