ID:92673
 
While the ATP Host web panel provides the ability to upload and delete games, some of you may want a little more control- uploading large resource files, moving savefiles between servers, editing config files, restructuring your directories, and more. All of this is possible using the WinSCP software, which uses the SCP and sFTP protocols to manage the file structure instead of the standard old FTP. There's two main benefits of WinSCP, and both stem from the fact that it extends the Secure Shell protocol:

1) There is no need for a traditional FTP server daemon, only the SSH already running on the server for your SSH logins. This means less server resources are used and there's more juice available for your games.
2) SCP and sFTP are secure protocols: no one will be able to sniff your data in the middle of the connection, and everything uploaded, downloaded, edited, etc, is all completely secure.

So let's get down to it: How to Login to WinSCP to Manage Your Server

Step 1) If you haven't already, you must download and install WinSCP. Go to this page and under the downloads section, grab the Installation Package (advanced users are welcome to grab the portable executables if they're comfortable!). Download this file and run the installer.

Step 2) Open up WinSCP. The installer should have created a shortcut on your desktop and/or start menu.



Step 3) On your first time running, you'll see a screen like the one below.



WinSCP needs to know where you want to connect. In the first box, Host name, you're going to enter the hostname for your server that was sent to you when the server was set up. The hostname will be in the form of YourKeyServerNum.atpdevelopment.com, so for example, my first server at ATP Host would have a hostname of Airjoe1.atpdevelopment.com, and that is what I put in the host name box.

The port number box should say 22, do not change it. If it says something other than 22, change it to 22. For username and password, use the username and password emailed to you when the server was set up, or if you have changed your password, use your new password. Leave the private key file box blank, and set the File Protocol to SFTP, and make sure the "Allow SCP fallback" box is checked.

Finally, hit the save button so you won't have to do this every time. It will ask you what to call the session (the default name is fine, but call it whatever you want). If you'd like, tick the box to save your password.


Step 4) You should now see the sessions window, like the one below:



Just click on your session and hit the Login button at the bottom of the screen. You may get a little "Warning" popup with some jibberish about a host key and such- hit Yes, this is the public key for your server, you will only have to hit Yes the first time.

Step 5) You're now logged in to the server through sFTP. On the left side of the window is your local computer and files, and on the right side is the server. Using WinSCP from here is like any FTP program: you can drag and drop from one side to the other, you can right click on folders to rename or delete them, create folders, change permissions, and much much more. I'll continue this tutorial with how to properly upload your game.

Step 6) So now you want to actually put your game on the server. First, on the right window, double click on the "hostgames" folder to enter that directory. Now, on the left side, look for the game you'd like to upload. Drag this folder from the left side to the right side, and wait for the upload to finish.

Step 7) Now, right click on the new folder that was just uploaded, and choose "Properties". A little properties box will open, and towards the bottom you will see a permissions section with a lot of check boxes and a text field. In the text field, enter the number 0777 (Note: if you are on a shared Alpha server, you must enter the number sent with your intial setup email). Lastly, check the bottom checkbox that says "Set group,owner, and permissions recursively"



Step 8) You're all set! The game will now show up in the web panel and you can host it.



WinSCP is a great tool with a small learning curve. Once you know the basics, you have a great control over your server and files. If you need any help with WinSCP, don't hesitate to ask.
I have one question. When will my server be ready? I have already paid and am awaiting a reply by e-mail.
Servers take around 24 hours to be set up- this is a restriction by our provider, not by us. As soon as they activate the VPS, we set it up in about 30 seconds. Your server has been ordered and should be up soon.

Please do keep in mind that we're effectively volunteers and sometimes real life steps in the way. While to date, only one server has taken more than 48 hours to set up (and that was due to extenuating circumstances with an old provider), sometimes we can't meet this deadline. If this happens, we'll work something out with you.
I also have a question. What do you mean by more secure? What are we secure from? And is this security not available without having to go through WinSCP?
Ok. Understandable. I'll check again after I get home from work tomorrow. Thanks for your reply.
You're secure from what's known as a "Man in the Middle" attack. It's not exactly something you should be worried about, but in the chance that someone is listening to your communication, sniffing your packets, etc, they won't be able to see what you're doing with the server, it's encrypted.

When you upload something through the web panel, it's sent over unencrypted HTTP, and if someone got in the middle of you and the server, they could intercept what you're uploading and potentially change it. Again, it's unlikely, but using WinSCP is a nice extra layer of security.
I see, also would it be possible to limit exactly who can and cannot log into your server from the web panel or is that a Byond thing?
For the time being, the web panel is almost strictly single user. We're working on a multiuser permissions system for future releases.
I see, so only I could log into my panel? And how long would it take to reinstate a server if by chance it crashed?
Correct, only you (or whoever you share your username/password with) can login to the panel.

In theory, the actual server should never crash. Your games might crash due to shoddy code, BYOND bugs, etc, but you can bring them back up in the panel.

If the server itself crashes, we have to go in and try and reboot it. This should be very quick, though the other day we did have a server that wouldn't start back up and had to have the provider boot it up. Still, it was resolved within a few hours.
Hi, You never answered my e-mail or got the test server up, we need a shell soon. Thanks
Airjoe wrote:
Correct, only you (or whoever you share your username/password with) can login to the panel.

Though you can do that, it is very frowned upon by us, why do I say so? Well, the person can change your password, you have lost access to the server, and he basically controls what YOU paid for.

MBasm93 wrote:
Hi, You never answered my e-mail or got the test server up, we need a shell soon. Thanks

I can get your test server up and running, mind uh, pagering me anytime soon? Maybe MSN/AIM Me?

MSN -- [email protected]
AIM -- AbdulWSaqib
Me and my friend are expeiriance a problem, no matter what we try it will not allow us to delete the games from the hub thing. We try clicking the delete button but nothing, why is that?
What is the key you are using with ATP Host? I don't have Fantasie Productions listed with a server.

If you uploaded with WinSCP and did not change the permissions properly as noted in the post, the delete function in the panel will not properly work. However, if you uploaded through the panel you should have no problem deleting, and if you are we'll have to take a look.
His key is Ryuk25 and it tells us to contact our ATP host to delete them. And we are using the panels.
Which games are you trying to delete, and how were they uploaded?
Both of them and we used Dreamseeker to make hosting file zips and uploaded them through the panels.
Alright, the games are deleted and I found the problem: the delete script does not like spaces in filenames. I'll update the panel to fix this shortly.
Thanks =D
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