Helpful Information Archives - NZServers

Charges

Mike (admin) — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 04:18:17 +0000

June 2011 – The minimum charge is 30 mins of $55.00 per 30 mins excl of GST.

We have held labour costs since 2011.
We can no longer hold this rate.

December 2025 – The minimum charge will increase from $55.00 per 30 mins to $60.00 per 30 mins excl of GST as from December 2025.

For any support, we use Clickup to track any time associated with support, estimates or quotes.

ClickUp allows us to record all support requests, so we can look back and see what issues occur regularly or one-off tasks.
If there is a server related issue we usually resolve this without charge.
Blocked IP’s we track and if we find this happens too often we reserve the right to make a charge and will inform you if we are going to do this.

Estimates

At times we have no idea of what the cost will be.
In situations like this, we will scope the work and give you an estimate of the time involved.
At any point, you can view this to see how work is progressing.

Quotes

For the design of a website we will scope the work involved and provide a quote for this.
Anything outside of the scope requested we will inform you if there is any extra charge.

The post Charges appeared first on NZServers.

What is 2FA and why do you need it?

Mike (admin) — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 22:46:35 +0000

The web is becoming a dangerous place. Data breaches on other sites you belong to can expose your password. Malware can access your passwords. Phishing emails are always trying to trick you into giving away your passwords.
Two Factor Authentication (2FA) adds another layer of protection to protect your data.
The video below will help explain what 2FA is ang why you need it.
Please carry out your own research.

The post What is 2FA and why do you need it? appeared first on NZServers.

Google Authenticator

Mike (admin) — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 22:33:57 +0000

This is only a suggestion from NZServers

We suggest you carry out your own research

Google Authenticator is free and available on Playstore and Apple Apps.
Any 2FA is better than no 2FA.
It is easy to use.
There is no synch across different devices plus no pin or access from another device to delete/disable the app should you lose a cellphone.
You can backup the 2FA codes bearing in mind these are text files that are not encrypted.
For this reason, we suggest Authy 2FA.

The post Google Authenticator appeared first on NZServers.

Authy 2FA

Mike (admin) — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 22:07:15 +0000

These are NZServers suggestions

Please carry out your own research

Any 2FA is better than none.
Google Authenticator does a great job but does not sync across all devices.
If you have a cellphone and you lose this you can disable the app from another device plus you can opt to use a pin to access the app.
It works well except the desktop version you have to input the code as there is no QR reader.
If you use a mobile device this will scan the code and then automatically back to any other device you connect authy to.

Link to Authy Features

The post Authy 2FA appeared first on NZServers.

WordPress 2FA

Mike (admin) — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 23:33:50 +0000

It is your responsibility to set up 2FA for WordPress as the authentication techniques often rely on using an app on your cellphone which is outside the server environment.
Please carry out your own research in what is best for you.
Plugins like WordFence make the process easy.
The video below will show you the complete process using Google Authenticator.

The post WordPress 2FA appeared first on NZServers.

CPANEL 2FA Two Factor Authentication

Mike (admin) — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 21:55:35 +0000

2FA has been around for a while and now available for access to CPANEL
You may have seen this with banking apps where a code is sent to your cellphone to authenticate that it is you making the request.
2FA is essential to protect your information from hackers.
Now CPANEL allows 2FA which allows a code to be sent to an authenticator app like Google Authenticator.
Authenticator Apps have many other uses such as enabling 2FA on WordPress or any other application you use to access sensitive information.
Google Apps, Clickup, Evernote, Stripe, Roboform…this list goes on.

It us up to you to configure your authenticator app as this is a client-sided application. For security reasons you must do this and research what is best for you.

Mike Wilkinson

There are a choice of Authenticators you can use.

If you use Windows 10 you can download an Authenticator which is handy if you work on a laptop.
Google authenticator is good for this as it will sync across all your devices using the same app.
With a Laptop make sure you have password protection enabled when you log in.

Note:

2FA requires a smartphone with a supported time-based one-time password (TOTP) app. We suggest the following apps:

For Android, iOS®, and Blackberry® — Google Authenticator
For Android and iOS — Duo Mobile
For Windows® Phone — Authenticator

The post CPANEL 2FA Two Factor Authentication appeared first on NZServers.

