This is a list of questions that we frequently receive from our customers. We have compiled them here to save you time and answer questions you may not have even thought to ask.

1. Dialup Settings

• 1.1 Which dialup number should I use?
• 1.2 Why can't I connect to a phone number outside of Illinois?

• 2.1 Which mail server should I use?
• 2.2 Why am I receiving an error, "Relaying access denied" when trying to send mail?
• 2.3 Is there a limit to the size of a message I can send and or recieve?

• 3.1 How do I configure mail clients to access the accounts I've created through the virtual mail control panel at vmail.dls.net?
• 3.2 How do I use CGI scripts with my Unix hosting account?
• 3.3 How do I use PHP?

• 4.1 What are the names and IP addresses of DLS's name servers ?

• 5.1 What does DLS do to block spam?
• 5.2 How do see what spam has been blocked?

• 6.1 What parental control options are available to DLS subscribers?

1.1 Which dialup number should I use?

Please use our dialup finder tool to locate a number closest to your location. While DLS makes every effort to ensure its lists are accurate, customers should call their local telephone company to verify that the numbers given are actually local calls.

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1.2 Why can't I connect to a phone number outside of Illinois?

For numbers outside of Illinois, users must set the dialup username to username@dls.net instead of just username. For information changing this setting, please view our Dialup Setup Guides.

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2. E-Mail Settings

2.1 Why am I receiving an error, "Relaying access denied" when trying to send mail?

DLS dialup customers should use mail.dls.net as the SMTP (outgoing) and POP3 (incoming) mail servers. For DLS web hosting customers, please see question 3.1.

If you are dialing up outside of the Chicagoland area, you must use a mail client that supports SMTP authentication (such as Outlook Express or Netscape Messenger) and configure it to use the same settings as for POP3. For example, if your email address was joe@dls.net, you would use joe as the username for POP3 and for SMTP authentication. If you do not enable SMTP authentication, you will not be able to send outgoing mail and will receive an error, "Relay access denied".

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2.2 Why am I receiving an error, "Relaying access denied" when trying to send mail?

You will receive this error if you are dialed up outside of the Chicagoland area (or using an Internet Service Provider other than DLS) and have not configured your email client to use SMTP authentication. Due to security concerns, we must validate all users who attempt to send email through our server that are not ulectly connected to us. To configure your mail client to use SMTP authentication, see our SMTP Authentication Setup Guide.

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2.3 Is there a limit to the size of a message I can send and or recieve?

You are limited to the size of a message being sent from, or to your mailbox. There is a 15MB limitation per email message.

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3. Unix Web Hosting Questions

3.1 How do I configure mail clients to access the accounts I've created through the virtual mail control panel at vmail.dls.net?

Once you have created POP3 accounts for your domain in the control panel, you will need to setup a mail client (such as Outlook Express or Netscape Messenger) to access it. Follow the Outlook Express setup guide to step 6. When prompted for the "incoming mail server", enter mail.example.com where example.com is your domain name. The value for the "outgoing mail server" is dependant on whether you connect to the Internet through DLS or whether DLS is only your website hosting provider. If DLS is your Internet service provider, enter the same server as the POP3 host, mail.example.com as the SMTP server. Otherwise, you will need to enter the name of your Internet provider's SMTP server. You will need to contact them to receive this information.

When you are at step 7 of the setup guide and prompted for the username, enter it in the form "username@example.com", just like the account's e-mail address. Note that in some network environments, it may be required to use a percent sign ("%") instead of the "at" sign ("@") for the POP3 login.

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3.2 How do I use CGI scripts with my Unix hosting account?

All CGI scripts must be placed in the cgi-bin ulectory in your home ulectory and must be given executable permissions. For information on setting these permissions, please see an example FTP Guide. All Perl scripts must be uploaded in ASCII format, and must have "#!/usr/bin/perl" as the first line of the script to function properly.

All CGI applications run as your username, not an unprivileged account. Because of this, no permissions will need to be changed for scripts requiring write-access to your website, such as hit counters.

Any CGI scripts requiring the use of Sendmail to send e-mail must use /usr/sbin/sendmail as the path to the Sendmail binary.

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3.3 How do I use PHP?

To utilize PHP4 on your Unix webhosting account, simply give your documents an extension of ".phtml" or ".php". For more information on the PHP4 language, visit the PHP  website.

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4. DNS Settings

4.1 What are the names and IP addresses of DLS's name servers ?

DLS maintains two sets of DNS servers. The first functions as Authoritative (non-recursive), and the second functions as Cache-Only (recursive). The authoritative servers provide Primary or Secondary Authoritative DNS for customers. If you are having DLS perform Internet accessable DNS for your domain name, then you will need to provide your registrar with DLS's nameserver names and IP addresses. The Authoritative machines will NOT resolve any domain that they are not Authoritative for. Using the IP's and names of the DLS Authoritative servers will not work on client machines trying to resolve random Internet addresses. The Cache-only servers should be used for local client resolution. Here is the list of the authoritative Servers.

Authoritative Servers
NS1.DLS.NET	216.145.224.234
NS2.DLS.NET	216.180.163.2

The Cache Only servers can be used by customer host machines to perform general DNS resolution. You can put the IP addresses in the client machines on your network if you do not have your own Internet nameserver. Most dialup customers should not specify any DNS servers in the dialup profile, as these are automatically assigned when the connection is made. If you are using an operating system that requires these to be entered, or are connecting via means other than dialup, please use the following IP addresses:

Caching Servers
Primary DNS:	216.145.243.22
Secondary DNS:	209.242.0.2

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5. Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail ("Spam") Questions

5.1 What does DLS do to block spam?

DLS employs Proxmox Mail Gateway  for its spam and virus filtering services. All incoming e-mail for dls.net and fsi.net domains are routed through the Proxmox servers, which filters out spam and viruses.

When messages are detected as being spam or viruses, they are detained in your "message center" and restricted from arriving in your mailbox.

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5.2 How do see what spam has been blocked?

To see what has been blocked for your account, submit a report request to our Proxmox Mail Gateway filter . You will then be presented with an email with links to gain access to your account. From here you can setup blacklists and whitelists of always-denied and always-approved senders, respectively.

If you see a message that is legitimate that should not have been detained, simply check the box next to it and click "Deliver". The message will then be forwarded to your mailbox where you can download it with your normal e-mail program.

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6. Parental Controls

6.1 What parental control options are available to DLS subscribers?

DLS Internet no longer offers a centralized web content filtering service. Our X-Stop service offerred at one time proved to be insufficient for most customers who wanted to block not only adult content in their web browser but also in email and Usenet groups.

Our technical support team has concluded that the most complete and cost-effective solution is to utilize client-side CyberPatrol(R) software which resides on your personal computer and allows you a wide range of access control:

• Block harmful web sites and newsgroups
• Restrict chat and instant messaging
• Filter web-based email
• Manage time online and access to programs
• Control program downloads
• Protect personal identity

For additional information about CyberPatrol, please visit http://www.cyberpatrol.com/

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