The "World Wide Web" is the network of computers from all over the world that communicate with each other using the HTTP protocol, a language that allows the transmission of web documents. Be careful as this term is not synonymous with the "Internet" because it is defined as a network of networks, where the computers communicate with protocols other than HTTP. The web is what you see on your Internet browser, the web pages complete with graphics, sound and other information. All this has got to come from somewhere, and this is where web hosting comes in.

Web Hosting

The information that you see from your web browser is contained in web pages. These web pages are kept on computers called web servers. Web hosting is about the storage of the web pages so that people can access them. It is possible to host your own websites yourself but the reasons stopping most people doing this is that there are issues to consider with having the right hardware and software to successfully host your web pages. Your web pages will take a certain amount of space, users will need to download each page to view them and your Internet connection needs to be fast to offer good performance to your viewers. Using specialized companies that offer web hosting capabilities on their web servers will take most of these worries away from you but you will need to choose wisely and weigh up the costs and your needs. In addition to having access to a web server, you will also need to register a domain name (for a cost) that uniquely identifies your website.

What Web Hosting Can Do For You

The most basic service that web hosting offers is that it exposes your web pages for others to see. The other services are: email capabilities that allow for email to be received and sent from your server; database capabilities that allow for large amounts of information to be updated and accessed on the web; and dynamic content which allows for users to interact with the web pages you've made.

Website Development

Poorly designed websites will most likely turn away users and harm the credibility of the information it contains. Thought should be put in on the way it looks and the way you intend your users to interact with the content. It is also recommended for more complex websites, a structured development process should be followed.

Here is a guide to the logical steps of web development: ·

Requirements Analysis: What is the purpose of the website? What content should it contain? ·

Design: How should the pages be linked? What structure should they take? How should the pages interact with the user? ·

 Implementation: This step is the actual coding of the websites in accordance to the previous websites. ·

Testing: Does the website do what it should? · Maintenance: Is the information on the website up-to-date?

Some useful hints for web development below are taken from software quality aspects but they apply to the development of websites as well. They are described in terms of web development:

Reliability: Is the website reliable? Do faults allow for the system to continue running?

 Robustness: How does the website respond to incorrect input?

Performance: How fast does the web page respond to user's actions? Is it efficient in processing requests and inputs?

Usability: Is the website easy to navigate and understand? Maintainability: Is the website easy to change? Can new functionality be added?

Portability: What software requirements does the website require? Will this limit the amount of potential users? Understandability: How well do you understand the website you've developed?

When designing your website, keep these quality aspects in mind as they will help you develop pages worth visiting. How to choose the way to host your website is half of the problem, the other half is to create a website that people would want to visit and come back to. Knowledge of producing a good design can help you get the most out of your creations.




Web Hosting Service - What you Need to Know to Change Web Hosting Providers

When service at your web hosting company is lacking, or your web site grows in traffic so much that you outgrow your current account, you may find yourself needing to change hosting providers. It can be scary to think about everything you need to do. Here are some things you should keep in mind that will help make the transition to the new host much easier.

1. Backup all of your files and databases

Before you decide to transfer anything over, you need to create a backup of every file and database you have on the current hosting provider's server. FTP into your current hosting account and copy all of the files from your public_html directory into a directory on your local hard drive that you'll find easy to remember later.

As for the database, backup methods will vary according to the database vendor, the control panel being used by the host if any, and the operating system of the server. Most providers provide a backup utility that allows you to save a copy of the contents of all of your database tables. If there isn't a simple backup utility available, you will need to export the contents of your database in a comma delimited file or the standard file format for the particular database you use. Most backup utilities will convert the database into one long SQL file that is then easy for any compatible database engine to reconstruct.

2. Transferring to the new server

Make sure that your website is functioning properly at the new location before you change the DNS information of your domain name. While it may not be possible to fully navigate the site without the domain name pointing to it, you can still point to some individual pages to be sure they will come up. For this though, you'll need to use the IP address of your hosting account along with your username if you have a shared IP address. On a Cpanel server, you would enter http://89.72.231.69/~username and your main website will come up. You can use this address until the DNS information from the domain propagates throughout the web.

3. Tidy up the loose ends

Upload the backup file of your databases or execute the SQL file you generated in the backup. This should restore your database back to what it was on the old server. Change the name server information for your domain name. This is almost always found with the registrar that you registered your domain with or with your old web hosting provider. They almost always assign you a username and password that allows you to log into an account that allows you to change the name servers. If you don't have a control panel, then simply email the company that registered your domain for you and ask them to change the name servers to the new servers. Within 24 to 48 hours, your website will be served from the new server and not the old one. Once you can confirm this, it is safe to ask the old web hosting company to delete and discontinue your old account.




Managed Hosting


Managed hosting is a dedicated server that is accompanied by a full suite of technical support, maintenance and monitoring services. This differs from dedicated Web hosting, where customers are provided with their own servers but are still responsible for virtually all administrative and maintenance duties.

Managed hosting are meant for those websites that are designed to host busy e-commerce sites and dynamic, database driven Web pages. Perfect for organizations that don't have the time or capital to invest in server administration.

MANAGED SERVER = DEDICATED SERVER + COMPLETE SUPPORT OF SERVER ADMINISTRATION

A managed server will come equipped with all the features of a dedicated server, plus instead of leaving most of the administrative tasks to the customer, a managed provider will typically handle that as well.

Many companies will often assign you a dedicated service representative who will cater only to you and a handful of other accounts. This support also comes in the form of proprietary control panel technology that enables the inexperienced administrator to easily set up and maintain sites on a server. This is achieved through an intuitive and user friendly point and click method rather than by typing complicated commands at a prompt line.

Hosting companies offer a supplementary suite of features and services that related to managed hosting, including application and database management, high-availability services and load balancing. These hosting companies will back up their services with performance guarantees and Service Level Agreements. Get managed hosting from DeepCyber.Net today. (http://www.deepcyber.net)

Unmanaged services, on the other hand, give the customer complete remote server administration capability and freedom. The downside to this is that unmanaged servers require a large amount of time and technical expertise, as the customer is ultimately responsible for the instillation and management of the server - not the Web host. For this reason, unmanaged servers are only recommended for individuals and companies with extensive server administration resources or expertise, as well as a significant amount of time available to take care of the server.

If you're unsure about which service to choose, give serious consideration to choosing a managed server. While taking the managed route is more expensive, it is also much more reassuring for the inexperienced administrator. Remember, you can always downgrade your account to an unmanaged service later, once you've acquired some expertise in server administration. Though once you opt for the personal attention you will receive through a managed host, you might think twice of turning into an unmanaged service later on.




Choosing The Wrong Server Will Literally Make Or Break You


Choosing the right web server will be one of the most important decisions you will ever make with your online business. Why? Because the web server you choose will literally make or break your online business.

Let's talk about two types of servers, one is Virtual Web Hosting and the other is Virtual Private Servers.

Over the last couple of years Virtual Web Hosting has been the only way to go when choosing a web server. One of the reasons that Virtual Web Hosting became so popular was because they supported the necessary files and allowed you to have more freedom than other conventional web hosts. But now you can have more freedom than ever before with Virtual Private Servers. Moreover, Virtual Private Servers should not be confused with Virtual Hosts, because they are completely different.


Virtual Hosting

Virtual Hosting is also known as Shared Web Hosting, where you are sharing the physical server and a single set of software applications with other users. Virtual Hosting has been extremely popular in the past for it's fast deployment, strong resources, and most importantly for having a very reasonable price. Another advantage to Virtual Hosting is that you have a powerful, reliable, and professionally managed server without having to have advanced technical skills, making it ideal for an individual, small business, or even a beginner webmaster.

The disadvantage of Virtual Hosting is that you are sharing the server with other users, which are configured and controlled by an administrator, not you. So basically you have your hands tied behind your back, because you have to contact the administrator every time you have to adjust or change your configuration settings. Even if you managed to get a hold of the administrator, they may not fulfill your request. It's up to them, they are the administrator. If you were the administrator you wouldn't have these limitations and would have full control.

Virtual Private Servers

Virtual Private Servers are a hot topic these days and for a good reason. Before I get into the advantages of a Virtual Private Server, let explain what it is first. A Virtual Private Server is a single server that is partitioned at the root into multiple dedicated servers. This allows you to share the cost of the network connectivity, hardware, and system maintenance with other hosting customers, while maintaining your flexibility and freedom.

The real advantage of Virtual Private Servers is that they allow you to have complete control and they have the security advantages of a dedicated server at the fraction of the cost. You have access to the virtual root, Telnet, web configuration files, and full CGI-BIN access. I can't forget to mention that you also have access to your password, aliases file, and sendmail configuration file. For many reasons you can see that a Virtual Private Server is an excellent solution for small to medium size businesses that have an increasingly complex needs.

Moreover, there is one disadvantage with Virtual Private Servers, you need to have some program knowledge to control and configure the settings. Sounds overwhelming, most businesses that offer Virtual Private Servers have very detailed manuals making them easier to configure and control no matter what your program level is.

Which one is right for you? That all depends on you and the size of your network.

If you have or plan on having just one web site and have absolutely no programming knowledge, then Virtual Hosting is the recommended and economical way for you to go. A Virtual Host can cost anywhere from $20 - $50 a month for an account, rather than a $100 or more for a Virtual Private Server.

On the other hand, if you have a larger network that requires multiple web sites, like ours, and you have some programming knowledge, then a Virtual Private Server is ideal for you. You can host up to 50 web sites on a Virtual Private Server account, instead of having multiple Virtual Hosting accounts, which is not as economical.

When it comes time to get a web server, make sure that the server fits your needs and that it supports the essential software for a prosperous online business.





