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How do I setup my website before I point it to your servers?
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Many users opt to test their websites before modifying the name servers on their domain to point to our servers. This allows you to develop the website, whilst the old one runs elsewhere. There are two options for such testing, one designed for novice users, and another designed for advanced users. Both are detailed below.

Using the VIPControl temporary URL viewer
This is the easiest method for testing your website. It does not however, support .htaccess functions. If you wish to use .htaccess functions, please refer to the other methods detailed below.
  1. Login to VIPControl at https://vip.ventraip.com.au
  2. Navigate to 'Manage Hosting Services'. 
  3. Select 'Temporary URL' from the dropdown box adjacent to the hosting account you wish to view using the temporary URL viewer.
  4. Enable the feature, and browse to the URL provided. If this does not work, please try disabling and re-enabling the temporary URL viewer. 

Modifying your computers hosts file
This method involves making a small adjustment to your computers Hosts file. This allows you to customise where your domain points without relying on DNS. Depending on your operating system, the location of your hosts file may vary:
Windows: The host file is usually found in C:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
Linux and MacOS X: You can find the hosts file under /etc/hosts

As the file is a simple text file, you can edit it using your favourite text editor (such as Notepad or Wordpad). If you're using Windows Vista or Windows 7, you may need to run the program as an Administrator. Add an entry into your hosts file as follows:
112.140.176.10 www.youwebsite.com website.com subdomain1.website.com

Remember to replace the IP address with the servers IP address. The subdomain entries simply refer to any subdomains that you may be required to use (such as store.yourdomain.com).


 

Last Updated: 31st of January, 2012

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