WordPress and Recaptcha V3 Issues

Mike (admin) — Fri, 17 May 2019 01:05:44 +0000

If you are using any form plugin which uses Google ReCatcha Vs 3 no longer uses the usual challenge option.

Googles recaptcha V3 no longer requests people to click on the checkbox to say they are not a robot or ask other quiz type c=questions.
There is no challenge questions to answer. Instead Google analyses the entire site to help in their algorithm of suspicious activities.
In doing this a Privacy Terms badge will appear on the bottom right hand corner on every page of your site.
If you use a plugin like Contact Form 7 this now uses Googles ReCaptcha ver 3 which includes an annoying badge on every page.
The Elementor plugin currently uses Captcha version 2 at the time of writing this post.

How do you get rid of the Badge

You can use the following css and place this code in your style sheet which works for me.

.grecaptcha-badge{

visibility: collapse !important;

}

You need to place on the form the following HTML code:-

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Google may change it’s policy as the Badge on each page is no guarantee that Google is protecting every page plus the Badge loading on every page just adds another task not required.

The post WordPress and Recaptcha V3 Issues appeared first on NZServers.

Dynamic IP address got you down?

Mike (admin) — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 20:35:12 +0000

Blocked IP’s creating a problem?

NZservers has a solution for you where we can whitelist your dynamic IP address

We introduced blocking IP’s to protect the server from hackers and spammers.
We are not so worried about your own IP address provided we know what the IP address is.
As most IP addresses are assigned dynamically we simply don’t know what your IP is.
If you accidentally trigger an IP block we have to unblock the IP address.
We do offer a service to whitelist your dynamic IP address.
We do this through a product called noip.com.
We have no financial interest with noip.com.

The most common blocks are listed below.

SMTP Authentication Block

SMTP – Simple Mail Transport Protocol
The server sends email through the SMTP server
Our servers require the correct authentication values to be passed to the SMTP server.
A failure to pass the correct authentication details can block the IP address.
This is the most common type of IP block with emails.
This is a sample from our server logs to give you some idea of what we deal with:-
Approx 1 or more attacks per minute.

Jun 22 20:47:03 sv5 lfd[2788713]: (smtpauth) Failed SMTP AUTH login from xxxxxx (KR/South Korea/-): 5 in the last 3600 secs - *Blocked in csf* [LF_SMTPAUTH]
Jun 22 20:50:28 sv5 lfd[2790949]: (smtpauth) Failed SMTP AUTH login from xxxxxxx (VN/Vietnam/-): 5 in the last 3600 secs - *Blocked in csf* [LF_SMTPAUTH]
Jun 22 21:01:19 sv5 lfd[2794447]: (smtpauth) Failed SMTP AUTH login from xxxxxxx (NL/Netherlands/-): 5 in the last 3600 secs - *Blocked in csf* [LF_SMTPAUTH]

Webmail failed Logins

If you use webmail you need to enter the correct email address and password.
If for any reason the login fails please stop trying to login after the 3rd attempt otherwise you will end up blocking your IP address.

CPANEL Failed Logins

The correct username and password is required.
If the login does not work please stop trying to login after the 3rd attempt.

Excessive Email Logins

Emails are not designed for synchronous communications.
Using SKYPE or a phone is a better method.
If you login more than 60 times per hour your IP will be blocked.

Static IP

If you have a static IP you do not need a dynamic host like noip.com.
We can set this for free if you email the static IP address or fill in the form option below.

Static IP Info

A lot if Fibre Optic connections have a static IP.
If you are not sure contact your ISP provider (ISP – the firm you connect to the internet with)
If they say you have a static IP ask what the static IP is.
If you are not sure click on this link http://whatsmyip.org which will give you your IP address.

Please not this only applies to devices connected to your WIFI.
If you have a cellphone this is not always connected to your WIFI.
Most cellphone connections use a dynamic IP address when connecting through a cellphone tower.
With the NOIP plan you run an app on your cellphone which will white list your cellphone IP

Static IP addresses can be expensive.
With No-IP you can allocate up to 25 hostnames for a cost of approx $USD 24.
Assuming a $NZD cost of 37.00 per year that works out at 71 cents per week for one person.
If you have 10 people that works out at less than 7cents per week per person.
This allows you to whitelist up to 25 people working from different locations.
With more people working from home after COVID-19 for peace of mind you need to keep your IP unblocked.

