Autoresponder compatible?

[webcare]

Before I purchase autoresponder software, would someone please look at the system requirements page http://www.autoresponseplus.com/link.php?a=cjsteele and tell me if it will work with PowWeb.

I really don't like the monthly fees most charge so would like to have my own. I'm familiar with using an autoresponder but not installing one and hope setup won't be too deep for someone who knows nothing about scripts and codes.

Thanks very much.

[RadioRob]

Here's what the specs say:

1. Your web server or web hosting service must be based on UNIX, Linux or a similar operating system. Sorry, AutoResponse Plus does not run on Windows NT or Windows 2000 based servers.

No problem here. PowWeb is a Unix host. :)

2. MySQL pre-installed on your web server or available to your web site. AutoResponse Plus can use an existing database for it's tables, if you only have access to one. MySQL should be at least version 3.23.39 and Perl will need to be able to access to the MySQLDump and MySQL utilities if you want to use the AutoResponse Plus backup and restore features.

No problem here as long as you have ordered a mySQL database. It's a one time charge of 30 dollars if you have not done it already.

2. Perl 5.005 or greater with your own CGI-BIN.

No problem.

3. FTP (and preferably SSH or Telnet) access for installing and configuring AutoResponse Plus.

Ya have FTP access, but not SSH or Telnet.

4. Sendmail or Qmail installed.

Yep! We have Sendmail. :)

Looks like ya should be good to go with it.

5. Ability to run cron tasks.

6. Your browser must be Internet Explorer 5 or above.

[webcare]

Thanks for the fast reply. The only thing I still question is the following statement:

Some of the features (such as .forward or .procmailrc) will not be listed on your web server or hosting service's feature list - you will have to ask your host.

Is that OK, too?

(This forum is GREAT!!!)

[RadioRob]

I'm not sure about that. I've had a similar question that I posted earlier that Starr, Andrew, or James (the Admins) will most likely find tomorrow asking if it's possible to point an e-mail address to a script.

I really hope so personally... ;) But most likely we'll hear about it sometime tomorrow. If not, just drop an e-mail to support@powweb.com and ask.

The fine folks over there should be able to find out.

And yes, I love the foum here! Have never had a question NOT answered yet. ;)

Good luck!

[SimCoWeb]

I'm using AutoresponderPlus myself. Works great :)

[webcare]

I bought it and am having trouble installing because I know nothing about cron. The only thing I have to do yet is:

10. Create two cron tasks:

Each hour: /absolute/path/to your/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-auto.pl
11.45pm: /absolute/path/to your/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-report.pl

And they give this as an example cron configuration file:

arp3.cron

0 * * * * /usr/bin/perl /absolute/path/to/your/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-auto.pl
45 23 * * * /usr/bin/perl /absolute/path/to/your/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-report.pl


I am totally lost. Do I make a text file with that info and ftp it? I know where to put it--just not what to put there. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[SimCoWeb]

I have a short tutorial you can read that might help explain it better. Basically what it is is the time elements as to when you wish to run the action of the cron tab to make the script (autoresponder) send the emails. Powweb runs them I believe twice a day at noon and midnight. So, no matter what you set it at in the cron instructions, that's what it will run at.

Here's the tutorial link:

http://www.simcoweb.com/nuke/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=11

the samples they gave you, all you'd need to do is change the path to point to your script. So, instead of what they had in the example:

0 * * * * /usr/bin/perl /absolute/path/to/your/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-auto.pl

You would replace the path to show like this:

0 * * * * /usr/bin/perl /www/x/username/cgi-bin/arp3/auto.pl

Where 'x' is the first letter of your username followed by your username then the location of the autoresponder program in your cgi-bin (I used /arp3 as an example of where you might have installed it)

I haven't gotten the new version. I don't know if I will until I see exactly what the differences are and if it's beneficial or not. Version 2 seems to do what I need :)

[webcare]

Thanks, SimCoWeb, for explaining the commands so well. But as far as getting them where they need to be on PowWeb.... Can I just create the file in Notepad, name it crontab.cron (?), and ftp it? Someone on the autoresponder's forum said it couldn't be ftp'd in and I'd have to ask tech support to somehow install it.

[SimCoWeb]

It's easy to create. Open Notepad, place the command line in it and save it as 'crontab.txt'. Then FTP it to your server into the /etc folder. Once you have it there, rename it to simply 'crontab' with the '.txt' extension off it. That should do it :)

[webcare]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. That's exactly the info I needed and I hoped it would be that easy. So I guess I'll know if I did it right if I get the test messages I'll send to myself.

