Fatcow digital uploads

[carvemore]

I having been using shopsite for a while for digital down loads. I am having an issue uploading a large digital file 2mb...when I use the upload in the interface it will not go thru..no status bar so I am assuming possibly there is a size limit? There is some verbage on the page that say for mutlpile uploads use ftp..would love to.. when I click it is say not authorixed for security reasons or such. I called fatcow and they said shopsite disabled the ftp upload in version 10 which I am using. I figured the work around would have been to upload the file im my root and move it to where the digital content of shopsite is stored...I have 100+ patterns on there currently and have been selling them for a year or more. When I look in the store directory/media I can see all the images I have uploaded but the download folder is empy...I figured after I uploaded this large file via ftp , which I did, i could simply move it to the right directory...I was on the phone w fatcow for well over an hour...they really do not seem to understand your product to well. No could tell me where the digital files are stored...they kept saying store/media download...I said fine show me the files that are existing..nightmare

My question is FTP disabled from you in the digital uploads or fatcow? 2. where are the digital files stored after uploading via shopsites upload IU?


Tyhanks for your help

[robm]

Fatcow uses a shared install of ShopSite, meaning the ShopSite software is not installed in each account. Because of this, the data directory (where downloads are located) are not accessible directly by each user (The data folders are located on a separate server not accessible by users). This is not a limitation of ShopSite, but rather a limitation of how Fatcow implements it.

You could ask Fatcow if they have an upload limit of 2 MB for cgi uploaded files, and if they can raise that limit. You could also ask them to move your download files from your account into your ShopSite download directory. A fatcow admin should be able to do this. The data directory is not located in your media folder.

Many hosts (us included) choose to install ShopSite in each hosting account. This way the client has complete control and access to ShopSite, including direct FTP uploads into the data/downloads directory.

Hopefully you can find the right admin over there that knows the layout and architecture to be able to move your files into the proper location.

Rob

[Jim]

As for the comment "shopsite disabled the ftp upload in version 10 which" that is totally false. Ftp is a server protocol and is not imbedded in ShopSite and never has been. Uploading files to the media directory and to the download directory can be accomplished as it has for many version.

[carvemore]

Jim

than-you so much for your help..I thought that was the issue. Last night with the first support guy he almost called me stupid...Man I was hot.."sir if you don't know where your files are going I acn not help you" I finally asked to speak to a manger to First COMPLAIN HARD about the rudeness and INCOMPENTENCE of the tech guy. The manager was baffled also and over and over kept explaining " I don't know why shopsite disabled ftp" then I was told in file manager the files are there in the download directory however file manger can not read my file type..zip files? I asked ok if the files are there and "COMPLETELY INVISable" where the sub directoriees I created under download in the shopshite interface..No answer from fatcow. Obvious they don't understand the product they sell. I kinda figured last night it BS and false about "disabling" FTP. I am far from a webmaster..been at it for a little over...if I was I would not be paying 50 a month for digital downloads...but I thought to myself why would shopsite who I have been using since version 8 K.O such a basic feature as ftp?

Other thing - from poking around here on the forum and your main site it seems I a missing a lot of other features with fatcow hosting of shopsite..such as custom pages etc. Which one of your hosting providers would you reccomend that is knowledgable with your product...definitly looking to switch out of fatcow..they need some trainign on your product for sure if they can't explain or are baffled by a simple question...where are MY files going from the shopsite digital upload interface when I hit upload?

here is a copy of the e-mail I got from a manager at fatcow:

"Upon research of the .ptn and not being able to be viewed threw the file manager, I have done some research. The file manager does not recognize the .ptn extention and will not display the file. However, with ShopSite, it does and is viewable because it actually recognizes the file that you upload threw the shopping cart.

The .zip file that we were uploading during our conversation, still has not appeared to me. I have a copy on my desktop of the file and will try to upload it to the server tonight. If I also have an issue, I will escalate this to Tier 2 and see what can be done.

On the issue of where those .ptn files are kept. They are exactly where we were talking about. They would actually be located in the /store/media directory. But again, since the file manager does not recognize those files, then they wont be viewable threw file manager.

Ill take a look tonight, again, and see if we can get that zip file uploaded. I will contact you via email with the issue or a hopeful resolution."

BTW - the extension .ptn is the digital content I am selling it's a propriatary file type for a cnc carving machine...I highly HIGHLY doubt shopsite would recognize this...Not a chance

[carvemore]

jim

is it worth a phone call back to tech support and demand access to ftp and MY files? Can they with their set up?

