FDMS Manual - Section I

Introduction

Summary of program

The File Distribution Management System (FDMS) is an improved method of managing and controlling product downloads over the Internet. This ensures that all customers who obtain access to the file have paid for it or otherwise fulfilled the terms of purchase/use.

FDMS Benefits to Store Owners and Administrators:

• FDMS has the same “look and feel” as other osCommerce or CRE Loaded products, so it is familiar to experienced store owners who use these products.
• For new users, this similar look and feel makes the learning curve short.
• Automatic installation, thanks to the Runtime Code Inclusion, extends the framework of the CRE Loaded application so that code can be safely added without hand-editing files.
• For all administrators, it is much easier and more automated than previous methods of managing downloads.
• Many reports are available to the administrator.

FDMS Benefits to Customers:

• From the store customer’s viewpoint, it is much easier to purchase, download, and manage their downloadable purchases.
• The customer may choose to download 3 ways:

a) By navigating to the product page and clicking the link at the bottom of that page;
b) By clicking the link in the File Library InfoBox and downloading after logging into their account; or
c) By logging into their account and downloading from the My Account screen’s “My Downloads” page.

File Distribution System Management Checklist

NOTE: Each of these steps is covered in detail in Section 3.

Step 1. Configure the look and behavior of your FDMS System screens.

Step 2. (Optional) If your file type (.ZIP, .MP3, .DOC etc.) is not listed in the File Icons Library, create or upload a new file type icon.

Step 3. Create (or Edit, Delete or Move) a new FDMS Category for your new download.

Step 4. Create (or Edit, Delete or Move File) an FDMS description of the new File and upload the Downloadable File to the Downloads directory.

Step 5. Scan for the new FDMS File you uploaded to add to the library as a Library File.

Step 6. Create (or edit) the catalog’s product description of the downloadable product.

Step 7. Turn the File Library InfoBox ON.

Step 8. Test, test, test!

Step 9. Back up your FDMS files regularly.

Step 10. Run periodic reports to assess the success of your file-distribution program.

Step 11. (If Needed) Restore your File Library from backup.

Intended Audience for this User Manual

This user manual is written for administrative users with some HTML experience.

Related program: CRE 6.2+ with Patch 9 installed

This program is intended to be used for CRE Loaded 6.2+ stores that have not been modified after installation AND have Patch 9 installed.

NOTE: Patch 9 is the minimum requirement. For optimal operation, the store should also apply all additional patches up through SP1. These patches are non-cumulative and must be installed individually, one at time, in the correct numeric sequence.

We recommend that you check the CRE Loaded website regularly and always keep your CRE Loaded site updated to the most recent patch.

Minimum System Software Requirements

Before you can install this product, you must have an un-modified CRE 6.2 or above store on a web server with the following:

• PHP 4.1 or later with:
• GD Library
• mCrypt
• Register Globals set to ON by using either httpd.conf, php.ini or .htaccess

• Apache Web Server
• MySQL database
• The Linux Operating System
• phpMyAdmin or another MySQL management program
• CRE Loaded Patch 9 MUST be installed and tested before running the FDMS program.

Optional System Software:

In addition to the software required above, you will find the following software helpful:

A php editor program

A code-comparison program

WinZip or another compression program, and

An FTP program

About this manual and getting updates

This manual is periodically revised so that the latest information is always available to you. We send out product notifications each time it is updated, but you may not always receive an update notice due to email problems.

After the initial download of the manual, always check for fresh updates before starting a new task, to be sure you have the most current information.

To check for and download updates to your user manual:

1. Open your browser, log onto your account at creloaded.com, and go to My Downloads.

2. If the file date of the ebook is newer than your ebook, download it to a different directory than the original.

3. Open your OLD ebook and select Help – Register/Unregister (NOTE: Write down your username and password now if you do not have it handy – you will need it for the next step).

4. Open the NEW ebook and enter your username and password.

Support/problems/bug reporting