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General Information on Winhost Data Center Facility

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:56:47 GMT

Facility

Concrete Tilt-Up Construction
24 inch raised floor
Steel Seismic Bracing added to meet the 1997 Seismic / Earthquake codes (Title 24 Seismic) for Los Angeles area
All racks / cabinets are seismically braced and bolted directly to the concrete flooring
Dimax – Building Management / Alarm Monitoring System
Power and data cables are run perpendicular from each other to minimize any electrical field interaction
Janitorial service is bonded, insured and licensed

Security

7/16 inch thick steel sheeting around the front door and within the front reception area
2 level, man-trap, security access – before actually being able to enter the raised floor area
Two-factor authentication required to access
256+ - fixed positioned, security cameras
Camera footage is recorded and held for 90 days
Level 5 bullet-resistant walls / glass (Kevlar Lined walls) in the front entry, lobby, guard station, and shipping and receiving areas
24 x 7 x 365 on-site security guards
Security service is bonded
No signage on building

Air conditioning

Data Center temperature maintained at 72 degrees +/- 2 degrees
Thermostats / Humidistats are located around the building on the walls, posts and ceilings
16 – 135 Ton air conditioners N+6 – all 16 are running continuously w/redundant capacity
- 6 – 135 Ton air conditioners support redundant capacity
- 2 – 30 ton air-conditioners independently support NOC and NODE
Air handlers are located on the roof (roof access is restricted and monitored)
Supply air temperature entering the IDC averages 55 – 62% varying with load conditions
Ring duct in ceiling allows us to add diffusers (vents) where needed to provide additional air flow
Two 125 Ton A/C Units, and one 70 Ton unit is dedicated to UPS Room

Power

Pager notification service with California Independent System Operator (ISO) to monitor California utility power Stage Alerts and rolling black outs
6 main electrical distribution buses
24 MGE UPS's
10 Caterpillar 2000KW (2.0MW) generators
Each generator has 3,000 gals of diesel fuel – enough to power it for 22 hours at full load
4 – 12,000 gal. Diesel Fuel storage convault tanks (in addition to the primary fuel tanks) provide enough fuel to run generators continuously for 72 hours at full load
UPS batteries support data center load until automatic transfer to generator is completed
50 power management modules (PMM's) with 168 – 20 amp power circuits from each 165KVA power distribution unit (PDU); customized circuits provided as needed
Power is served to the PDUs via 2 separate independent UPS power sources
Each PDU has it's own Automatic Static Transfer Switch which can switch the power to the alternate source within 4 milliseconds
Contracts with local fuel companies to provide additional on-site fuel, once generators are started

Fire suppression

VESDA – Very Early Smoke Detection and Alarm system; small white 'air sampling tubes' draw air into chambers, where lasers analyze the air for smoke content
Clean-Gas hand-held fire extinguishers are through-out the building
Fire station located approximate 600 feet from the data center
Heat (140 degree) and smoke detectors are located on the ceilings around the building

Network/bandwidth

Redundant OC48s
X – 4 inch conduits for telco fiber leading to the street
Multiple redundant network paths
All network operators certified internet systems engineers

Control Panel Site Manager tutorial (Site Tools)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:56:52 GMT

This article will give you a quick outline for getting started with your site. Log in to the Winhost Control Panel, click the Sites tab and then the domain link to get to the Site Tools page [].

Site Tools
This is where you will control and configure many important aspects of your site. For information on the Site Info section, see this Knowledge Base article.

Email
When you use the Email Manager for the first time you will find that the service is enabled by default, and one POP user has been created. The default POP account that is set up automatically is postmaster@HostingAccountDomain.com (using your domain name, of course).

To access web mail and to set up new email accounts, click the SmarterMail Manager link in the Email Manager section of your site []. This will automatically log you in to the postmaster account, which is the "admin" account for your mail service.

To create a new email user in the SmarterMail interface:

Click on Domain Settings (Gear with a global icon) at the top.
Click on Accounts
Click on New to create the new email account.

For more information, please see the Knowledge Base article; Getting Started with the SmarterMail email system.

Stats
SmarterStats site statistics are available for each site at no additional charge. Stats are disabled by default. To activate them, go into the Stats Manager and set SmarterStats: Enabled, and hit the Update button. Allow 24 hours for your first stats report to be generated.

Raw Logs
If you run your own stats program or require the raw web server logs for any other reason, you can enable raw log service here. Logs are made available as .zip files which must be downloaded via FTP. Logs are maintained on a 30 day rotating schedule, so logs for the past 30 days only will be available.