Unblocking IP addresses is time-consuming for us and for you.
For your own peace of mind please consider this.

Create a Paid or Free account at noip.com
Once you have a host name please send this to nzservers using the form below
There is a small cost involved of $55.00 excl of GST to set this up on the server.

More information

The $55.00 excl of GST is the cost NZServers charges for setting this up on our server.
(this is a one-time cost)

Once you create a hostname you download the Dynamic Update Client.
You have to do this as you need to create the A/C at NOIP. If you go for the paid version of NOIP this will require your credit which is something we can not do as we do not hold credit cards on our website.

It is possible depending on your router to add the hostname directly.
There are instructions on NOIP on how to do this which depends on your router make and model.

Additional Hosts

If your business has multiple locations this is where a paid version allows you generate additional hosts.
You can also download NOIP apps for your Android or iPhone/Ipad which will keep your IP on these devices whitelisted.
I use the NOIP add on several computer devices as I can’t afford the risk of being locked out of the server.

Request Form to Whitelist a Static/Dynamic IP

[contact-form-7]

The post Dynamic IP address got you down? appeared first on NZServers.

Changing PHP Versions

Mike (admin) — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 22:25:06 +0000

You change PHP versions by using your CPANEL or Control Panel
Accessing CPANEL
You can use https://sv5.nzhost.net.nz:2083/ or http://yourdomain.xxx/cpanel
Under the software section find this icon called Select PHP version

You can set the PHP version only for the entire domain

The default version of PHP selected will show at the top – currently set at PHP 5.5

Suggest that use the Tab Use Defaults – then you can customise the settings if you want.
(Note if nothing is loaded for the PHP version you want to use please click on the ‘Reset to Default button’ or ‘Use Defaults’ then check the values and save or set)
(The CPANEL screen you see display depends on the theme you are using)

PHP 5.3
PHP 5.4
PHP 5.5
PHP 5.6
PHP 7.0
PHP 7.1
PHP 7.2
PHP 7.3
PHP 7.4

When you have selected your PHP version then click save.
If you encounter errors on the new PHP version you can either resolve the issue or switch back to the previous version.

Note:-
Make sure that any PHP directives such as php_flag or php_value in the .htaccess file are valid for the PHP version you are using otherwise you may encounter an internal server error.
Example php_flag register_globals Off will not work on PHP versions higher than PHP 5.3

Changing PHP on a Subfolder or Addon Domain

The first step is to use the PHP selector within your CPANEL and select the version of PHP you want in the subfolder.

If you see nothing in the modules selected click on reset to default button and then check what modules are loaded.
DO NOT CLICK ON SET AS CURRENT.
All this does is load the correct values for the modules.

In the main .htaccess file of the folder add this code to the top of the .htaccess file in the subfolder you want a different PHP version.

SetHandler application/x-lsphpxx

Most PHP file will have the extension php if not you could use this command

SetHandler application/x-lsphp71

Replace xx with the version of PHP

lsphp53
lsphp54
lsphp55
lsphp56
lsphp70
lsphp71
lsphp72
lsphp73
lsphp74

All too hard?

Get NZServers to do this

Note there is a charge for doing this of

$60.00

excl of GST as you can do this yourself.

[contact-form-7]

The post Changing PHP Versions appeared first on NZServers.

Scanner for IPADS/IPHONE

Mike (admin) — Tue, 22 Dec 2015 05:52:58 +0000

Evernote’s Scannable for iOS scans documents and business cards quickly

Scannable works like other modern scanning apps such as Scanbot and CamScanner: simply point your device’s camera at a paper document and you’ll automatically get a clean scanned image without having to crop, rotate or adjust color. Once you’ve scanned a document, you can save it to your Evernote account, Camera Roll, or iCloud storage, and share it via email or message. Scannable also lets you chain multiple scans together to create a single multi-page document.

The post Scanner for IPADS/IPHONE appeared first on NZServers.