Keeping in tune with the latest developments across the industry, we are introducing SPF and DKIM on our mail hosting servers. They are a part of our arsenal to fight spam and reduce mail spoofing for mail hosting packages with LogicBoxes.

 What is SPF and DKIM?

SPF stands for Sender Policy Framework and is implemented using a TXT record. It is an extension of SMTP that stops email spammers from forging the ‘From’ fields in an email. This becomes necessary as SMTP inherently does not have an authentication mechanism. SPF does this by specifying addresses that are authorized to send email for your Domain Name.

For further details on the same please click here.

Along with SPF, we have also introduced DKIM. Domain Keys Identification Mail is another mechanism you can use to fight email forgery. It uses encryption technology (public key cryptography) to verify that an email is really from the sender from whom it appears to be.

To know more about this technique, please take a look here.

Please Note: There will not be any changes required if you or your Customers are using our DNS Services.

In case our DNS services are not being used, you will need to add certain TXT records at your DNS provider. These records can be viewed under Nameserver Details in the Order Details View of their Hosting Package.

Multi Year Pricing will go live this Saturday on the 29th of May, 2010. This mail contains details on the following:

• SuperSite Impact
• Deprecation of Customer Slabs

SuperSite Impact

The following files will be modified as part of the launch:

Check Availability.html: Manage Site » Edit/Translate Content Pages » Products  » Domain  » Domain_registration  » Check_availibilty  » Check_availibility.html

Dom_reg_addorder.html: Manage Site » Edit/Translate Content Pages » Products  » Domain  » Domain_registration  » Dom_reg_addorder  » Dom_reg_addorder.html

Domain_pricing.html: Manage Site » Edit/Translate Content Pages » Products  » Domain  » Domain_pricing  » Domain_pricing.html

Please Note: Your SuperSite will continue to function normally without these changes. However, if you would like Multi Year Pricing to be displayed on your SuperSite, you will need to update the above the mentioned files.

Deprecation of Customer Slabs
As we had announced earlier, Customers Slabs will be deprecated and will be replaced with the ability to set Multi Year Pricing. The Customer Slabs that you have created will be removed on the 29th and only the Base Slab will be left intact. Post the launch you will be able to set prices for Customers based on the tenure that the Product is purchased for.

Over the past few days, LB have noticed a few memory exception errors on one of their Windows web hosting servers. This is probably due to some specific sites hogging up the resources on this server. As a result of this, a few other clients have been intermittently experiencing insufficient memory exceptions on their websites.

Being a shared hosting environment, we are trying to isolate the sites affecting the overall server performance, and provide them some additional sets of resources. To obtain more information on an individual site performance and logs, we are taking a few measures, which will have some minor impacts on your sites hosted here.

Following are the details of measures taken by us and respective impact on your website:

1. A separate centralized logging system on the server

Impact: Your websites’ web logging (http logs) will be disabled for the time being.

2. Split all the websites under different application pools – to monitor specific site’s performance

Impact: This will not have any impact on your website resolution

3. Limiting concurrent number of connections to 100, for each website.

Impact: Based on the existing set of information, you may not experience any service interruptions. However, in case your website exceeds the set limit (100 concurrent connections); you might see the message “Service Unavailable”, for a few seconds.

Should you receive this message, please do inform our support help desk via support ticket. The exercise is being performed this weekend and the limitations shall be in place until Tuesday – 24/05/2010.

We regret the inconvenience you may experience on account of this, and request your kind cooperation to help us get to the root cause of the problem and ensure uninterrupted services.

For any additional information, kindly contact our support help desk.

From the 17th of May, 2010, all new Email Hosting packages will come with 2 GB Storage Space per Email Account.

New Features of Email Hosting @ $0.49/month:

• Unlimited Email Accounts
• 2 GB Storage Space per Email Account

Multi Year Pricing – From 22nd May, 2010

As announced previously, LB will be launching Multi Year Pricing on the 22nd of May, 2010. Using this new tool you can incentivize Customers to purchase Domains for multiple years. 

Impact on Customer Slabs:

As part of this launch, we will be deprecating all Customers Slabs. 