[webcare]

I put a MAILTO line in my cron file and am sent this message every hour:

Can't open perl script "/www/w/webcare/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-auto.pl": No such file or directory


The installation example given was:

0 * * * * /usr/bin/perl /absolute/path/to/your/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-auto.pl
45 23 * * * /usr/bin/perl /absolute/path/to/your/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-report.pl

And mine is set up like this:

0 * * * * /usr/bin/perl /www/w/webcare/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-auto.pl
45 23 * * * /usr/bin/perl /www/w/webcare/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-report.pl

I even tried it with #! in front of /usr/bin/perl, and that didn't work either. My absolute path is exactly as stated in OPS, and both of those files are in arp3 under cgi-bin. I named the file crontab.txt, upload in ASCII to /etc directory, took off the .txt extension, and I chmod'd it to 755. I even unchecked word wrap in notepad. What else could it be?????

[webcare]

After emailing PowWeb's Technical Support for some answers, I got this reply today:

Autoresponders will not work on Powweb because the mail server and the web servers are different machines and you do not have access to upload anything to the mail server. We are exploring the possibility of providing autoresponders in the near fufure but right now it will not be possible.


SimCoWeb, you said you use an earlier version of this software. Is it installed on a site hosted by PowWeb? I'm hoping this tech support person was talking about the kind that you subscribe to via email and that my software will still work without that feature.

[SimCoWeb]

Unfortunately, my version is not the new MySQL version. Apparently there's some new files included that i'm not privy to.

Now...let's try this. If you're sure that those files are indeed in that folder and named that then try removing the /usr/bin/perl part of the path line. That's not necessary. It knows where to find Perl.

So, change it to this:

0 * * * * /www/w/webcare/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-auto.pl
45 23 * * * /www/w/webcare/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-report.pl

Let me know if that fixes it :)

[webcare]

I deleted the whole program and started over with a fresh install just to make sure everything was done exactly according to the instructions. Then I made a new crontab leaving out the path to perl as suggested above. After midnight, my error message changed to "Out of memory!"

I'm also posting on the autoresponder's forum to see if they can figure this out. Someone there just posted the following: "Is the cron task set up on the same machine as the script? If the cron is running from the mail server, then this would explain the problem you're getting. Ask your host to run the cron from the web server, and that should solve your problem."

I don't know if PowWeb will do this for me, but I don't know what else to try. Does my new error message confirm that this might be the problem?

[SimCoWeb]

Hmmm...that's a little confusing in how they've worded that. But, the cron task IS on your web server.

How many emails are you trying to send (how many 'subscribers) ?

[webcare]

It can't be an issue of how many I'm sending because it wouldn't work with less than 100 I had in before the reinstall, and now I've only got myself in it to test. So "Out of memory!" can't be due to being overloaded (yet!)

So things in the /etc directory are on PowWeb's web server, not mail server?

[SimCoWeb]

That's correct. The /etc resides on a Powweb server that's hosting your domain. The Cron job is telling the server to run your CGI script that is also residing on your server. Therefore, everything is self contained so to speak.

I couldn't imagine that the server would be out of memory since they have over a Gig on each one. Like I said, i've got the older version and don't have any problems with it. It's possible it's having problems with the MySQL database. That's reaching, but trying to think of all possibilities.

[webcare]

Thanks to everyone who has helped me try to get it working. But the final answer is PowWeb is not compatible with my autoresponder. After clarifying my type of installation with technical support, I got the following response.

"We cannot set this up for you due to how our network is setup. You'd need a service where both mail and the webserver are used on the same machine. A lot of dedicated services have this feature, but you would end up paying a lot more money. "


Now the question is how to get back my $30 for mySQL that I have no need for if I can't use this software. I've had it less than 30 days. Think this would qualify for the 30-day money back guarantee?

[SimCoWeb]

That's an issue to take up with Powweb, not a forum issue. :) You should contact billing@powweb.com and discuss this with them.

[webcare]

Thanks, SimCoWeb, I'll do that. You've been very helpful, as usual.

[DTT]

AutoResponse Plus should work without piping incoming and outgoing mail to a mailserver. ARP accepts subscriptions through web based forms. It also can accept subscriptions by e-mail if your server has a way of piping incoming e-mail through a Perl script. It usus sendmail for outgoing mail, and there is no need to
use the mailserver.

I think you need to raise the issue with the developper of ARP.
As the old version works on Powweb(without the email piping), the new version should work as well.