4 Critical Things To Look Out For In A Web Hosting Service


1. The reputation of the web hosting company.

Most web hosting companies on the web have been in existence for at least 2 years and they are usually handled by experience and IT savvy network engineers who can provide the necessary support and services to their customers. However, there are also several "mom and pop" set ups out there which are handled by amateurs who are greedy to make plenty of your own money without even knowing how to do something as fundamental as setting up your user account. Be sure to check the credentials of the web hosting firm by either reading their about us or the technology they use for their server farm. Make sure you pick a company that has been around for at the very least 2 years and have a successful track record with 95% up time for all its servers. That's a reasonable expectation as 100% is not a realistic aim in the computing world.
DeepCyberNet has been in the industry since 2000, DCN is even an official acronym for DeepCyberNet, just Google: deepcybernet... DeepCyberNet is one of the most reputable web host and domain name registration entities around.

2. How much of storage space are you given?

Most web companies out the offer space that range from as small as 20 MB to as big as 2GB or even more. However, this depends largely upon you the user. Personally, I would recommend you to use DCN ( www.DeepCyber.Net ) as your hosting company because I find that they provide the most innovative packages.

3. What is the available bandwidth space for you to transfer data each month?

We all need to transfer data to our website and update its content often in order to stay afresh and also to keep our ratings high up on the search engines right? Well all web hosting companies offer a certain bandwidth or "transfer window" if you will to enable you transport your data from your local computer hard disk drive to your web server. However this transfer window has a limited space. This is set to prevent the servers on their side from having a bandwidth overload from users repeatedly transferring large amounts of data to and from without any limits being set. A bandwidth space is allocated to enable you to manage the amount data that you want to transfer each month into the storage space allocated. Note that the data you transfer is constantly kept track of until you have reach the transfer limit for that month. Most web hosting companies tend to be stingy on this so as to provide so called "high speed data transfer" to their clients. They usually cap this bandwidth off at 1GB. DeepCyber.Net however, offers its client from 300 Gigabytes to 3 Terabytes bandwidth per month. Can you see why everybody is switching to DeepCyberNet now?

4. The support provided both online and offline to ensure you can sleep soundly at night.

This is the area that is overlooked most often whenever the novice webmaster signs up for a webhosting contract. It is absolutely important ( burn this into your head) I repeat absolutely important to ensure that you get a web hosting company that will answer your calls and ensure your website stays up and running even if you call them at 2 am in the morning to request for help. I am talking about 24 hours support everyday of the week.




Cheap Web Hosting - Choosing The Right Affordable WEB Hosting Company


You have carried out the hard part and that's creating the web site. The next step is to get it hosted as to allow the public find your site. So why do so many first time web host seekers fall into the trap of a bad web host company? Well there are a number of factors to consider and none bigger than the price. We all want cheap web hosting but unfortunately price is not always what you should go for.

You have to be more aware of the web hosting company that you choose. If you have a budget stick to it, if you see hosting for little or nothing and find yourself thinking "how do they make money" stay well away, the chances are your web site will be hosted with very little bandwidth resulting in a very slow accessible and unprofessional web site. You may also find that the customer service is little or none.

You need to clearly outline your own requirements to the web hosting company, if you do not do so you are at fault and not in any position to point the finger at others. If you make a list of requirements such as particular files you need etc you can send your requirements to multiple hosting companies and see who comes back with the greater service.


What if I have problems?

Problems can occur and they maybe your fault and sometimes the web host company is to blame. Problems with technology can occur any time but it's how the hosting company react to the fault that will determine if you stay with them or not. If you find your web site dropping off line or downloading slowly at a regular basis simply change to another web host company. On going problems not fixed is a very bad sign and it shows arrogance towards their customers. Support is vital from a web host company and it should be 24 hour if it's a large organization.

Virus Problems and Hackers

It is up to the web host company to ensure that your files are protected from virus and hackers at all times. There has been plenty of companies who have had their web sites hacked only then to find out that the web host company had not got the latest patches and security software applied. First timers to web hosting should always ask how often updates and what software is used to protect web sites.

Tips:

In business your web site can be a large source of revenue or sometimes your only source. Always do your own backup of the web site. If the web host company experience problems and for whatever reason has no backups available your whole business could be on hold. Backups are vital so do it as regular as possible or face the consequences. Some companies have testimonials on their web site from customers, do not be afraid to call these guys for an up to date reference.





Hosting Options for an Ecommerce Web Site


Deciding how to host your ecommerce Web site and what approach to take can be daunting, each approach with different advantages and disadvantages.

Storefronts

If you have a small business, you may want to consider a storefront or an online mall. For a fee, these services help you build a small Web site to sell your products. These "site in a box" Web site services include everything you need to sell online.

Features and support vary by program and can include options such as search engine placement, credit card processing, and advertising. These tend to be template services, however, with less flexibility than a custom site. Familiarize yourself with the current offerings in this area before making a final decision.

Custom Sites

If you have a business that is too large for or has outgrown the smaller storefront services, you may want to consider the more costly - but also more flexible - custom site. For the added cost you can have a unique site, receive greater support, and handle more traffic. You have the options of hiring the same company to design and host your site or using separate design and hosting services.

Hiring the same company to design and host your site.

This option involves the fewest logistics, but may come with trade-offs in design quality or host reliability. Be aware that designing and hosting require different sets of skills and expertise. When choosing a service, evaluate their experience and ask for references in both areas. Go to sites the company has designed and navigate them. Note how the sites look, how easy they are to understand, and how quickly they load into your browser.

To evaluate the company's hosting service, contact current customers and ask how pleased they are with the service. Find out how often the server is down and ask about help desk responsiveness. Also, consider how your site will be updated. Can you upload changes directly or do you have to wait for someone at the hosting company to get to it? If it is the latter, ask current customers about their experience with this process.

Using a separate design and hosting service.

By separating the design and hosting, you have more choices. Thus, you can have more control over both your budget and your site. Technical incompatibilities are a risk when taking this approach, however. Be sure your designer is familiar with your hosting service and it's technical capabilities. Any and all of the above is available at DCN (http://www.deepcyber.net), or DeepCyberNet




Windows vs. Linux Hosting


The Basics of Linux & Windows :

Linux (and its close relation Unix) and Windows 2000 (and its close cousin Windows NT) are types of software (known as operating systems) that web servers use to do the kind of things that web servers do. You do not need to know any real detail of either to make a decision as to which you need but here a few guidelines.

Just because you use a windows desktop PC doesn't mean you have to opt for Windows web hosting (and the reverse is true as well). The operating system you use on your desktop has little to do with your choice of web hosts. As long as you understand how to use your FTP or web publishing software, your can use either operating system.

But what is important is that you know what you want your website to do and what you want to offer on it. This is what will ultimately help determine the type of web hosting that will work best for you. As mentioned earlier, interactive websites usually rely on ASP, PHP, or Perl type languages.

Linux Web Hosting or Windows 2000 Web Hosting?

When it comes to Web hosting, Linux has, for some time, been widely considered the best OS for Web servers. It's typically found to be the most reliable, stable and efficient system and, as such, it's commonly used for the demanding environment of Web and mail servers.

The million-dollar question is what application are you looking to use for your hosting? Consider the tools and scripting languages you plan to use - if you use PHP, Perl or MySQL, Linux is the way forward. If apps are Microsoft-specific, then Windows is what you need.

If your site, like most web sites, is what might be termed "brochure ware" then Linux servers are ideal. By brochure ware I mean a site that offers the kind of information that in the past might have been provided on paper in the form of brochures, newsletters or data sheets. Brochure-ware sites will offer some interaction through enquiry forms and can certainly incorporate online purchasing and other routine e-commerce functions.

The following are the advantages of using Linux based web server compared to Windows based web server :

Stable: Linux/Unix operating systems has traditionally been believed to be very stable and robust. A web site housed on a Linux operating system will have very high up-time (of the order of 99.9%). Of course, other factors such as power supply, network admin skills, and network load etc. also matter when it comes to maintaining the system uptime.

Low cost of ownership: The Linux OS comes free of cost (or at very insignificant cost, usually cost of distribution). Also, it has full fledged server, and desk top applications that comes free along with the OS. These server applications (such as FTP, Web Server, DNS Server, File Server etc.) being free, are also very stable.

Ease of use : When it comes to web hosting, it is easy to host on Linux web servers. The process of uploading and hosting is almost same for both Linux and Windows web servers. If you want to use a Windows based tool such as Front Page for uploading a web site on to a Linux based web server, make sure that the Front Page extensions are enabled. This is only required if you are uploading using HTTP feature (http://www.yourwebsite.com) of Front Page. Front Page also makes it possible to upload a web site using FTP. You need to select ftp://www.yourwebsite.com for up loading using front page FTP option. Note that if you select "Front Page Extensions" during web site design, you must enable Front Page extensions on a Linux web server also. These days, all Linux web servers are coming with installable Front Page extensions, and this should pose no problem for hosting on a Linux platform.

You can use almost all types of file extensions (or scripts) when using Linux web server. Commonly, the following extensions are supported:

.cgi, .html, .htm, .pl, .php, .shtml, .xml, and others.

Basically it means that you can host web sites that use different types of server side scripts including .cgi, .pl, .php, and .asp (with plug-in).

Easy to move between hosts : A web site designed to be hosted on a Linux based web server can be hosted on a Windows web server easily, where as the reverse is not always true.

Most widely used : Linux/Unix based web hosting is most widely used compared to Windows based web hosting.

Scalability : A web site is dynamic. Usually, a web site starts with a few pages of html and grows over a period of time to suit the customers requirements. It is preferable to design a web site keeping this requirements in mind. A web site designed for compatibility with a Linux/Unix based web server meets the scalability requirement easily without making any site wide design changes.

On the downside, Linux based web server is not fully compatible with Microsoft technologies. If you are using any specialized applications or VB for development of your web site, it is preferable to host with a Windows based web server.




The Top 10  Hosting Essentials Every Linux Plan  Should Have


Any website is comprised of the following: Domain name, Webspace, Webpages.

Lets say, You have got your Domain Name (for ex., http://www.deepcyber.net ). Its time to check for a good hosting service provider to have your files uploaded in the domain. If you are opting for Linux Based Hosting Plan, make sure you have the following included in your plans :

1. Control Panel - This is the nucleus of your website. In a Control Panel, popularly known as CP, you can literally do anything. The moment you signup for a Hosting Pack, you must be provided with a CP to manage your webspace.

