I am not sure about the website being down but if the tracker for your friend got activated 2 days after submission and it did not for me,then there might be a possibility of the website being down.
I am tracking my application on thr website mentioned in the acknowledgment receipt they gave me once i completed the passport submission formalities,the website is
http://www.vfsglobal.ca/canada/india.
As for the email,i only received one after i submitted my documents stating that my visa application id with tracking number so and so had been dispatched from the vac to the oc on the 27th of june i.e. the day i submitted my passport.
I believe i will get more clarity once you receive any updates on your application status as you just recently submitted it,that way we will know if there is an issue with application or their system as a whole.
Please keep posting the updates on your application on this thread,it’ll help a lot.