As a newbie to DNN, I'm having difficulty creating a new portal and getting into it to design it.  Here's a detailed list of the steps I've followed, and the results I've gotten.  Could someone please tell me what I need to do to create and manage portals?
Thanks in advance!

Steps I've followed:
- set an IP address for and create a dns entry for site (www.dnnlocal).  Can ping site.
- Added a new parent portal.
- - Portal alias: 'www.dnnlocal'
- - Template: 'DotNetNuke' (only one available)
- - Security settings: First Name: 'DNNLocalAdmin' Last Name: 'DNNLocalAdmin' Username: 'DNNLocalAdmin'.  Very careful to enter and confirm password. Clicked 'Create Portal'
- "There was an error sending confirmation e-mails - The SMTP host was not specified.. However, the website was created.  Click here to Access the new site.
- When I clicked on that link, I was asked for a user ID and password.  I clicked Cancel.

Question 1: I'm assuming I can eliminate this authentication request by changing the xxxxx setting on the site. Is that correct?

Going on:
- An empty page was displayed in my browser.  HTML for the page included Head and Body tags, so it was an actual page, just an empty one (I thought that at this point I'd be seeing a page where I could begin designing the portal).
- I logged off as host, and attempted to log on with the credentials I'd just defined under Security Settings.  I was very careful to enter the password as I entered it above, but got the message "Login Failed, remember that Passwords are case sensitive'.

Question 2: Am I supposed to create the user (admin) for the site separately?

I tried to create the user separately:
- I re-logged in as host
- Went to the Portals page (the new portal was listed)
- Clicked on the link for the portal (this took me back to the authentication and the empty site).  I went back to the list of portals
- Then I clicked on the pencil next to the portal.  I got the properties page for the portal.
- - Under Other Settings, I checked the 'adminstrator setting'.  It was set to "DNNLocalAdmin DNNLocalAdmin'.  I changed the Security Settings User Registration to 'None' and clicked Update.  (This didn't clear the request for the User ID / password - refer to Question 1).
- I clicked on the Admin menu, and selected User Accounts.  I clicked 'All', and the only account that was shown was the administrator account for the DNN Portal - the account that was set up at install time.  I clicked on the Admin menu and Site Settings, and found that in fact I was in the DNN Portal, not the portal I'd been trying to set up.

Question 3: How do I get to the new portal to design it?

Moving on:
- Using the User Accounts page, I created the new account with the same User ID and password I'd identified when I set up the new portal.  It allowed me to set up the account.  Using 'Manage Roles for this User', I added the Administrators role for this user.
- I logged out as host, and logged in with the new account.  I could now get into DNN, but came in as administrator to the DNN Portal site - not the new portal.

I admit to being very confused.  How do I get into the new portal as administrator and begin to design it?