2. POP3 email Ids & Aliases - yourname@deepcyber.net is an example POP3 ID. You must be provided with ample of POP3 email ids and it depends on the Package size.

3. FTP Accounts & Virtual FTP - This is where you upload your files, delete them, update them. This again comes along with the CP. Make sure you have handful of FTP sub-accounts also to provide your clients/users password protected directories. This is very much useful wherein your clients / users can use the FTP to upload /download files from particular password protected folder of your website.

4. Backup - Most of the Hosts take Automated Backups. But users do not take much care on this while choosing the Hosting Pack. This feature is as essential as any other in this list.

5. Web Statistics - Analysis of your website visitors plays a key role in the success of your website. Say, your website has been launched and you get NIL Visits or More than 100 Visits per day. Whatever the case may be, you can view the Report using Statistics Application that run in the server backend.

6. Bandwidth - Choose the Hosting Plan that gives enough Bandwidth for your website. Even though you cannot judge at the beginning, as time progresses, you can easily deduct the Bandwidth required.

7. PHP & Mysql Support - All the Linux Plans support PHP & Mysql. Make sure you get this free of charge when you buy the hosting plan. Few Hosting Providers may charge extra for MYSQL Database Support & PhpMyAdmin.

8. Webmail & SMTP - Email becomes key part in your life once you launch the website. Check if the Hosts provide with WEBMAIL (mail.yourdomain.com) to check your mails thru a web based interface using Squirrelmail or Horde. Corporate Users prefer downloading mails thru Email Clients such as Eudora or Outlook Express. Only if SMTP or IMAP support is enabled you can use this option. Hence check if SMTP support is provided.

9. SPAM Filter - No email user is free from a spam attack. Hence you need to have Spam Filters installed on the server where your website resides.

10. IP - If your website prefers SSL Support (https://) as time grows, makes ure you get a DEDICATED IP. Most of the websites are hosted on shared IPs. Ask your Hosting Provider about the extra charges involved in getting a dedicated IP and SSL Support. ( Note : For SSL (https://), you need to buy a Digital Certificate, you can get the best price at http://www.deepcyber.net under the SSL Certificates menu. )




CHECKLIST : Domains, Hosting, Web Design


Domain NAME Registration CHECKLIST

Once your domain is registered, check these things :

# Does the REGISTRANT NAME and ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACT show your name/email ?

# Did the Domain Registration Service Provider give you the Domain CONTROL PANEL with username / password to manage/modify name servers & contact details in real-time ?

# Do you have the OPTION to get REMINDERS at the time of RENEWAL, well in advance ?


Web Hosting (Web space) CHECKLIST

# Support, Support, Support - is the KEY issue when it comes to Hosting. Check the response time of the Service Provider before making an option.

# How skilled the technical persons are ? Just put in few queries and see how they respond ?

# Get a quick look at the Service Provider Website and make sure its professional looking with user friendly navigation and layout.

# Check if they have listed TESTIMONIALS, list of sites hosted with them, discount options for bulk purchase, payment modes. Also make sure there are NO Hidden charges. The key part to look is : the BANDWIDTH offered for each hosting plan.

# Multiple Domains in single hosting space. This is an added advantage and saves your money. You can ask for this option if not provided.

# Make a deep study on the Hosting Plan you choose. Check all the essential features are provided. To name a few, POP3 mails, SMTP support, FTP Account, Control Panel, Web mail, Spam Controller, Antivirus, Web Statistics.

DeepCyber.Net fulfills all these requirements and much, much more. Check out DCN and see for yourself...

Website Design CHECKLIST

# Does the website designer provide you with free minor updates or for a nominal fee on a yearly contract basis ?

# Is the website professional looking and appeals to the global audience ?

# It has been 3 months since your launch and there is NO fruitful enquiries and you are upset. Go to : www.google.com and type in your website name and click search. Does it show up anywhere in the results ? If not have your designer submit it to Google, or better yet, do it yourself.

# Does the website designer provided you with monitoring service ?

# Does the website take lot of time to load. Make sure it loads faster even on slow connections. Too much of Flashy animations, bigger size jpegs are NOT an option for your site. CONTENT is the King. Make sure your website 'delivers'.




Windows Hosting versus Linux Hosting - Which is right for you?


Windows operating systems are found on something like 95% of all personal computers in the world. With such a total dominance, Microsoft Windows is top of mind to most new people looking for web hosting. But the reality is that Unix servers comprise 95% of the servers on the Internet. Actually, the Internet is originally based on Unix servers. Windows is basically unreliable compared to Unix. If you want your site up all the time, Windows is NOT your choice... By choosing a Linux hosting plan, you will find yourself in good company.

When do you have to use Windows Hosting?

1. .NET technologies including ASP.net are not available on Linux platforms. If you have a website built with Microsoft .NET technologies you will have to choose a Windows hosting plan. In fact, if you need ASP without .NET features, most Linux hosting plans do not offer support for it.

2. Access Databases are only available with a Windows hosting plan. Access runs on a Microsoft Windows platform and cannot run on a Linux Operating system.

3. MSSQL by Microsoft. If you need an enterprise class database there are lots of alternatives that run on the Linux platform, but if you need Microsoft's MSSQL database, a Windows hosting plan will have to be your choice.

4. If you are using Microsoft's Sharepoint services like some of the Sharepoint features found in Frontpage 2003, a Windows Hosting plan is your only choice.

What is the advantage to choosing Linux Hosting?

All the major services you need to run an enterprise class website are available on Linux based systems for free. Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP are being used together to provide the infrastructure behind some of the most traffic intensive sites on the internet.

PHP runs better on a Linux server than on a Windows server. Having said that, unless you are putting a heavy load on your PHP scripts, this will not be noticeable.

In general, Linux hosting plans are at least 20% cheaper than Windows hosting plans. If you don't need any of the features mentioned above, Linux hosting is a fine choice for your needs.

For Microsoft specific technologies, Windows hosting plans are usually your best bet. For everything else, Linux hosting plans will usually be best. With the cost savings found for Linux hosting plans, Linux hosting is usually the right choice for you.




Advanced Hosting for the Mission Critical Web Presence


As companies that conduct their business online have proliferated, hosting of those websites that provide the primary point of contact for transaction of business has become highly mission critical; having these sites go offline or perform poorly not only loses revenue but also detracts from the company's image and loses customer loyalty.

Companies such as betting and online gaming have even more stringent requirements because they need to provide a guaranteed response in near real time. Sports betting events also have the effect of crowding all the business within condensed time windows.

This level of hosting goes far beyond the simple provision of bandwidth and the quality of the server matters not only in terms of its CPU's processing abilities, quantity of RAM and hard disk space but also the durability of its components, the power supply available and the ability of fan/s to disperse the heat generated by a server running 24/7 under possibly very heavy loads.

With an application designed for use internally within a company, one can always put a cap on the maximum number of people that could be using the application. With the internet this number can be unpredictable, or if measurable through registration, can grow large very quickly. The internet is a new operating regime, not only in terms of the security issues it presents but also in the scale of operations, and this requires a new way of thinking when designing applications and the hardware architectures that host them.

The traditional approach is to scale up vertically, increasing the bandwidth, CPU/s' speeds, memory and so forth. There is a limit, however, to how far this can be taken and with so much depending on such a concentration of resources, a failure is nothing less than catastrophic. The answer is to achieve scalability horizontally with a distributed architecture. This architecture not only allows increased scalability, but also creates reliance to faults and failures within the system. What's more, this model is inherently suitable to most operations and services offered over the internet which are in themselves quite simple, but that there is just too many of them.

This situation is akin to how humans organize themselves to accomplish very large workloads; there comes a time when one person, no matter how hardworking and clever will not be able to cope. At that stage the tasks will be split among many people doing exactly the same task and yet coordinating their activities. Imagine if you will, people flooding into the premises of a bank or payment office. Many cashiers wait in booths doing exactly the same job, overseen by managers and perhaps a helper guiding the queues. The architecture and layout of the building hosting these activities, is itself designed to allow a smooth flow of people.

Hosting a distributed architecture is more complex then a traditional centralized system where everything happens in one place. Parallel events need to be coordinated so that they work as a seamless whole and transactional control assumes a critical role. Hardware setup and middleware software need to be designed much in the same way as a purpose-built building, and layers of middle management in the organization would be in place for a human organization. The applications themselves should be aware that they are running in a distributed environment and be able to both benefit and not obstruct this environment.

The key to a successful internet presence stems from both an understanding of the nature of the internet and the tools that are now available to build up this success. The internet has indeed come a long way.

DeepCyberNet has evolved its hosting services to offering advanced hosting services to clients around the world. Backups, applications designed for distributed architectures, geographically distributed resources such as databases and fail-safe architectures are at the heart of these services.




Webhosting - Things to know

The price
You cannot start a business without knowing your budget and the kind of money you would need to start a business. Similarly, you cannot find the right web hosting company without knowing how much you're willing to pay for the web hosting facility and web hosting service.

So, be practical about the needs of your web hosting requirement and be frank about how much you're willing to pay for it.

The customer service
But there's one advice that I can give you. The web hosting industry is a relatively competitive one. Look around and make sure you like the web host. Communicate with the people in the company and ask them lots of questions. If their customer service is good, go for it. If they are not native English speakers, turn around and run!

As their web hosting client, you have to expect them to give you nothing less than PERFECT hosting customer service, although frankly, their profit margin for hosting is quite slim.

Don't pay monthly
One thing I know is that paying on a monthly basis is not a good idea. It's better to just book and get the hosting account for the whole year. So, make sure you find the right one right from the start! Otherwise, you're stuck with the web hosting company for the whole year. Why not pay for web hosting on a monthly basis? Easy, it costs more!