For a how-to on downloading log files with free FTP client FileZilla, see this forum post. The instructions there will be applicable to many FTP clients.

Usage Meter
The Usage Meter gives you a quick view of how much disk space and bandwidth your site is using.

MS SQL Manager
To create a SQL database for your site, click the Add button. Sites on the Basic plan can create one database with a 500mb size limit.

Accounts on the Max plan can create an unlimited number of databases, and allocate 2GB of space between the databases (e.g. 1 database with a 1GB limit, or 10 databases with 100mb each, etc.).

Accounts on the Ultimate plan can create an unlimited number of databases, and allocate 5GB of space between the databases.

Accounts on the Power plan can create an unlimited number of databases, and allocate 10GB of space between the databases.

When you add a database note that the database name you provide is prepended with a number of characters. Those characters become part of the database name. The prefix is in place to provide you more flexibility in naming your database.

DSN Manager
If your application requires a DSN (data source name) for a database connection, you can create it here. A DSN is used to connect to an Access database in your account (Access DSN), or a remote SQL server (SQL DSN).

MySQL Manager
To create a MySQL database for your site, click the Add button. Sites on the Basic plan can create one database with a 500mb size limit.

Accounts on the Max plan can create an unlimited number of databases, and allocate 2GB of space between the databases (e.g. 1 database with a 1GB limit, or 10 databases with 100mb each, etc.).

Accounts on the Ultimate plan can create an unlimited number of databases, and allocate 5GB of space between the databases.

Accounts on the Power plan can create an unlimited number of databases, and allocate 10GB of space between the databases.

When you add a database note that the database name you provide is prepended with a number of characters. Database user names can be defined to any format however, it must be unique throughout the entire system. If you choose a database user name that may already exist in our system, you will get a red warning message stating 'The database username you selected is not available. Please choose another database username'.

FTP Users
You may want to create an FTP user that only has access to a certain directory. You can do that by creating an additional FTP user here. You will enter the directory name in the Directory Path field (leaving this field in its default state - with just the slash - allows the additional user access to your entire site). Permissions for the new user are set using the Permissions dropdown. Select Read Only if you want the additional user to be able to download files only, or Read/Write if you wish to allow the additional user to upload files. Remember that allowing write access means the additional FTP user can overwrite (replace) any existing files.

Additional FTP users cannot access archived log files. You must log in using your primary FTP user if you wish to access logs.

For FTP client configuration instructions, please see this Knowledge Base article.

Integrated or Classic Mode
The IIS 7 Application Pool Pipeline Mode can be set to Integrated (the default setting) or Classic mode if you are having problems running older applications developed under IIS 6. This is an either/or setting, you cannot run both modes on one site.

Subdomain Manager
A subdomain is a URL such as admin.HostingAccountDomain.com, or forum.HostingAccountDomain.com. Subdomains point to the root level of your account by default. If you wish to direct a subdomain to a specific directory you will have to do so programmatically, with code in the root index page of your site.

For sample code that can be used to redirect subdomains, see this Knowledge Base article. If you need further help redirecting subdomains, please visit our community forum.

Domain Pointer
A domain pointer is an additional domain name that will point to the root of your site. So, for example, if you own HostingAccountDomain.net and want it to point to your HostingAccountDomain.com site, you would add the .net domain as a domain pointer. Domain pointers do not get full email service, however you can set up aliases (forwarding addresses) on your subdomains. If you intend to use forwarding addresses, remember to check the Enable Email Alias box when adding the domain pointer.

Application Starting Point
The Application Starting Point tool allows you to designate a directory as the starting point (application root) for an application. So if you are running an application in a directory under your root directory, you would set that directory as an application starting point here.

DNS Manager
The DNS Manager allows you full control over the primary domain for the site. If you are knowledgeable and experienced in DNS settings, this tool can be very useful. We do recommend, however, that if you are not sure about a DNS entry or setting that you do not make any changes to the DNS record for your domain. A mistake here can render your site and email inaccessible. Use the DNS Manager with caution.

Recycle App. Pool
If your site is malfunctioning in some way you may want to try recycling the application pool to see if that remedies the problem. The sites in your account run in a dedicated, isolated application pool. Recycling that pool effectively terminates any active processes and resets the memory for your account. So recycling the application pool will cause the loss of any dynamic site user data stored in server memory.

IIS Manager
IIS Manager is an administration interface that provides you with a great way to remotely manage the IIS settings for your site. For more information on IIS Manager, see this Knowledge Base article.

