Still having trouble understanding who, what, where, why, when & how?
Content delivery networks are still unfamiliar territory for most website owners and you likely still have many questions about the technology. Don’t worry and don’t be turned off! When we first heard of this technology we thought it was a method of delivering content (like recipes and blog posts) to websites automatically… how far off could we have been!?
We would be more than happy to discuss this technology and the benefits it can bring to your website via a telephone call or a GoToMeeting session where we can share our computer screens with you as and when required. Please contact us to get started!
- Can I resell the CDN service?
Our CDN service is not geared towards customer reselling at this time. This is due to the administration panel being branded with our company name/logo along with the domains used for linking to files being branded to clookcdn.com or your domain (if using a CNAME).
- Can I see raw log files for CDN usage?
By default the retention of raw log files for use of our CDN is disabled and this has no relation to the ‘Reports’ feature of the control panel. This is to prevent additional fees to your account related to the storage of the log files within the CDN network.
If you wish to alter the raw log settings you can do so as detailed below using the screenshot provided for reference.
Raw logs stored on CDN
If you wish to enable the retention of log files you may do so in your My ClookCDN control panel remembering that the size of stored logs can build up and will incur extra fees per GB used. The option to enable log file retention is under the tab marked ‘Administration’ then the sub menu item marked ‘Company Settings’.
To download the log files you can login via FTP using the details below. Please note that in the FTP hostname, XXXX must be replaced with your customer ID.
FTP Hostname: ftp.ams.XXXX.clookcdn.com
FTP User & Password: see CDN activation emailRaw logs emailed to you
If you wish to access raw log files without them being stored on the CDN (and incurring extra storage fees) you can opt to have them uploaded to an FTP account elsewhere once per day automatically. On the ‘Company Settings’ page of the control panel detailed above you can enable this by entering the details of the third party FTP account you wish the logs to be uploaded to (can be on your regular hosting account).
- Can I store files within the CDN?
The storage of files within the CDN to save space on your hosting account is available but disabled by default. We recommend keeping files stored within your regular hosting account as this avoids additional fees on the CDN service associated with the storage of files.
This is also the reason why the retention of raw log files is disabled by default because the size of stored logs also counts towards CDN storage.
Our pricing for files (including log files if enabled) stored within the CDN is £1.00 + VAT per GB. This is billed monthly on a ‘highest watermark’ basis whereby we bill for the largest usage seen within that month. For example, if you store 2 GB of files then upload an additional 2 GB (making the total 4 GB) then delete 3 GB (making the current usage 1 GB), the fee at the end of the month will be for 4 GB space usage.
- Getting started with ClookCDN
Upon setting up your CDN service we have configured your first website/origin so you can begin using the service almost immediately. Some things you may wish to do upon receiving the activation email are:
1. Wait! Due to changes to DNS changes a new website/origin setup within the CDN can take up to an hour to become active so if you have just received your activation email it is best to wait for an hour.
2. As mentioned, we have setup your first website within the CDN which is the reason we ask for your website domain name during signup. If you wish to use the CDN across multiple websites you should set these up in your My ClookCDN control panel as detailed here.
3. If you prefer to use a branded subdomain to access files on the CDN such as http://cdn.yourdomain.com/path/to/file.jpg instead of http://wpc.XXXX.clookcdn.com/YYYYYY/directoryname/path/to/file.jpg you can have an Edge CNAME setup. This needs to be done by us and is detailed here.
4. Following this you can begin setting up your website to pull static files from the CDN rather than your normal hosting account. Please see our section marked ‘CDN Website Integration’ for help with this.
- How do I use the CDN with another site / setup another origin?
When you order a CDN service from us we ask for your website domain name where you will be first utilising the CDN and we configure this for you. For this reason, you will see one website (known as Customer Origin) already configured within your My ClookCDN control panel.
If you have another website which you wish to use with the CDN follow the steps below to set this up within the My ClookCDN control panel. For the purposes of this article we will assume you wish to set up the CDN for use with Large Objects (which can be used on it’s own for all object sizes if preferred).
1. After logging in click ‘HTTP Large Object’ then ‘Customer Origin’ where you can see all origins currently configured and fill in the form to create a new one.
2. In the form at the below the currently configured origins enter the details for your new website/origin:
Directory name: This is the directory on the CDN which will store cached content from this origin. Some clients prefer to name the directory something related to the website that is using this origin (eg ‘www.sitename.com’) or something more general (eg ‘othersite’).HTTP Edge Protocol: leave this ticked.
Hostname or IP Address: This is where you input the URL for your website you wish to add and configure so you should enter your new site URL to this part of the form and click ‘Add’. Basically, your new CDN URL will map to this website address meaning that a file normally accessed at http://www.yournewsite.com/folder/file.jpg will be accessed through the CDN using http://XXXX.clookcdn.com/YYYYYY/directory_name/folder/file.jpg.