You see, if you can get a web hosting account and domain for USD$105 or a whole year, why pay USD$14.95 per month? BECAUSE USD$14.95 per month works out to be USD$179.40 per year!! That's USD$74.40 more! So, don't be enticed with their monthly payment schemes.

Let's look at it this way, if you find the right web hosting company from the start, you'll be more than happy to stay with them for as long as you're still in business, right?

Instant Activation
You want to know that if you're paying them instantly, you should get the account activated instantly as well. The longest time I would tolerate to get my website up and running is 24 hours - if I was paying them online. There's no reason for a delay since everything done online can be done instantly.

Build it yourself
If you're a quick learner, you can definitely do everything up by yourself. No problems to it. If the plan comes with a site builder (a DIY system), then it's great! You're getting value for money. What's a site studio? Well, it's a web based program that allows you to create your own websites online. Some of them are really quite simple to use. It's almost like working with a Microsoft Word program - copying, pasting and writing all into the web browser and then saving it.

If you know basic HTML, you probably won't be using the site studio but it's worth having it around in case you need something up really quick. Besides, most site studios come with quite a huge database of templates that you can use for your website. This saves you time, effort and money in hiring a graphic designer and writer like me.

On the site
You should be getting some side dishes along with your new web hosting account. Look out for free blogs, forums, scripts, ecommerce shopping carts, cgi scripts, newsletter forms, enquiry forms, customer support tools like chat system, free images, audio, buttons...etc, and php nuke. This works mainly to enhance your web hosting service and website. You'll lose nothing if you decide against using them but if you do, it's wonderful tools to enhance your web site.




How to Choose a Web Host - Frequently Asked Questions


There are several things to look for when choosing a reliable web host. Below, you will be provided with frequently asked questions and the answers to common questions.

Q. How reliable is the service of a web host?

Most surveys indicate that reliability is an e-businesses main concern. You should look for at least a 95 percent guarantee uptime, to ensure that the service is indeed reliable.

Q. What kind of performance can I expect?

A great hosting company is always connected to the Internet, not going through someone else's network operations center. The servers should be fast. You should also let your host know if you plan to use bandwidth killers such as streaming audio or video.

Q. How good is phone support?

When it comes to phone support, you should look for 24/7 phone support that's always available with a live operator.

Q. How much will it cost me?

The entry level hosting service with a single domain name, 20 - 30 MB (Mega Bytes) of hard drive space, email services, and up to a 1 GB (Giga Bytes) of monthly bandwidth should cost you no more than 50 dollars.

Q. How is security handled?

The passwords to your website or domain should be required to control the host as well as manage the web site. Every file on your server should also be backed up on a daily basis. You should always look for a host that offers you secure transactions as well.

Q. How much bandwidth will I need for data transfer?

Roughly estimating, 2GB of bandwidth should be perfect for a very small personal site. If you're going to running a medium site with text and images but no large files, 5 GB would be ideal. Larger sites on the other hand, require 30 GB of bandwidth. Good hosting company's will send you an email if you're about to run out of bandwidth, letting you know that your site may go offline if you exceed the quota. This way, you can upgrade your plan if you choose to do so.

Q. What about a control panel?

Almost all hosting packages come with some type of control panel, enabling you to configure your hosting packages as well as your settings without having to learn the entire operating system that powers the site. Control panels can be accessed through a secure webpage, and then they will appear in your web browser. The most popular control panels are Helm, Cpanel, Hsphere, Plesk, and Ensim. The most common is Cpanel, which only runs on Linux. Most beginners and other users would be more suited to Cpanel, as it runs on the cheaper platform of Linux. The real big player have their own control panel.

Q. What about a POP3 account?

When sending and receiving email, POP3 counts are very important. These types of accounts you can assign to individual users as their own email addresses. You'll need enough POP3 accounts for the amount of email addresses that you wish to assign to other people. Often times this number will be quoted as being unlimited, although there are only so many email addresses that you can actually create.

Q. What about spam and viruses?

These features are classified in a separate category, and can include autoresponders, spam filters, even anti virus protection. They may be important to you, but they will actually vary from host to host. Basically, these are all free things that the host will give to you when you sign up for an account. If you're plan doesn't quite offer what you want, your host may be flexible when setting up your account.

Q. What about running my own online store?

If you are planning on running your own store on the internet, there will be a few factors that will be involved with that decision. First of all, you'll need an SSL certificate for your website, so that you can process credit card transactions. Basically, these are 3rd parties that will take care of each and every transaction, for a small percent fee, eliminating the need for extra security on your server. You'll also need to ensure that the server as well as the software is capable of running the script you have for your shopping cart.

Q. I need help making that final decision.

If you plan on having a website that you'll be relying on for income or storing important data, you'll need to make sure that you go with a host that will offer you a high level of customer support. A lot of hosting companies will offer forums as well as their contact numbers; however the forums can be excellent when you are dealing very small problems.

In Conclusion

By taking your time and checking to see what each host has to offer, you'll find which service best fits your needs. There are many hosts and many different packages out there to choose from, which mean you shouldn't go with the first one you see. Take the time to compare plans, costs, and customer service and you shouldn't have any problems choosing a web host. All of the above hosting plans and even domain name registration can be supplied in one spot: DeepCyberNet




Business Web Hosting: Which is Right for You?


Business web hosting is what you need. You have a website you need to put online. When you look around on the internet, there are thousands of choices. How do you choose the right web hosting package for your business?

Reliable web hosting

Business web hosting must be reliable. The last thing you need to worry about is that the provider's service becomes unavailable for long stretches of time. What kind of uptime guarantee do they provide you with? How long have they been in business?

Hosting support when you need it

What level of support does the company offer you? You may not need 24x7 service but is their support desk open reasonable hours? Beware of companies that only offer email web hosting support. Some of these companies will tell you that they only offer email hosting support in order to keep costs down. What they often don't say is that they are doing the business part time and can't possibly be available to answer the phone. When you need help, you may have to wait days to get service.

Ecommerce web hosting

Do you plan to sell online? If so, does the web host have shopping carts available? Are they included for free or are they extra? Get the names of the ecommerce shopping carts they provide, and research their capabilities to be able to determine which one is best for you.




Setting Up Your First Web Hosting Account


The Basics

Setting up a web hosting account for the first time can be confusing and frustrating for the novice. This article will guide you through the steps of setting up a new web hosting account for your website.

Setting up your web hosting account will depend upon many things, the first of which is:

Do you already have a website built and ready to be hosted?

If the answer to that question is yes, then your next set of questions should be:

How was your website designed? Did you design it yourself using Microsoft FrontPage, or did you use some other WYSIWYG website building software? Did a professional designer build your site for you? Did they use Microsoft FrontPage, or did they use some other WYSIWYG website building software? Did your designer use a database driven software, such as Cold Fusion? Maybe they coded your site using a text editor - you'll need the answers to these questions.

If you have a FrontPage website, you'll need a web host who supports FrontPage. If your site was developed with Cold Fusion, you'll need a web host who supports Cold Fusion. This also applies to other design software not mentioned here. Check with your web designer and/or web design program's documentation for further help with this.

Maybe you haven't yet designed your website. Many web hosts offer online website building software that requires no programming or HTML knowledge. If this is your strategy, make sure your web host offers such software, and find out if there's a cost for you to use it.

Finding The Right Web Host

Locating a web host that gives you the reliability you need, plus excellent customer service, and that offers all the features you're going to need, can be challenging.

You can begin your search by asking business associates, friends and relatives who have websites of their own, who they use. Just as you would get a recommendation for a good restaurant, word of mouth can sometimes steer you in the right direction.

You can also check out the many web hosting directories on the web. These directories are set up to allow you to search using the features that you're looking for in a web host. Keep in mind though, that many of the listings you see may also be paid listings that are pushed your way for obvious reasons.

Once you narrow down your search to a few potential web hosts, your next step will be to visit the many web hosting message boards and forums on the web. Perform a search on each of the potential web hosts that you have in mind - read through the posts and see what other people's experiences have been with the hosts you have in mind. If you see too many negative comments or experiences by others, you might want to take a hint from that and rule out that particular hosting company.

Once you've narrowed down your search to a few web hosts, you should make contact with them and get answers to any questions you have. Since you're a beginner at this, you might strongly consider using a web host that provides telephone support. A web host that provides only email support may not be able to fully answer questions that you have - this applies to sales questions as well as support questions.

When you make your inquires, keep track of which host responds to you the quickest. Which of these hosts answers your questions patiently and takes the time to go over details with you? Do they seem more interested in getting you to sign up, or do they address topics you have no concern about, beware of those danger signs.

Signing Up For Your Web Hosting Account

Most web hosts have multiple plans that you can choose from. The trick is to choose a web hosting plan that provides you the features you actually need, without choosing a plan that offers you features you don't need, or may never use. This is probably the most difficult thing a novice will be faced with when choosing a web host. You'll need to choose a plan that strikes an even balance between what you need right now and what you may need a month or two down the road. Your website might remain the same size as it is today, by next year; however, your site may grow quickly, requiring additional resources in a relatively short period of time. With DeepCyberNet you won't have to worry about this, they supply the most feature, programs, e-mailing and so on, all at an all inclusive cheap web hosting price.

Consult with your web designer and with your potential new web host about these issues. Ask you potential web host if it's easy it is to upgrade your account if you need additional services. Ask if there are any additional charges if you upgrade your account.

The last thing you should do before signing up for a web hosting account is to read your web host's AUP (Acceptable Use Policy), and/or their TOS (Terms Of Service), and/or their SLA (Service Level Agreement). Make certain that you understand and agree with your new web host's policies, and that your website does not break any of your new web host's rules and regulations. By not reviewing your new host's contracts with you, you may find your website and email shut down without prior notice for breaking a rule you were not aware of, or you might end up paying for fees you didn't know you were liable for.

The majority of web hosts require you to sign up for a hosting account by using your credit or debit card. Some hosts offer online check payment, as well as paper check payments. Many web hosts accept PayPal. You might want to ask if your host offers discounts for advance payment. Some hosts offer substantial discounts if you prepay a year in advance. I don't recommend this until after you've had some time to experience your new host's level of service and support.




