Total newb looking for help

[pathsounds]

Hello all,

I am very new to this, and I have probably the most basic questions possible that I just can't seem to find the answers to. (don't hate me lol) But here's the situation:

I'm going through some video training on how to start a business online. I've set up a domain through this website: /http://www.mattieblazehosting.com and now it's advised that I get a cpanel to take this to the next step. But....they don't really explain very well what exactly cpanel is and does... so...

How does cPanel differ from a hosting company, it is a server?

I just signed up for a test license, and when I entered the IP address it said I was already registered..which was weird cuz I've never been here before. Did it automatically register it when I signed up for hosting?

Thank you for your patience, I understand that I am madly confused. lol.

[Dan Goldberg]

cPanel is a type of software that you can use in order to build your site. If you registered your domain then you don't need it's IP adddress anymore. Open your browser and go to
http://yourdomain.com/cpanel
Where 'yourdomain' is the domain you registered. And actually it might end in something else rather than .com.
You will be prompted with username and password. Those should have been provided to you by the company you registered with.

Please check if this first step makes sense to you and tell us what happened, and we'll go from there.

[cPanelJared]

cPanel is software that helps to automate tasks on servers that host Web sites. cPanel, Inc. does not host Web sites, but our software is used by hosting companies that do host Web sites.

Typically, a server administrator installs cPanel, then uses the WebHost Manager portion of the product to set up hosting accounts, which he/she then sells to customers. The hosting customer, when he/she signs up for a hosting package, will then have a log-in to cPanel for his/her site. From this perspective, the hosting customer would use cPanel to manage certain aspects of his/her site, including setting up e-mail mailboxes.

From your description of your needs, it sounds like you probably do not need a dedicated server at this time and would be well served by getting a shared hosting account from a host that uses cPanel. You do not need a license for this; the administrator of the dedicated server that hosts your site will have a cPanel license.

I recommend viewing our partner page to see our list of partners who sell both dedicated server and shared hosting packages.

Partners - cPanel Inc.

[pathsounds]

Ah! Thank you both very much. It's working now.

Now I have a different problem to address, however. I'm trying to add on a domain, and everything is filled out correctly, but when I click "add domain" I get this message:

"Error from park wrapper: You cannot park your main domain!"

What am I doing wrong?

Thank you all so much.

[Dan Goldberg]

Are you trying to add a new domain through "addon domains" link in your cPanel interface, in addition to your primary domain? You don't need to add you original domain again. If that is what you are trying to do, it will probably give you an error. You also need to register any new domain first before you can add it. (at extra cost). Also, while many hosting companies allow you to host addon domains at no extra charge, not everyone does that as far as I know.