Impact on Specific Pricing:

Post the launch on the 22nd, Specific Pricing will have the highest priority for Customers. A Customer for whom you have set a Specific Price will always be charged that price regardless of the Promo Price or Telescopic Price that is available. In case there is no Specific Price set, your Customer will be charged the lower price between the Promo Price and Telescopic Price.

However, the implementation for Resellers and Sub-Resellers will not be affected by this launch. They will continue to be charged the lowest available price between the Specific Price, Promo Price and regular Slab based Price.

We will send across more information on this launch across the week, including the SuperSite and PartnerSite changes.

LB will be limiting the Back up feature on existing Linux Hosting Packages that are using the old infrastructure (not cpanel) from the 12th of May, 2010. As per the new limit, LB will only store the last three back ups made for any existing package.

Current Scenario:

Currently, a Customer can make unlimited back ups of their packages and they are all stored on their servers.

This negatively affects their servers as it leads to:

• Additional and unnecessary load
• Exposure to potential abuse

New Implementation:

Through the new implementation, Customers will still be able to make back ups as frequently as required. However, only the last three back ups will be stored on their servers. Every time a new back-up is made, the oldest back-up will be replaced.

This implementation will be applicable from the 12th of May, 2010.

Important: Starting today, all new Back up Policies will be limited as per the new implementation of storing only three back-ups.

If you require your previous back-ups:

If your Customers require old back-ups, which are older than the last three made, they will need to download the back-ups to their local machines before the 12th of May, 2010.

Please pass on this information to your Resellers and Customers to ensure that they are prepared for this modification and can make the necessary updates at their end.

As we have just found out, Unlimited Linux Web Hosting will come with cPanel from the 8th of April, 2010! LB have listed the impact of this launch below:

Activation and Important Details:

• Linux Web Hosting will now come with Fanatastico
• cPanel will be activated by default for all Resellers who have signed up for Web Hosting
• If you would like to sign up for Web Hosting, you can do so by going to:
  Settings >> Products >> Manage Product Signup

Impact on existing orders:

There will be no impact on existing orders as part of this launch. All existing packages will continue to use the existing Control Panel.

Managing cPanel Hosting Packages:

You will be able to access and manage cPanel Hosting packages using the following methods:

• The Manage Web Hosting button in the Order Details View in the Control Panel. The Customer will be automatically logged in, in this scenario
• Domain_Name/cpanel – Your Customer will have to enter their main FTP username and password to login. These details will be sent to the Customer as part of the order confirmation mail.
• Domain_Name_IP_Address/cpanel – The login details here are the same as above

Connecting via FTP:

• It is recommended that Customers connect to their cPanel Package using FTPS on Port 21
• Alternatively, they can connect via plain FTP on Port 2021. This will need to be used for publishing your website through a Website Builder Package.

LB will be sending across more information on this launch very soon.

Features:

• 1 Email Account with 1GB mail space
• POP & IMAP Access
• ‘Catch-all’ Facilities

Activation and Other Important Details:

• Free Email is activated for all Resellers by default
• If you would like to disable this Free Product, you can do so by going to:
  Settings >> Products >> Manage Product Signup
  This option is already available in your Control Panel and you can set your preferences even before the launch
• If you disable Free Email, you will still be able to offer your Customers Free Email Forwarding
• If Customers who are using the Free Email Package require additional email accounts, they will need to purchase an Email Hosting package

SuperSite and PartnerSite Changes:

LB will be making a couple changes to the SuperSite and PartnerSite to highlight this free product. If you have already modified any of the below listed files, you will need to update them on 1st of April to ensure that Free Email is highlighted on your SuperSite/PartnerSite.

SuperSite:

Common.css – Manage Theme » CSS » Common » Common.css

Domainblurb.html – Manage Site » Edit/Translate Content Pages » Homepage » Includes » Domainblurb.html

Free_services_blurb.html – Manage Site » Edit/Translate Content Pages » Products » Common » Free_services_blurb.html

Free_services.html – Manage Site » Edit/Translate Content Pages » Products » Features » Free_services » Free_services.html

Sidebar_free_services.html – Manage Site » Edit/Translate Content Pages » Sidebars » Includes » Sidebar_free_services.html

PartnerSite:

Fdns-style.css – Manage Theme » CSS » Common » Fdns-styles.css

Free_services.html – Manage Site » Edit/Translate Content Pages » Products » Features » Free_services » Free_services.html

Sidebar_free_services.html – Manage Site » Edit/Translate Content Pages » Sidebars » Includes » Sidebar_free_services.html

Impact on the API:

There will be no impact on the API as part of this launch.

