Getting started with Cloud Hosting

Welcome to Cloud Hosting from Laughing Squid! This guide will help you get your new account set up and your website online quickly.

 

What You'll Receive

After signup, you'll receive a welcome email containing:

- Control panel login credentials

- FTP/SFTP access information  

- Email setup instructions

- Temporary access URL

- DNS nameserver information

 

Important: Save this email in a secure location as it contains all your account access information.

 

Step 1: Access Your Control Panel

Your control panel is available at: https://octopus.laughingsquid.com:2222 

 

Log in using the username and password provided in your welcome email. From here you can:

- Manage your files and databases

- Set up email accounts

- Install SSL certificates

- Monitor resource usage

 

Step 2: Upload Your Website Files

You have several options for uploading your website files:

Option A: File Manager

1. Log into your control panel

2. Click "File Manager"

3. Navigate to the `public_html` folder

4. Upload your files directly through the web interface

 

Option B: FTP/SFTP

1. Use your preferred FTP client (FileZilla, WinSCP, etc.)

2. Connect using the FTP details from your welcome email

3. Upload files to the `/public_html/` directory

4. Use port 21 for FTP or port 22 for SFTP (recommended)

 

Step 3: Set Up Your Databases (If Needed)

If your website uses a database:

1. In your control panel, go to "MySQL Management"

2. Create a new database

3. Create a database user with appropriate permissions

4. Import your database using phpMyAdmin

5. Update your website's database connection settings

Step 4: Configure Email Accounts

If you are using Rackspace Email:

 

1. Visit https://admin.emailsrvr.com 

2. Log in with your account credentials

3. Create email accounts for your domain

4. Configure email clients using these settings:

   - IMAP/POP Server: secure.emailsrvr.com

   - SMTP Server: secure.emailsrvr.com

   - Use 'password' authentication

   - Use SSL/TLS encryption

 

Step 5: Update Your Domain's DNS

Once everything looks good, update your domain's nameservers at your registrar:

1. Log into your domain registrar's control panel

2. Find the DNS or nameserver settings

3. Update to use the nameservers provided in your welcome email

4. Save the changes

DNS changes can take 24-48 hours to propagate worldwide.

Step 6: Set Up SSL Certificates

Free SSL certificates are automatically provided via Let's Encrypt:

1. In your control panel, go to "SSL Certificates"

2. Select your domain

3. Click "Request Let's Encrypt Certificate"

4. The certificate will be automatically installed and configured

5. Set up automatic renewal (usually enabled by default)

 

Important First Steps Checklist

- [ ] Save your welcome email securely

- [ ] Log into your control panel successfully

- [ ] Upload your website files

- [ ] Set up any required databases

- [ ] Create email accounts

- [ ] Update your domain's nameservers

- [ ] Install SSL certificates

- [ ] Test email functionality

 

Getting Help

If you run into any issues during setup reach out:

Knowledge Base and Support: https://laughingsquid.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/ 

Our support team is available to help with any technical questions or issues you might encounter.