Sort of like at $50 a month with limited support and not having basic things like ftp and files access I want to just say to heck with it and switch. The thing is I have like 70 or so files there they have been selling..not making a killing but for a hobby it's nice. I am hesitant to switch because dont want to go thru setting everything up again. Is there a way to save my shopsite files settings if I do find another shopsite provider?

[robm]

The problem with Fatcow's setup of ShopSite is the ShopSite data directory (which contains your settings, digital download files, etc...) is located on a different server from your hosting account, so you do not have direct access to it. You can probably get them to provide you with a zip file of this directory though, which would be quite helpful if you switched hosts.

A knowledgeable ShopSite host can use this data to seamlessly migrate your store without requiring you to set up everything again. We've transitioned hundreds of ShopSite merchants over the years, and we make the process entirely seamless and no downtime is involved. It can be done, but it takes a thorough understanding of ShopSite.

Hopefully you can get your digital downloads working, either at your current host, or a new one if you make the move.

Rob

[Jim]

Fatcow may be correct that the files can't be seen by ShopSite although they are in the correct directory. Usually the ftp user is different from the webserver user the store is running as. So if you ftp files to your store html directory, media directory for images or data/downloads for download files the permissions set on the files may be such that the webserver user can't access them.

So you need to make sure that the permissions and ownership of files you ftp to the server are the same as files that ShopSite places in those same directories. I haven't heard of a file manager that couldn't list types of files that it doesn't know what the extension is for but I guess that could be the case, however I think permissions and ownership are more likely the cause of the problem.

Rob is correct that a store can generally be moved from one host to another without problems as long as the host it is being moved to is well acquainted with ShopSite (and the current host will give you the data). You might want to send Rob a private message and see what they can do for you ( there is a PM and Email icon in the right column of each post).

[carvemore]

Jim and Rob thanks for your help

I had to open a support ticket for the issue...this the response from support.

" Hello,

Thank you for contacting support.The issue preventing access to the media and download folder is that or file ownership. Shopsite owns the folders and only shopsite can write to that folder. As such we can not set up access to the folders for your FTP user.

The best option is simply to extract your files locally and upload them to the servers root. Once completed let us know where to look and we can move the requested files to the appropriate location for you.

-- Technical Support --


If I have to contact support any time I need to upload and FTP file because it's too large or have a bunch of files to upload thats A NIGHTMARE 24-48 hour turn to FTP a file? Not what I was sold.

Since shopsite OWNS the file directories will you give permission to upload ftp? (sarcastic) Are you hosting the files for fatcow?

Thanks for your help JIm

[Jim]

They means that the webserver user that your ShopSite store is running as (shopsite) is the owner of the directory structure, not that the company ShopSite owns the files. Unless you are familiar with UNIX operating systems that terminology may seem odd but a similar type of ownership and access permissions exists in windows also. For example on a windows machine if you have multiple users they typically can't access each other's files unless they are in a shared location. This same thing happens for the files of your ShopSite store. the web server user creates the directories (and files in those directories) that your ShopSite store uses, so it "owns" the directories and files. Unless permissions are specifically given for another user, such as an ftp account user they can't access those directories.

Since Fatcow installs ShopSite stores in a shared environment, with many hundreds or thousands of stores on a single server, they are reluctant give access to files within the directory structure which is shared by many other websites. Some other hosts such as Lexiconn, install each store in a way so that they have their own copy of the ShopSite cgis and a separate location for the data. In situations like that the webserver (store) user can run as one user and the merchant user can have ftp access to their files.

There are advantages to the Fatcow installation method as it makes hosting costs cheaper overall, since they can have thousands of sites on a single server. The drawbacks are that support is usually not as fast, access to the server is limited and upgrading to new version takes longer because everyone has to be upgraded at the same time. For small businesses who don't need a lot of customization or the more advanced features these type of hosts may be a good option.

Independent host such as Lexiconn, Pair and others, generally charge a little more for hosting but they add extra value by providing faster support, virtual servers for each store, better account access, etc. Also since each store is independent on the server, upgrades and patches can be done on a per store basis rather than having to wait until all stores want an upgrade. For merchants who are using advanced ShopSite features, need quick turn around time on support issue, need complete access to the server, etc., the small additional cost of these type of hosts is well worth the price.