Load Balancing Mode: Most clients will not have a mirrored setup with multiple origin sources so this can be left at ‘Primary & Failover’.
HTTP Host Header: Leave this at the default setting.
When done, your form should look something like this (using myothersite.com as your new website in this example):
3. After clicking the Add button, this origin will be added. Please note that the setting will take up to an hour to take force so please do not worry about any problems accessing content via the CDN during this time.
You will see the details of this origin now in the section at the top of this page:
Using the information shown in this section you can begin setting up your website for using content via the CDN.
In the above example you should use http://wpc.XXXX.clookcdn.com/YYYYYY/myothersite.com as the base URL which maps to your main website at http://www.myothersite.com. Therefore, anything that you normally access at a URL such as http://www.myothersite.com/images/photo.jpg should be set to use http://wpc.XXXX.clookcdn.com/YYYYYY/myothersite.com/images/photo.jpg instead in your web page code. This syntax applies to other folders and files throughout your website too.
* Please note that throughout this article where you see ‘XXXX’ and ‘YYYYYY’ this represents characters unique to each client and needs to be replaced as per your specific URL’s shown in your control panel.
- How is billing handled for ClookCDN?
Our system invoices for the ClookCDN regular service fee in advance with invoices due on the 1st of each month. Within this invoice we will also include the bandwidth usage (if applicable) for the previous month (in arrears) as an additional invoice item.
For example, on the 1st September our system will raise an invoice for the regular service fee for the month of September along with the overage bandwidth usage for the full month of August.
We remind all clients using our CDN service that in the event of cancellation bandwidth usage fees already incurred and not invoices will be invoiced at the end of that month.
- What is an Edge CNAME?
Using a CNAME allows you to make linking to your files easier by using a domain branded to your website rather than one containing our branding.
For example, rather than linking to a file using http://wpc.XXXX.clookcdn.com/path/to/image.jpg you can use http://cdn.yourdomain.com within your HTML code.
To setup a custom CNAME please contact our helpdesk and we will take care of this.
- What is the difference between HTTP Large Object and HTTP Small Object?
Each location has different servers optimised for serving different types of files. While the servers responsible for serving HTTP Large Objects have extremely fast SSD drives, those used for HTTP Small Object files use larger amounts of RAM to allow for approx 15% faster access time of the files.
Many clients use the CDN by treating all files as HTTP Large Files which results in very fast performance while keeping things simple. However, for slightly faster performance and highly optimised website speed it is possible to use the URL for Large Files for files larger than 300 Kb and the URL for HTTP Small Files for files smaller in size than 300 Kb. This will create the fastest possible environment for using ClookCDN.
- What is the pricing for extra features?
Extra features can be used with ClookCDN at the following fees:
Setup fee Monthly fee Token Auth £50 £125 SSL Standard £150 £125 SSL – Custom £200 £150 Advanced Reporting £50 £125 Real-time Reporting £50 £100 If you wish to add any of the above features or have any questions please contact us.
- Where is the ClookCDN control panel?
Your CDN service can be managed using the control panel at https://my.clookcdn.com – your login details were provided within your CDN service activation email. If you need this resending please contact our helpdesk.
- What is a Content Delivery Network?
A Content Delivery Network (or CDN) is a special network of servers positioned at different places in the world that mirrors specific content. This allows visitors to any website containing this content to download it from a location (also known as point-of-presence or POP) closest to them in order to get the fastest speeds possible.
It is also useful for high demand downloads such as media serving and software downloads because the load is spread between the whole CDN without affecting the stability of the single server hosting the website in question while at the same time providing stable and fast speeds to all visitors around the world.
- What type of content can be delivered in this way?
This technology is meant for serving static files and not dynamic scripts such as PHP, CGI, etc. Other than that, any content is suitable from small files (under 1 MB) such as website images and CSS files to larger files such as file downloads, larger images, etc. In addition, our CDN systems are optimised for media streaming using Adobe’s Flash Media Server or Microsoft’s Windows Media Server.
- Who can benefit from using our CDN?
In short, everyone! While those with high demand files and those who require fastest speeds for all visitors around the world will benefit most, even smaller websites with more localised visitors can benefit because the CDN technology will always provide the content from the closest and fastest POP to the website visitor.
While CDN technology may be new to many, there is no steep learning curve as our managed CDN services comes with our help and support to implement on your website.
- Where are the POPs located?
Our CDN has machines throughout the world with POPs located on major backbones in London (2), Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris, Los Angeles (2), San Jose, Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Ashburn, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sidney.What is a Content Delivery Network?
- What happens if I use more than 50GB of bandwidth in a month?
Our CDN service include a 50GB monthly allowance of premium bandwidth free of charge. Should your account use more than 50GB in a given calendar month our system will invoice you for the additional usage. Your account will not be suspended or turned offline when your “free limit” (50GB) has been reached.
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