SSL Manager
If you are on a WinHost Max plan and wish to add SSL to your site, you can do so here. It is a multi-step process that involves a third-party certificate provider. Detailed information is provided in this Knowledge Base article.

For information on the Site Info section, see this Knowledge Base article.

Control Panel Site Manager tutorial: Site Info section

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:45:56 GMT

This is a quick guide for getting started with your site. Log in to Control Panel and click the Sites tab, then your domain link to get to the Site Info page.

Site Info
The Site Info section contains many key account access items. For information on the Site Tools section, see this Knowledge Base article.

Domain name
This is the primary domain name for the account. The primary domain is the domain you entered when setting up the site/account. FTP access, site statistics, POP email and Site Tools are available for the primary domain.

Plan
The site plan will be Basic, Max, Ultimate or Power. Click here to see a comparison list of plan features and prices. To change the plan for your site, click the Change Plan icon at the bottom of the section.

Secondary URL
The Secondary URL is an important tool. Before your domain name is active or pointing to our servers, you can use the Secondary URL to browse your web site. This allows you to upload and test a site before moving it to us from another host. Also, if your site appears to be unavailable, always try viewing it with the Secondary URL to rule out domain name-related issues.

Path to root
Some applications require a server path for configuration. The path listed here points to the root directory of your site. To determine the path to any directories under the root (i.e. any directories you created), simply add the directory name and a trailing slash to this path.

FTP
This is the FTP server or host name for your account.

Secondary FTP
Like the Secondary URL, the Secondary FTP address allows you to upload files before your domain name is active or pointing to our servers, or if there is an issue with your primary domain name.

FTP Username, FTP Password
These are used to log in to upload files, whether you use FTP, Expression, Visual Studio, Dreamweaver, etc. You also use this login to connect with IIS Manager. For FTP client configuration instructions, check out this Knowledge Base article. For information on IIS Manager, see this Knowledge Base article.

Site IP Address
This is the IP address that your site is on. It is a shared IP address, so it does not point directly to your site. That IP address if for usage with DNS services only, for example, you can create A Records such as domain.com and www.domain.com and point them to that IP address.

SMTP/POP/IMAP
This is the server or hostname for your email configuration. If you use web mail exclusively you will not need this, but if you run your own desktop email program, you will need this for configuration of your email program.

Notes
You can use this field to add a brief note about the site. This is useful if you have multiple sites associated with one account.

For information on the Site Tools section, see this Knowledge Base article.

Getting Started with your Winhost site: Control Panel tutorial

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:20:13 GMT

When you open a new account you should receive two email welcome letters. One will contain your account ID and account password, the other will contain your site domain name and some guidelines on how to get started. The distinction between "account" and "site" is important. You use the account login for Control Panel. The site is contained within the account. One account can contain multiple sites. When you open your account it will contain your first site, the domain that you used during sign up. You can add sites to your account in the future by clicking the "Order New Site" button which is located under the Sites tab.

Logging in to the Winhost Control Panel

The first thing you will want to do is log in to the Winhost Control Panel, which is located at: https://cp.winhost.com. Your account welcome letter contains the Control Panel username and password. Your username is a seven digit number.

The first page you will see after logging in is a news and announcements page. Every page in Control Panel has the same navigation links. In the upper right corner are links that will open a new browser window or tab: Forum, Knowledge Base, Support and Logout.

Forum
This link will take you to the Winhost community forum. The forum is a great tool to assist in troubleshooting and diagnosing problems, as well as finding tips and suggestions. Any coding or programming related questions you have should be asked in the forum. Also feel free to post non-programming related questions. We welcome your opinions, comments and conversation. We have several staff members who are active in the forum, though it should not be considered an "official" support channel. The forum is open to the public, it is not exclusive to WinHost customers. We believe that having an open forum benefits customers and non-customers alike.

Knowledge Base
This is a link to our extensive collection of Knowledge Base articles, where you can find tons of information and guidance. Some Knowledge Base articles will also appear in Control Panel, in the right side column under "RELATED KB ARTICLES." These links provide direct access to relevant information.

Support
This links you to our help desk system. The help desk system is the primary method with which you communicate with us. Logging in to the help desk to open a support ticket allows us to authenticate your request to provide more timely responses. It also allows you to track the status and history of your tickets. You can also visit the help desk directly, at http://support.winhost.com.

Logout
Click here to log out of Control Panel.

Below those links you will find six tabs.

Home
This is the news page, the same one you see when you log in.

Account & Billing
This will take you to your account information page. From here you can view or update your account contact information, account password, secret question, billing statements, and credit card on file.