Unlimited Bandwidth in Web Hosting


Bandwidth explained:

Bandwidth is the amount of data transfer that you are allowed to have for a hosting package i.e. Let's say you have a web page that is 48KB in size, now each time a user opens your site and goes to that page S/he downloads 48 KB of information on to their computer. If a 100 users view that page one time each then there has been a total of 4800 KB of data transferred from the server on which your files are stored for the computer of users.

Size of web Page: 48 KB
Number of users who viewed the web page: 100
Total amount of data transferred: 48KB * 100 = 4800 KB

Bandwidth is the term that is used to denote the amount of data that has been transferred from your web space.

The amount of bandwidth that you require while choosing a host depends on two factors:

> The size of your site.

> The popularity of your site.

If your site is not very huge and you do not have any audio/video downloads and it's not very popular i.e. not a lot of people visit your site then you do not really require a lot of bandwidth, on a average a web site uses up only 500 MB of bandwidth per month. Or if your site is small but extremely popular then you might have to go for a web hosting package that offers high bandwidth.

On the other hand if your web site is huge, providing audio/video downloads, as well as being very popular then you would certainly require a huge amount of bandwidth. Let's say you have a video file that is 150 MB in size and in a single day a 100 visitors download the file. This means that 15 GB of bandwidth will have been used. If you multiply that by 30 days for the month it comes to 450 GB.

The unlimited bandwidth controversy

For some time now a lot of hosting companies are supposedly providing "unlimited bandwidth" for their web hosting packages.

It's absolutely true, you can have unlimited bandwidth. However, you will need an unlimited amount of money by your side! Jokes apart, if you ever come across such a host it would be best to turn around and run back the way you came from.

Just think, if you can get unlimited bandwidth for $25-30 a month then why aren't big companies like Sun, Microsoft etc. not hosted there? In fact, why isn't everyone hosted there? For that matter, if unlimited is a standard feature then why don't all the hosts offer it? Is it because it is expensive and requires better hardware? No, it's because some hosts are honest and don't give in to such gimmicks and others are liars. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS UNLIMITED BANDWIDTH FOR A FEW DOLLARS A MONTH!

Statistically speaking, a T1 Internet connection (huge broadband) equals approximately 500GB per month and costs around $1200 per month. So how can it be possible to get the same or unlimited for $30 a month?

There are a lot of ways you can be duped by these ' unlimited' hosts; here are just a few of them:

The secret of 'unlimited' is actually buried in the Terms of Service by the host. Do not be surprised to find that unlimited = 2 GB.

The host may restrict the sort of files that you can host on their server. Generally image galleries and audio/video files attract a lot more downloads thereby resulting in higher bandwidth consumption. So if there are no files of this type, your site won't really require a lot of bandwidth.

Some newly opened hosts use it as a scam. They take your money and after a few months when their server starts to become slow or reaches its limit, they run? with your money!

Some hosts outline in their Terms of Service that you can have unlimited bandwidth as long as you qualify for it. i.e. Your site must use less then, let's say 2 GB of bandwidth in order to qualify for the unlimited bandwidth feature. As soon as your site goes over that limit they either start charging you for it or cut off your downloads altogether.

If a host is using a cheap advertising gimmick like 'unlimited' bandwidth they maybe lying about a few other things too. Their 'dedicated' support team could be a single person (the hoster himself in most cases) sitting in front of a computer and taking your calls.

Do you really want unlimited bandwidth hosting from hosts that have very limited resources at their disposal? Or, do you want to go for a host that has spent thousands of dollars on setting up a good network infrastructure, servers, and a highly qualified and dedicated support team? The choice ultimately is yours and yours alone.




CHMOD - Understanding File Permissions on a Unix-Based Server


The basic command for changing file permissions in Unix based operating systems is the 'chmod' command. This command is executed with a set of parameters after it. With most FTP clients, you can simply select the filename you want to change the permissions of, right click, and choose the chmod command.

There are three main groups of permissions when dealing with the chmod command. The three groups are yourself or owner, your unix group, and everyone else. A typical chmod command would look like this - 'chmod 755' This allows you to add, remove or rename files as well as read or edit a file. It also specifies that your Unix group and everyone else can only read and edit the file in question. They can't add, delete, or rename the file.

How the numbers in the chmod command work

There are three types of permissions that can be given to a file. They are read, write, and execute. The read permission is assigned a value of 4, the write permission is assigned a value of 2 and the execute permission is assigned a value of 1. So when a chmod command specified the digit 7 as the first number, it means that all three types of permissions are to be assigned to it. If a party is assigned a value of '0' then it means it has no rights whatsoever to a file. '6' tells the server that the user can read and write to the file but can't execute it. I think you get the idea.

Common permissions to set

Most of your html files will do fine with a permission of 644. Most script files will need a permission of 755. Any configuration files in a script package will often need a file permission of 777. Be very careful about assigning a file permission of '777' for everyone. With this permission, it means that anyone who gains access to your server will be able to add, remove, rename, read or edit the file. It is always a good idea with security in mind to assign the least amount of permissions necessary to get the job done.

An FTP client can keep things simple

Most people on shared servers will not have access to a command line to be able to use the chmod command. For most people, changing file permissions will be done through an FTP client. To do this, right click on the file you want to alter, and choose the chmod command. You will usually get a popup that will show nine checkboxes. The will be arranged in three rows. On the left you will usually see Read, Write, and Execute for the row headings. You can accomplish the same thing as typing in the numbers above by clicking on one, two or three boxes for each party. Once you're done, you click the apply or ok button and the file permissions will be changed.

If you keep in mind that you need to always go with the most restrictive file permissions possible that still allows your files to execute, and that there are three parties to define permissions for, you'll do fine. The three parties again are the owner, group, and everyone else.




Setting up Your Personal Web Server


There are many things to consider when setting up your own server. We wouldn't encourage a novice for the job. Seek help from web professionals if you have any queries. Here are some web hosting factors to consider when setting up your personal server:

- A server license is needed and they are not cheap

- Virus, bugs and spam attacks

- 24-hour maintenance and support

Your website doesn't sleep but you do need your sleep! Who is going to take care of your website that is hosted in your personal computer while you are sleeping? Getting 24 hour up- time and support is necessary for your website; especially if it is a business website! The main advantage Internet Service Providers have over personal servers is: having web professional maintenance crew working 24/7 to ensure that web hosting is running smooth for websites.

Many people will think setting up server hosting is cheaper than getting a web hosting package. Buying hosting equipment is not cheap for an individual and just like any other computer equipment, it becomes outdated after a while. Server companies spend hundreds of thousands on equipment and keeping up with technology. They buy in bulk, hence having bulk savings. Hence, web hosting packages are competitive and affordable.

If you are genuinely interested in setting up your own server, do it out of interest's sake. Otherwise, you will be financially better off getting hosting packages off bulk- buying server companies.




Handling Your Email Addresses


--Company Email Addresses--

Web hosting companies should provide company email accounts for each person in your company. Email addresses should appear like this:

yourname@domain.com

lester@somedomain.com

myname@companyname.com

--Web Mails--

Most websites work with web mails. Web-based email enable you to access email via a web browser such as Internet Explorer. You log into your email account via the Web to send and retrieve email. You are able to access your emails from anywhere in the world and it makes checking of emails convenient and portable. Web mails for your company will most probably be accessed at www.yourcompanyname.com/webmail

There are other forms of web mail options available such as Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail and Gmail. These should be avoided like the plague! They will be spam filtered by most ISPs and if they do make it through, they may get spam filtered by the recipients e-mail program/service. Lastly, if nothing else, they give a totally unprofessional appearance.

--Email Forwarding--

Email forwarding allows you to have multiple email personalities. With email forwarding, you can setup aliases for other email accounts like

billy@mycompany.com forwarded to web-designs@deepcyber.net

billy@myothercompany.com forwarded to web-designs@deepcyber.net

billy@personalwebsite.com forwarded to web-designs@deepcyber.net

It makes tracking of emails easy; especially when you have multiple email accounts to check on.

--Mailing Lists--

It will be useful if you can send out emails to a large number of users. Start up with collecting opt-in email addresses from interested parties and send monthly promotions of your business products and services. Before long, your mailing list will be your another marketing channel of your business.




Finding a Reliable Host


Finding reliable hosting for your business opportunity is no small task. Actually, it can be a full-time undertaking!

This is because most hosting companies focus on the higher end corporate market and overlook the fast-growing small office/home office (SOHO) sector. It is possible, however, if you clarify needs, gather recommendations, create a list of potential hosts and ask questions....lots of them.

Clarify your needs: how much disk space and bandwidth is necessary? Will you need CGI or database capacities? What operating system will you require? Will your site change dramatically down the pike, and are you searching only for yourself or for customers?

Be wary of web hosting directories since many are owned by web hosts. You should obtain feedback from those with sites and glean webmaster newsgroup postings.

In creating a list, include those recommended the most and complained about the least, and determine which hosts offer specific services best suited to your needs and which fits your price range.

Always ask questions, i.e.: technical questions to gauge their knowledge and accuracy; find out whether they are committed to their customers or their bank account and subject them to an honesty test...offer them the opportunity to up-sell you needlessly.

If you fall into the SOHO category, you may feel more comfortable with a smaller hosting company who better understands your needs and situation. Please be sure you can add domains to a core plan and resell services, and ensure that they offer a knowledge base.

You should also watch for signs of rudeness, impatience and unresponsiveness and make sure they are flexible. A downed site costs you visitors and sales and gives you only another headache in your life of an Internet marketer.




Great Web Hosting - What to Look For!


Web hosting can best be described as a modern-day marriage: none of this till death do us part stuff, it's more like I'll stick around as long as your uptime is 100%, you answer my frantic queries instantly, and you charge me less than a decent latte at Starbucks. What follows is a few tips to help make the relationship less rocky and possibly prosperous!

