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MTECS Tier 2 Adminstration Guide

Before you can be begin using your shopping basket, you must configure it correctly. Specifically, you must upload your catalogue of products. You can also set the style of the software to match that of your existing web site. Fortunately, there is software to help you with both tasks. There is also a program to convert the uploaded catalogue file into one or more web pages, although you may prefer to create such web pages by other means.

The reason that a catalogue is required is for security. Without a catalogue, it would be possible for anyone to order any item at any price, which is clearly undesirable. The catalogue ensures that valid items can only be ordered at the stated price. This is possible because the ECommerce software has been given explicit knowledge of the products available.

The catalogue file required by MTECS has a specific format. You can use any software to create and maintain your catalogue, although it will have to output this format. Your chosen software requires explicit support for MTECS or you will require additional conversion software. Apart from technical matters, you may find that the hardest part of creating the catalogue file is deciding prices. Fortunately, we have provided a guide to product pricing.

Accounts And Authentication

There are numerous ... Each ... the account.

• You may be using a shared shopping basket server, such as the Xirium shopping basket server. Access will be via the web and the password will be set from the web based, account creation system.

• Your webmaster may have uploaded the MTECS software to your web site. Unless otherwise configured, changes to the MTECS configuration files have to be uploaded like the rest of your web site. The web based administration software may not be present or may have been removed after initial configuration. This is for your security. The web based adminstration programs may be present but not be configured for use, in which case such configuration is uploaded via the usual upload protocols.

  Passwords for the adminstration system can be uploaded to the web site. The passwords for the catalogue and style can be set independantly, although they are probably the same. The MTECS Tier 2 adminstration password is unrelated to your web site password, although it may have been set to be the same on badly configured systems.

• Your web hosting company may provide MTECS, in which case it saves your webmaster uploading the software. Configuration may be the same as above. It is likely that web based administration is inactive by default.

There exists a web based adminstration utility program for MTECS Tier 2 [the shopping basket]. Use of this software is optional and you may have access to the configuration by other means, such as a Unix shell, or more likely, FTP. A common configuration of MTECS Tier 2 is on shared shopping basket server, in which case you may only have access to the web administration utility.

All changes to the configuration of MTECS Tier 2 [the shopping basket] require passwords. Access via Unix shell or FTP, if available, requires a system account on the server. (Creating an MTECS "account" from a web page does not imply that such a system account exists.) If you do have a Unix or FTP account, it will probably be the same account used to modify your web site. Such access allows direct modification of the MTECS software and configuration files. (MTECS is fairly resiliant to configuration changes, although mis-configuration may disrupt access to the ECommerce software; such changes should only be made by qualified personnel.) Changes that can be made include revising the catalogue data and setting the passwords for the web adminstration utilities. These utilities remain inaccessible until passwords have been set. The script style utility can be configured to use a different password to the rest of the system. This allows a webmaster to maintain the presentation style of the software without access to modify the catalogue.

Additionally, access to the web adminstration utility may require the password to be set by other means. The password may already be set for you by automated software or a system adminstrator. If no passwords have been set, MTECS is failsafe a no configuration will be possible.