Admin Contact
It is important to keep this information current, as we use it to contact you in the event of a renewal or other billing problem. We use the Primary Email Address as a contact for any important technical emails or notices that we may send out regarding your account.

Update Account Password
This is the login password for Control Panel. Changing this password does not affect passwords related to any sites in your account.

Secret Question
This is the question we will ask if you lose account usernames or passwords and have no other way to verify account ownership.

Billing Statements
You can view all past billing statements here. If you have questions about a charge that was made for your account, the statement should contain the answer.

Update Credit Card
Keep this current to avoid possible interruptions in service.

Sites
Here you will see a list of the sites associated with your account.

Domain Name
This is the primary domain name for the site. Note that you may have other domains associated with the site (pointer domains), but only the primary domain will be listed here.

Plan
Plan type; Basic, Max, Ultimate or Power.

Status
This will normally be "Active." If a site is inactive, the "Manage" link will not be present.

Site ID
The site ID is used as a login name for certain site functions, such as FTP, etc. The site ID is based on the primary domain name for the site.

Manage
This link takes you to the Site Manager section, which is covered separately in this Knowledge Base article.

Notes
These are optional notes that you enter for a given site. Notes are added or edited in the Site Manager section.

Domains
This tab will take you to the domain manager page. This page displays both domains registered through WinHost, and also domains that may be registered elsewhere, but are associated with a site in your account. If you registered a domain elsewhere, some of the options below will not be available to you. Those tasks must be done at the domain registrar's site. If you are unsure of who the registrar is for your domain name, see this Knowledge Base article.

Domain, Exp. Date
Displays the domain name and the expiration date for the domain.

Associated Site Login
If a domain is associated with a site, the username (login) for that site is listed here.

Whois Privacy
When you register a domain name you provide contact information that is publicly available in what is called a "whois record." Whois Privacy sets the publicly available information for your domain name to generic information provided by the registrar (in our case the registrar is OpenSRS). So in effect, the Whois Privacy option prevents your address, phone number, email, etc. from being publicly available. Whois Privacy can be ordered when a domain is initially registered with us. If privacy is not ordered, the option to add privacy will not be available until the domain is scheduled for renewal.

Whois Record
Clicking the Edit link here will take you to the whois record section. Here you can update your contact information or change name servers for the domain. You may be tempted to enter false contact information here in order to set up a kind of pseudo "Whois Privacy," but we strongly recommend that you do not do so. Periodically the governing body that oversees domain name registrations, ICANN, will contact domain owners to verify their identity. If you fail to respond to the verification call, email or postal mail, there is a possibility that you could lose your domain. For that reason we suggest that you always have valid contact information in your whois record. If you wish to keep your personal information out of the public record, opt for Whois Privacy.

DNS
Clicking the Manage link here takes you to the DNS Manager, where you can alter the DNS records for your domain. Unless you are quite sure of what you are doing, we do not recommend making any changes to the DNS record for your domain. Incorrect entries here can render your domain inoperative.

Move Away?
The Lock / Unlock link takes you to the "unlock" option. By default your domain is locked so that we can renew it and to prevent unauthorized changes or domain hijacking. You should only unlock your domain if you intend to transfer it away to another registrar. Once a domain is unlocked we cannot renew it on your behalf.

Order New Site
When you order a new site you have the option of registering a new domain name through Winhost or using a domain name that you have previously registered elsewhere. Either option you choose will add the new site's domain name to the Domains tab where you can control certain aspects of the domain. Note that domains and sites are managed separately, even when they are associated with each other.

Order New Domain
You can order a new domain name on its own, without ordering a new site. If you intend to associate the new domain with a site in your account right away, you should use Order New Site, which includes a step to register a new domain. If you are registering a new domain that you do not want to associate with a site in your account (or will set up a new site for at a later date), you can do so here.

The first step will let you know if the domain you wish to register is available. If it is not, we will automatically check other extensions (.net, .org, etc.) to see if the name is available under any of them.

The second step is the Whois Privacy option. You can read about Whois Privacy in the previous section of this article.

Finally you see a total price that will be charged and the "Purchase Domain" button. If you notice any errors on this page you can hit the "Back" button and start the process from the beginning.

Your domain name may not be immediately active. Before you can fully activate your domain name you will need to run through the Domain Registrant Validation. An email will be sent to the email address entered in the Registrant field. Your domain name will remain in 'Suspended' state until the domain validation has been completed.

For information on the Site Tools section, see this Knowledge Base article.
For information on the Site Info section, see this Knowledge Base article.