First of all, we all need to take a little responsibility and at least figure out what we think we need from a web host up front. This isn't always as easy as you might imagine. You don't always know your exact needs ahead of time, and sometimes these things are difficult to foresee. Your site may become hugely popular, requiring more bandwidth or storage than previously thought. You may decide to have data feeds hosted on your site, which will gobble up resources. On online store can do the same. One way I've found myself in the position of having to change web hosts is when a technology you want to use or implement on your site isn't supported by your host. This will prompt a move.

Ask friends and associates who they use. While their needs may be somewhat different than yours, basic issues such as support and uptime will be evident, as will customer satisfaction. Check out several of the web hosting directories, as they maintain a wealth of current information regarding the specifics you're interested in. Come armed with a list of things you're looking for and narrow your choices down using this.

Make sure you can grow with this new host. Not only in the size of your current sites, but also number of domains and subdomains you can host there. If you're anything like me, I want to be able to get the most bang for my hosting buck!

In short, due your homework, check them out, do your part in knowing as specifically as possible what you're after, and make your choice. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!



Website Sitebuilders: Easy to use Website builders Come with a Price


Professional web designers don't come cheap. A good web designer can easily charge you $1000 or more for a five page website. This high cost leads many people to tackle web design for themselves. How hard can it be? Get yourself an HTML editor, throw up a website and voila! Your website is live right? Wrong! There is a lot of knowledge you need to develop before you can get your self made website onto the internet.

What is a Sitebuilder?

More and more web hosting companies today offer Sitebuilder software that takes care of all the technical details to getting your website up and live on the internet. They allow a novice to choose a built in template, select some colors, throw in some pictures, and add some text. Once these steps are done, all the novice has to do is publish their website to the internet. All the hard stuff is taken care of by the Sitebuilder software.

Sitebuilder or traditional web hosting account - which is for you?

If you have never put together a website before, and you have no desire to dive into the technical details of putting your website online, a Sitebuilder is probably your best fit. For maximum long term flexibility and growth potential, learning how to get your website live on a traditional web hosting account is well worth the effort. You will end up paying less, you won't be locked into one company, and you will be able to grow your website as traffic demands it.




The Web Hosting Checklist


When starting out, it is easy to overlook some of the most important factors in selecting a web host while paying too much attention on great features which you may not need at the start.

For example, most new webmasters judge a web host by the amount of disk space they offer. The thinking is generally, the more the better. There are many other factors to take into consideration. Each factor can be weighed up according to the features each specific web hosting company offers. Each company may also offer several different plans. The features from plan to plan may also differ.

Don't rush

Some deals may look good at first but if one feature that is important according to your needs is missing, then that deal may not be so good in your opinion. This does not cast a value judgment on any particular web host. The deal in and of itself may be good for me for example but not for you. So do your research and compare different companies and plans until you weigh up all the factors that are important to *your* needs.

What factors do I consider?

Tech Support - I don't know about you, but I like the feeling of knowing that support is available when I need it. Test different companies before you sign up by sending them an email with a question or two. If they respond quickly, this is a good sign.

Uptime - The more uptime they guarantee, the better. 99% uptime is the minimum acceptable standard.

Disk Space - Decide how much disk space you will require. A web page with one logo does not take up much web space at all. Calculate how big your web site is in relation to the disk space alloted.

Bandwidth - This factor is usually overlooked until the bandwidth limit is reached. If you go over your alloted bandwidth, you will get a hefty bill. If you are running a site with lots of downloads, or a site with lots of images such at a photo post site, your bandwidth will be a lot higher than a site with mainly text.

CGI Bin - This is now standard with good hosting companies. If you do not have access to your own CGI Bin, you cannot install scripts and programs.

Perl - If you do not have Perl, you cannot run Perl Programs. Many good scripts that you buy or get for free are written in Perl. In my opinion, it would be a limitation not to have the latest version of Perl installed.

SSL - If you intend to accept credit cards orders directly from your website, you will need Secure Socket Layer included in your plan. This is one of those easily overlooked features. You might sign up for a plan that looks attractive for whatever reason, then down the track, you might discover that you need this feature. If it is not included in your plan, you might be gob-smacked if the extra monthly charge is $10.00. To use this feature you need a merchant account. There is no need to make this a priority if you have no merchant account because you can use a third party credit card processor.

SSI - Server Side Includes are great if you want to spend minimal time updating your site. Here's how it works. My site contains SSI's. The left and right nav menus and the little search engine in the left nav menu are "included" with an SSI command in the master page template. If I need to update one of the nav links, there is no need to edit all the pages that contain the menus. I just edit one file which contains the menu HTML and upload it to my site. It's awsome.

MySQL - What scripts are you going to run? Some programs require a MySQL database to run. I had this problem with a particular web host. They wanted to charge me $10.00 per month for a MySQL database. WOW. I just took out a new plan with another hosting company for under 10 bucks a month and 5 MySQL Databases are included in the price. Say no more.

PHP - Many new scripts and programs require PHP support. Again, this feature can be a $10 extra but most good hosts offer it standard. Imagine if you do not have PHP support but the latest new free Toplist, Blogging script or Shopping Cart requires PHP. Again, this feature is almost standard these days.

Deep Cyber Net 's QuickShoppingCart is an example of a Shopping Cart that lets you sell products On-line and accept credit cards, all without a "percentage of sales" fee! https://www.securepaynet.net/gdshop/ecommerce/cart.asp?prog_id=439960&ci=1802&

Domain Name - What's the point in buying web space if you cannot point your own domain name to the site? Some companies will help you register a domain name but you should compare prices and learn how to register your domain yourself. This way you are in control of your domain name if you ever change hosts. Can't beat DCN domain name pricing and quality of domain name management.

FTP Access - Unlimited and unrestricted FTP access to your site is essential. You will need an FTP program to transfer files.

Control Panel - Not all control panels are the same. Some are easier to use than others. Some control panels the learning curve is steep while others are easy. If you select a plan where you cannot preview your control panel before you buy, you can always use the 30 day money back guarantee to get out if you are not happy. If they are not offering a working demo of the control panel, maybe they are not proud of it.

Statistics Program - A good stats program is handy if you want to keep an eye on how many visitors you are getting, where they are coming from, referrers, top entry and exit pages and so on. Deep Cyber Net offers excellent stats programs as standard while others offer basic stats but you have to pay extra for advanced statistics.




Free Or Not Free -- Its Your Choice


The internet is one of the world's top sources of information, products and just about anything else you could possibly want. And, if you have spent any amount of time online, you must have noticed that much of it is free.

Many home business entrepreneurs get their start online using some of these free resources. In fact, some of them use freebees almost exclusively.

So, just what are these valuable assets that attract so many home business newbies? Here are just a few:

1. Email - one can get free email accounts just about anywhere (MSN Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Google GMail, Lycos) plus tons of others. Actually, free email accounts can be very useful, but that's another article.

2. Autoresponders - there are many free autoresponders (getresponse, and freeautobot, just to name a few). Some are better than others but they are a useful tool.

3. EBooks - You can get free ebooks just about anywhere. These can prove very valuable as giveaways to get people to do some sort of action,like join your mailing list.

4. Web Space - Free web space abounds throughout the internet. Most likely, the ISP you signed up with offers web space for free for you to put up your own personal web site. You can also get free space at places like Yahoo Geocities,  plus tons of others.

And the list goes on. However, today I would like to talk about Web Space. Free Or Not Free, It's Your Choice.

Many home business entrepreneurs, when first starting out, want to keep expenses to a minimum (I did this myself). Therefore, just after we join one or two affiliate programs and find out that we can't get the affiliate web page into the search engines (because there are probably 5 million affiliates with exactly the same page) we want to build our own site.

Having your own web site is probably one of the most important steps you can take to get your home business off to a fast start. Taking the time to find a good web host like DeepCyber.Net should be equally as important.

Read that last line again.

Why do I say that? Just think about this.

You have just spent the past two months learning html or how to use a program like FontPage to build your web site. You've been writing your web pages, putting in images and links to your affiliate web page and maybe even have made a few forms to get people to sign up for your own newsletter.

All is well and good so far, because it's still on your computer.

So now you go to find a place that will 'host' your site. And, being the money conscious person that you are, you look for some place free. Your internet service provider will give you probably 5 megs of space but will only let you put up a personal site.

So you decide to give another place a try. Bingo, you've found lots of places that will let you have space on their servers for free as long as they can put a banner ad on your web pages. A small price to pay you say and go ahead and sign up.

Great, now you have your own web site up and running, it's a little slow loading because of the banner ad but you decide that is OK. Now, in order to get your site closer to the top of your category in the search engines you decide to start doing link exchanges. Very good, it shows you have been doing your homework.

Now it's 4 or 5 months later and your site is on page 5 of the search results, people are joining your downline and signing up for your newsletter. What a wonderful thing this internet is.

One day you decide to log into your hosting account and change a few things on your site. But, what's up, you can't log in. You then decide to go to the search engine and type in the url of your site. Nothing! Error, the page you are looking for is not available!!!

Just like that, it's all gone. All your hard work, your only means of getting affiliate signups and newsletter opt-ins has disappeared. What's up you ask your web host and they tell you that they have changed their policy and no longer offer free web space. You're back to square one.

Think it can't happen? Think again. It happened to me.

That's right, all my web pages, articles, newsletter archives, classified ads, everything gone. And, to make things worse, I have been making changes to the site at the control panel of the web host and therefore didn't even have a recent copy of most of the pages on my computer. We live and learn!

Had I known all along how inexpensive it is to get good web hosting service I would never have gone the free route. To make a long story short, for less than $10.00 per month you can get excellent web hosting services.

I won't make that mistake again, will you?

Randy Justason




Free or Paid Web Hosting?