On the 24th of March, 2010, LB will be changing the Lock implementation in the Control Panel such that you will be able to manage a Domain that is locked.

Current implementation: once a Reseller Lock is applied on a Domain, it cannot be managed unless the lock is removed. When locked, neither you nor your Customer can update the contact information, change nameservers or transfer the Domain.

New implementation: when a Domain has a Reseller Lock applied on it, you will be able to manage the Domain. You will be able to update the contact information and change nameservers even though the Domain is locked. However, you will not be able to transfer the Domain unless the lock is removed. At the same time, your Customer/Sub-Resellers will still not be able to manage the Domain unless you have removed the Lock.

This new implementation will give you the flexibility to manage a Domain and still ensure that your Customers/Sub-Resellers do not make unnecessary changes to their Domains.

Note: There will be no impact on the Domain Theft Protection feature as part of this change.

Completely Private-labeled Email Hosting

LB will be discontinuing the ‘Mail.pw’ branding and will re-introduce private-labeled Email Hosting across the coming week. This migration will be conducted between the 20th and 24th of March, 2010 and LB recommend that you pass on this information to your Resellers and Customers to ensure that they are prepared for this change.

Rest assured, this development is completely backward compatible and hence there will be no disruption of services.

Multi Year Pricing – Discontinuation of Customer Slabs

As part of the process of introducing Multi Year Pricing, LB have removed the ability to create new Customer Slabs from the Control Panel.

In the coming months LB will be introducing Multi Year Pricing; a feature that allows you to incentivize Customers to purchase Products for multiple years. This feature will be available to both you and your Resellers.

With the current set up, your Customers are charged the same amount regardless of the number of years the Product is purchased for. Using this feature, you will be able to set a different price based on the number of years the Product is purchased for and hence tempt Customers to purchase Products for a longer period. For instance, if you are offering .COM Domains @ $10 for a single year, you will now be able to charge a Customer $90 for a 10 year registration instead of a fixed fee of $100.

There are several advantages of multiple year purchases such as:

• Greater Customer Retention: the tenure for which a Customer does business with you is greatly increased and thus gives you the opportunity to build Customer loyalty and drive renewals.
• Greater Upselling Opportunities: with a longer tenure, you have that much more time to upsell your additional Products and Services and hence earn more off each Customer.
• Greater Revenue Earned: through multiple year purchases, you can earn more on every Product sold and hence increase the revenue earned.

Customer Slabs:
To be able to integrate the Multi Year Pricing feature, LB will first need to modify the implementation for Customer Slabs. As part of this process, LB will be removing the ability to create new Customer Slabs in the Control Panel. This will be implemented between the 15th and 19th of March, 2010.
Resellers who have already set Customer Slabs will not be affected by this change as of now and their slabs will remain as is.

Based on the feedback gathered from Resellers, LB are making their Email Hosting Product completely private-labeled once again. This change will be conducted between the 20th and 24th of March, 2010. The ‘Mail.pw’ branding will be completely removed and replaced with the white-labeled/private-labeled URLs listed below:

New URLs and Branding:

• Webmail URL: webmail.<domain name>
• IMAP URL: imap.<domain name>
• POP URL: pop.<domain name>
• SMTP URL: smtp.<domain name>
• Email Hosting Control Panel: mailhostbox.com

Impact on Email Hosting Orders post the 20th:

• New Orders: All new orders will be completely private-labeled.
• Existing Orders using our DNS Services: We will migrate all existing packages to private-labeled packages between the 20th and 24th of March, 2010.

Existing Orders not using our DNS Services: For such orders, you will need to add a set of DNS records to avail of the private-labeled Email Hosting Services. We will send across the necessary information to the affected accounts shortly.