Protecting directory

Hi!

I have a virtual server (Linux&Apache) with ftp-access. I want to protect one subdirectory with password, but the only thing i know is that it needs .htaccess file.

Question: Can i do it myself and how or do i need to contact server administrator?

thanks,
martin

>> Can i do it myself

Yes, that's what .htaccess is for most of the time.

>> do i need to contact server administrator?

Not at all, you can test it yourself whether or not your server allows you to use .htaccess.

You can test Directory browsing, say http://www.yourdomain.com/test/ currently shows the directory listing, you just need to create an .htaccess file with "Options -Indexes" (without quotes) in it, then upload it to the test directory, then try to access to /test directory again, if it says [403] error, then your server has .htaccess enabled for their clients.