Just finished your first website? So it's the time to look for some hosting and make a choice. Your first question probably will be whether to choose free or paid hosting service. Let's have a look at some advantages and disadvantages of these solutions.
Free web hosting:

* (+) It's for free. You don't need to pay for domain name.
* (-) Your URL will be something like username.freehost.com or freehost.com/username. As I noticed above, the advantage is that you don't need to pay for domain. But note that if you move your website to another provider in the future you can loose some or all your traffic (there are some solutions how to solve this problem but it is not the point of this article).
* (-) Your provider will probably include ads to your pages - usually 1 or 2 banners, sometimes popup windows. If you plan to use banner exchange on your site read carefully their Terms and conditions. Some free hosts doesn't allow it.
* (-) Free hosts usually allow lower bandwidth then paid hosts and a lot of them don't offer futures like PHP and MySQL.
* (-) A lot of free hosts change their Terms and conditions during some time. If your free host offers hosting without ads now, don't be surprised when banner or popup appears on your site in the future.
* (-) Sometimes happens that free hosts cancel their free service and longer offer paid hosting only. In this case you have only 2 choices - pay them or loose your website.


Paid web hosting:

* (+) You can host your own domain. If you decide to change the web hosting provider in the future, you easily transfer the domain to the new provider and don't loose your traffic.
* (+) Most paid hosts offer 24/7 support via email or live chat and some of them provide toll-free phone support.
* (+) You can expect better uptime then on free host. Some paid hosts offer uptime guarantee.
* (+) Paid hosts usually offer enough disk space and bandwidth. Futures like PHP and MySQL are standard. Even if you are not programmer you can download plenty of free PHP scripts from internet.
* (-) Paid hosting coast money :o)


Before you make the decision if choose free or paid host you should answer this question: How big ambitions do I have with my website? If you are starting small personal page for your friends consist of a few *.html files then free host will be sufficient. In case you plan to run serious business website, need PHP, database and don't want ads on the site I recommend to look for quality paid host.




What Is Web Hosting?


Many businesses, from one-man-bands to multi-national corporations, have a web-presence these days. i.e. They have a website telling their customers about their companies: what they do, where they're based, their company history, how they're different from their competitors, etc. Many of these businesses also sell products and/or services online.

If you own a business and wish to have a presence in cyberspace, then you need to consider buying a package from a web hosting company.

Web hosting refers to the process of renting computer space and bandwidth (data transfer capacity) from a company so that you can make your website visible to the outside world.

Put simply, you buy an allocated space on a computer from a hosting company, then transfer the files of your website to this computer. Your website then becomes available to users around the world, and this enables them to browse your website, as well as download files and buy products and services from you.

Domain Name

First of all, you need to choose a domain name for your website. A domain name is simply an address for your website. Examples are www.microsoft.com and www.yahoo.com. Avoid choosing a domain name which is too long or too complicated for users to remember.

Design Your Website

There are three ways to get your website designed:

1. You can do it yourself. There are many website authoring software packages available on the market. Two popular packages are Microsoft Frontpage and Macromedia Dreamweaver. With these programs, you can design and edit your web pages easily and see instantly how they will look to the users.

2. Some companies offer an easy way for you to create your website by providing templates for you to choose from. With this type of service, all you have to do is choose a layout from a number of pre-defined templates, select some color, font and graphics options, enter some text, and you'll end up with a decent-looking website.

3. Get a web design company to do it for you. This is the most expensive option but you will end up with a more professional and stylish website, looking exactly the way you want it to look.

Getting a web host

Now that you have chosen your domain name and have designed your website, you need to find a web hosting company.

There are thousands of hosting companies out there. Search the web for a company with a good reputation and offers the kind of services you need. Friends may be able to recommend a reputable company. We recommend www.deepcyber.net.

Next, select a web hosting package to suit your needs and sign up for an account. Usually you'll pay for the hosting service by credit card online. If you have not already registered your domain name elsewhere, you'll have the option to do so with your hosting company.

Once payment has been processed, you'll receive a confirmation email with details about your hosting package. Take some time to read this email carefully as it contains information on how to log on to your hosting account.

Next you'll have to upload all the HTML pages, graphics and other files on to your web space. This can be done via the control panel on your website, or by using an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program such as CuteFTP.

Now that your website is online, users from around the world will be able to view it, so make sure that the information it contains (such as your email address and telephone number) is up-to-date. This is particularly important if you will be using your website to sell products and services.




How To Choose A Reliable Web Host For Your Website


Your choice of web host can either promote your business or ruin your business. You have to be very careful when choosing your web host or you will be consistently losing up to 80% of your income due to your web host's inefficiency.

Here are a few quick tips on how to know which web host is reliable, affordable and right for your website.

1. Check if the web host has a web presence. Face it, if a company claims to be a web host and they don't have a functional website of their own, then they have no business hosting other people's websites. Any web host you will use must have a functional website where you can check for domain availability, get support and order for their hosting services.

Additionally, you should conduct random checks on their website. If you visit their site randomly ten times and the site is not available more than once in those ten times, forget about that company except you want your own website too to be unavailable almost all the time.

2. Any web host you will use must have an appreciable level of relevant experience. A minimum of a full year of operation. A new web host will only experiment with your website and the result may not be good for your business. Visit the web host's website and read about them. If they don't talk about their experience, then they don't have it. Just leave them alone.

3. Look out for their present clients' testimonials on their website. Call or email the clients and ask them questions. If they confirm that the web host is good, then the company has passed this test. However, if you don't even find a single testimonial on their website, they probably don't have any satisfied client. What to do? Just leave them alone.

4. How fast or how well does the company respond to support emails? You can find out by conducting this small test. Visit the web host's website and submit or email an enquiry to them. If you don't get a response in 24 - 48 hours, please run away as fast as your legs can carry you. Why? When you host your website with them and you have a problem, it will take them more than a month to respond to your support emails or requests.

5. You should not forget to check out their prices. The prices must be within reasonable limits and their packages must have the features you desire; adequate monthly transfer, email addresses, MySQL databases, CGI bin, FTP access, control panel etc. Very high prices don't necessarily translate into very good services. Don't be fooled by high prices. It's a common trick, please don't fall for it.

6. It must be easy and secure to make payments to your web host. It is not advisable to fill in your credit card details when making your payment. You should rather use a web host that accepts other forms of payment that do not require you to fill in your credit card details e.g. paypal and egold. If you are in a country where you don't have easy access to credit card facilities, it is even better to use a web host that accepts payment in your local currency. This will ensure that you won't have any problems when you want to renew your domain and your hosting accounts.

7. Use only web hosts that give 24 hour online access to your account. With that, you have total control over your domain and your website and you can change anything including your name servers (DNS) whenever you want.

8. It is better to use a web host that offers additional web services such as web design, website promotion, search engine submission and website management. They can be of help to you in future if you have any problems with your website or you need any additional services.

9. Before you make your payment, read the terms and conditions of the company carefully. If you don't understand or agree with any of their terms contact them for more explanations.

10. Finally, I know it may be very time consuming for you to conduct these tests on the hundreds of web hosts out there before choosing one. I have therefore taken the pains to analyze hundreds of them. I recommend two web hosts that have passed our simple tests. I can put my reputation on the line and guarantee their efficiency, reliability and affordability.





Web Hosts: Helping Us Navigate Through This Future Techno-World


Computers, Internet, Web sites? What do they all mean? Hey, you're probably not a technophobe, I mean you own a microwave right? Just push a few buttons and the food cooks itself-easy. Now, they tell you the best way to share information, have a business, and generally communicate in life, are on the Web. I don't know about you but for me the Web conjures up visions of a giant spider whose sole intention is to turn me into a tasty appetizer. Computers scare me. People say they're the tool of the future, but I find them to be quite alien, especially compared to my lawnmower! All the technical jargon associated with these machines, it's like you have to have a university degree in Information Technology just to turn one on.

The key to solving the riddle is just to go back in time. Not easy?! Think about our ancestors, the prehistoric cave-dwelling hairy folk. How did they get the job done each day? Tools? Tools. A man had his stone axe to kill the wild beast; a woman had a basket to collect fruits and vegetables. Sounds a little sexist, but fortunately times have changed in a number of ways. In our modern society the main tool has become the computer and anyone can use it. In the old days a boy's father would teach them how to throw the axe. These days Web Hosts exist to help people get acquainted with the Internet in much the same loving parental role. These companies provide knowledge and access to all the fundamental ways of taking part in using the space age super-tool. I've heard that having knowledge about something is half the battle of getting a job done. Having a Web Host is like meeting your mentor, the wizard who shows you the simple way to navigate through this new techno-world.

If you are a small business, a major company, or just an individual looking to spread a message to the rest of the world, the Internet or World Wide Web is your necessary gate of entry. Communication through Web Sites and Email systems is your means to partaking in the 'new' world. Whether you are searching for information, selling a product or idea, talking to friends, or just browsing through the 'shop' of life, Web Hosts are here to help you make the journey as enjoyable as possible. No more scratching your head in befuddlement, now there's a star lighting the way through our fearful darkness




The Difference between Great and Mediocre Web Site Hosting Companies


You need to be on the look out for:

1) A web site hosting service that helps you add new domains for a small fee without having to pay any additional monthly fee. So you can host many domains and still pay one monthly fee, thus saving you money.

2) A web site hosting service that will help you publish and manage your own newsletter so that you can regularly follow-up with your prospects and customers and thereby increase your sales. Look if they give you the option to publish a newsletter in both HTML and text format. With DeepCyber Net you can even host just a Blog, or Podcast.

3) A web site hosting service that can set up a number of follow-up auto responders. So you can automatically follow-up with your prospects and send them a series of emails one after the other on any day you prefer.

4) A web site hosting service that helps you personalize all your newsletters and follow-up emails. So you can let all your newsletters and emails begin with something like "Hi Paul" or "Hi Peter". Most people know that personalizing emails has proven to increase response rates by as much as 40% - 50% in some cases. Prospects love it when they receive mails like this! DeepCyber.Net has a mass marketing, mass emailing product specifically for this, it's can be found under their Marketing Menu entry.

5) A web site hosting service that helps you set up your own affiliate program so that other website owners can promote your site or products and earn commissions on the sales or leads they produce for you.

