I understand the basics of permissions as it relates to the general concepts of users, groups, files, and, folders.  But, I was hoping that someone can provide some information on how Lunarpages names/defines/categorizes some things.  I really haven't found this information in the forums.

For example, when I go into Plesk File Manager and click on the permissions icon for a file, the new window allows me to set the permissions for various levels of "Group or user names".  These are the entities that I currently have, and, they were defined by default:

          Administrator
          Plesk Domain User (<myacctname>)
          Plesk IIS User (IUSR_<myacctname>)
          SYSTEM

I know that in general an Admiministrator should be able to do everything.  I log into Plesk as <myacctname>, so, am I not an "Administrator" for my own domain?  If not, why/when would I need to be and how do I make <myacctname> an "Administrator"?

What is the difference between the two Plesk users?

What is "SYSTEM" used for?



Still on-topic, but, headed in a different direction, I chose Lunarpages because of Windows hosting and the ability for me to learn/test ASP.NET functionality, as well as server/client processing.  Currently I am trying to get the Scheduler to run an executable, and, I am not even getting the email notification that Scheduler tried to run something.  I found other forum threads on how to determine the full path, and, I have multiple tasks set to run executables in different folders.  So, getting back to the topic:

Do I need to set certain permissions to be able to have Scheduler run an executable?

Is there a reason to have the Scheduler and/or the task to be owned by a particular user/group?



Earlier today, while poking around, I found a combobox that allowed me to select whether or not my domain is able to run scripts or both scripts and executables.  I changed it to allow both, but, still not getting the Scheduler notification emails.  What exactly does this setting refer to?  Me running stuff on the server?  The ability for site visitors to run stuff?  Are there other permissions involved with running an executable?

I think that I have shared Windows hosting, as I don't think I paid more than the basic Windows hosting.  When I log into Plesk and click on my domain and then click on "Setup", the IP address has "shared" next to it.


When I log into Plesk and click on permissions, I get this list:

Domain creation:                               Yes
Physical hosting management:           Yes
Hard disk quota assignment:              No
Subdomains management:                Yes
Domain limits adjustment:                 No
DNS zone management:                    Yes
Log rotation management:                Yes
Scheduler management:                    Yes
Anonymous FTP management:           No
Tomcat applications management:     No
System access management:             No
Mailing lists management:                 Yes
Backup/restore functions:                  Yes
Antivirus management:                     Yes
Site Builder:                                      Yes
Hosting Performance Management:    No
IIS Application Pool Management:      No


I understand the security concerns of not allowing shared Windows host to run executables.  BTW, one would assume, that as a Lunarpages customer is using Plesk or cPanel, that options would be enabled/disabled according to what would be allowed for the type of hosting they have.  When I log into Plesk and click on my domain and then click on "Web Directories" and then click on "Preferences", under "Application settings" the "Execute permissions" setting allows me to select "Scripts and Executables".  So, the question becomes who/what/where can scripts and executables be run?  And, does this setting have anything to do with Scheduler?


OK, this next question maybe stupid and you have permission to say it is stupid, but, only if you answer the question.  If I cannot have Scheduler run an executable, then I want to be able to have it run an ASP.NET file (i.e. myfile.aspx).  How do I do that?  And, staying on-topic, how can I make sure from a permissions standpoint that it only gets run as part of Scheduler and run by my hosting account user?  I know that Scheduler allows me to use/set a user, so, would it be better to create a user exclusively for Scheduler tasks?


Last question, and, it may only be philosophical, but, if one creates a task in Scheduler, shouldn't Scheduler send an email every time it attempts to run a task, even if only to say that the task cannot be run (i.e.  because "permissions" are set such that the task is not allowed)?

Troy, I appreciate your help.

The reason why I started this thread (instead of emailing support) was that I have found the forums generally lacking in good and/or complete information as it applies to Windows hosting.  And, I was hoping that this thread would provide help for others in the future.

I have a number of years experience in programming, and, the most frustrating thing I have always found was getting started new in something major.  There is the terminology issue in sometimes not knowing how to word a question.  There are the basic setup and start up procedures where the veterans forget to tell us some basic settings and restrictions.  The internet is a huge help, but, sometimes it can take a number of tries to figure out how to ask/look for your answers.

It looks like my next approach would be to create a script to launch my .aspx file.  Anybody have a simple Visual Basic script that I can run (that doesn't do much) so that I can get an email from Scheduler telling me that something actually happened?