6) A web site hosting service that gives you the possibility to track the results of all your advertising campaigns like banner ads, eZine ads, ads in pay per click engines like Google Adwords or Overture. By using such a feature you will know exactly how many visitors you are receiving from each source, but also how many sales you are receiving from each source. This information will help you make better decisions what to optimize and what to dump.

7) A web site hosting service that gives you the possibility to sell multiple items from your web site using a shopping cart that calculate things like taxes and shipping costs in real time!

8) A web site hosting service that helps you protect your download page if you want to sell digital products like e-books or software from your site. Or protect your members only site or signup page so that only legitimate customers can download your products or sign up for your membership site.

9) A web site hosting service that helps you set up junk mail filters so that any junk mail that you receive is filtered out before they reach your account.

10) A web site hosting service that contains a built-in anti-virus software so that any virus containing emails you receive will be automatically deleted.

11) A web site hosting service that has great costumer support. Fast response is important is this field. A good web site hosting service respond to you within max. 24 hours. At DeepCyber.Net they even show you on site how many minutes (usually less than 2) you get a response in...




Budget Web Hosting - Are They All Created Equal?


Choosing a budget web hosting company can be overwhelming. In fact, choosing any web hosting company can be a challenge due, in large part, to the fact that there are so many of them. Do a search for "web hosting" with the quotes around the keywords on Google, and it'll return over 5 million documents! That doesn't mean there are 5 million web hosting providers but there very well could be at least 1 million! That's a lot of web hosts. How can you choose one that meets your need?

What is Budget web hosting anyway?

Budget web hosting is generally defined as any hosting service that is below $10 per month. The budget comes from the low price. Now, most companies in the budget web hosting category only offer one year plans. Most budget web hosting companies however, will quote you the monthly fee you would pay if you divided the annual fee by 12 months. Keep that in mind when you are comparing one company with another. The other thing to look out for is the setup fee. Do they charge you a setup fee to get started?

Evaluate your general impression of the company.

The first place to start evaluating budget web hosting companies is their front page. Does their website give you a sense that they are professional? Is it easy to find all of the information you need? Take a look at their contact information. Do they list a physical address, an email address and a phone number to contact them? If they don't provide any contact details, that has to throw up a red flag. If you run into problems setting up your website, and you have no proper contact information, how are you going to get service from that company?

Do they have a toll free support number?

Does the budget web hosting company provide a toll free number for you to contact them? If they are based in Atlanta, Georgia and you are in Seattle, Washington, you don't want to be paying long distance to them if you need to get them on the phone about a concern you have. A toll free number also speaks to their willingness to deal openly and honestly with their customers.

What kind of guarantee do they offer?

Choose a budget web hosting company that offers a good guarantee. Most budget web hosting companies don't openly publish their satisfaction guarantees. If you have to look in their terms and services agreement to find out where they stand with regard to giving you back your money if you are not satisfied, you should look elsewhere.

What is the uptime guarantee of the site in question?

Uptime guarantee refers to the amount of time the server is live and serving your web pages. An uptime guarantee of 99% means that the host guarantees that their servers will be up and operational 99% of the time. Over the course of one year, 99% uptime would represent a downtime (the one percent) of around 87 hours in a year or an average of 7 hours per month. An uptime of 99.9% would involve only 8 hours of downtime for the entire year.

What kind of after sale support can you expect?

While there are many other factors you could consider, the final one I will deal with is after sale support. What kind of resources do they make available for you. Find out if the budget web hosting company offers free scripts. Do they have any marketing tools they can make available to you? What kind of support for setting up your account can you expect from the budget web hosting company? All of these factors must be taken into consideration.

Just because a company offers a budget web hosting service, doesn't mean you necessarily have to compromise on features, quality or service. All three will only be found, however, if you make sure to do your homework to find a budget web hosting company that is a good fit for you




A Beginners Guide to Web Hosting


What is web hosting? Whenever you visit a website, what you see on your web browser is essentially just a web page that is downloaded from the web server onto your web browser. In general, a web site is made up of many web pages. And a web page is basically composed of texts and graphic images. All these web pages need to be stored on the web servers so that online users can visit your website.

Therefore, if you plan to own a new website, you will need to host your website on a web server. When your website goes live on the web server, online users can then browse your website on the Internet. Company that provides the web servers to host your website is called web hosting providers.

A well-established web hosting provider sometimes hosts up to thousands of websites. For example, www.DeepCyber.Net is a popular web hosting company that hosts more than 300,000 websites. For that reason, a web hosting company need many web servers (essentially, these are computers) to 'store' the website. And all these web servers are connected to the Internet through high speed Internet connection and housed in a physical building called 'data center'. In order to guarantee all the web servers are safe, secure and fully operational all time, a data center is a physically secure 24/7 environment with fire protection, HVAC temperature control, virus detections, computer data backup, redundant power backup and complete disaster recovery capabilities.

What are the different types of web hosting? There are different kinds of web hosting companies out there with different characteristics. The main types of web hosts can be organized into the following categories:

Shared Hosting

In shared hosting (also known as virtual web hosting), many websites are sharing the space on the same physical web servers. Depending on the web host, a physical web server can hosts a few hundred to even thousand of different websites at one time. You may wonder if a physical web server is shared by so many websites, will the performance of the web server deteriorate? In fact, web servers are usually equipped with high-end powerful computer, therefore it can support up to a certain number of websites without any problem. But when the web server is overloaded and exceeded the reasonable number of websites that it can support, then you will begin to experience a slower response from the web server.

However, a reputable and experience web hosting provider will constantly monitor the performance of the web server and will add new web servers when deem necessary without sacrificing the benefits of the website owners. Since a physical web server is shared (disk space, computer processing power, bandwidth, memory) by many websites, the web hosting provider can therefore afford to offer a lower hosting price. For the same reason, websites on the shared hosting would have to accept slower server response time. Typically, shared hosting plans start at $5 - $20 per month.

Dedicated Hosting

In contrast to shared hosting, dedicated hosting assigned a specific web server to be used only by one customer. Since a dedicated web server is allocated to only a single customer, the customer has the option to host single/multiple web sites, modify the software configuration, handle greater site traffic and scale the bandwidth as necessary. Therefore, dedicated hosting commands a higher premium and typically starts at $70 per month and can range up to $1000 per month. As a result, dedicated hosting is regularly used by high traffic and extremely important website.

Co-location hosting

In dedicated hosting, the web server belongs to the web hosting providers and customers only rent the web server during the hosting period. While in co-location hosting, the customer owns the web server hardware and only housed their web server within the web hosting provider's secure data center. In this way, the customer has full control over their web server and simultaneously benefit from the 24/7 server monitoring and maintenance provided by the secure data center. Depending on the monthly bandwidth and rack space required, typically co-location hosting range from $500 - $1000 per month.




How Multiple Server Hosting impacts your websites uptime


Hosting of web sites has essentially become a commodity. There is very little distinguishing one hosting company from the next. Core plans and features are the same and price is no longer a true determining feature. In fact, choosing a host based on the cheapest price can be more expensive in the long term with respect to reliability issues and possible loss of sales as a result of website downtime.

Selecting a host from the thousands of providers and resellers can be a very daunting task, which may result in a hit and miss approach. But although hosting may have become a commodity, one distinguishing feature that you must always look out for is reliability.

At the heart of any hosting company's reliability is redundancy. This ensures that if a problem exists at one point, there will be an alternative which ensures continuity as seamlessly and transparently as possible.

Most hosts do employ redundant network connections. These are the high speed pipes that route data from the server to your web browser. But, redundant 'multiple web servers' have been extremely rare and very expensive, requiring costly routing equipment which has previously been used only in mission critical applications of Fortune 500 companies.

However, a very neat but little known Domain Name Server (DNS) feature called 'round robin' allows the selection and provision of a particular IP address from a 'pool' of addresses when a DNS request arrives.

To understand what this has to do with server reliability it's important to remember that the Domain Name Server (DNS) database maps a host name to their IP address. So instead of using a hard to remember series of numbers (IP address) we just type in your web browser www.yourdomain.com, to get to your website.

Now, typically it takes at at least 2 to 3 days to propagate or 'spread the word' of your DNS info throughout the internet. That's why when you register or transfer a domain name it isn't immediately available to the person browsing the web.

This delay has stymied the security benefits of hosting your site on multiple servers, as your site would be down for a couple of days if something went awry with one server. You would have to change your DNS to reflect your second server and wait days before the change was picked up in routers on the internet.

However, the round robin DNS strategy solves this predicament, by mapping your domain name to more than one IP address.

Select hosting companies now employ the DNS round robin technique in conjunction with "failover monitoring".

The DNS round robin failover monitoring process starts by a web hosting company setting up your site on two or more independent web servers (preferably with different IP blocks assigned to them). Your domain name will therefore have 2 or more IP Addresses assigned to it.

Then the failover monitor watches your web server (s) by dispatching data to a URL you specify and looking for particular text in the results. When the system detects that one of your IP addresses is returning an error, and the others aren't, it pulls that IP address out of the list. The DNS then points your domain name to the working IP address/s

If any of your IP's come back online they are restored to the IP pool. This effectively and safely keeps your site online - even if one of your web servers is down.

The average failure detection and recovery time with a system like this can be as low as 15 minutes. This time varies depending on the speed of your site and the nature of the failure and also how long other ISP's cache (save) your DNS information.

The time taken for other ISP's caching your information can be manipulated in the failover monitor by lowering the "time to live" (TTL) cache settings. These are the settings that other ISP's will use to determine how long to cache your DNS information.

Of course you must bear in mind  how frequently data is synchronized between your website's servers. This will be the hosting company's responsibility, and this may become complicated where databases and user sessions are involved.

The very expensive hardware based failover monitoring systems that point a virtual IP address to other ISP's, while behind the scenes juggling a number of unique IP addresses on different servers, is of course the most 'elegant' solution to multi server hosting.

That way, the whole issue of ISP's caching your information does not come into play.