Control Panels for Web Hosting

The web hosting service is one of the most competitive fields and this has encouraged the various web hosting companies to provide various hosting plans at affordable rate. This has further forced these companies to stand out other others performance. Though the extra features such as site builder, free domain name and the costing plays significant roles, it is the control panel that makes a major difference. Therefore, it is very important to select the proper service depending on the type of website. These control panels are actually a set of software offered by the web hosting company in order to manage and control the website. It is through the control panel, that a web hosting company supervises each and every activity of a website. These activities include opening of FTP accounts, creating email server, preparing and maintaining statistics report etc. In fact there are a variety of control panels. Some of these control panels work only for Windows platform, some only for Linux platform and some others work for both the platforms.

The Windows Platform and the Control Panels for it.

The Windows Platform has a number of dedicated web hosting Control Panels that only work for them. Two examples of these include Helm and Hosting Accelerator. If an easy to use and customer friendly interface is required, Helm is generally held in the highest regard. A major reason that Helm stands apart from its competitors is due to the way it operates its billing information. More often than not, Control Panels do not contain information about the billing process so this is one area where Helm can be differentiated from other firms although H-Sphere also offers this advantage. In addition to this benefit, Helm is easy to operate and many users are able to interface with the system very comfortably.

Features and advantages of Helm:

* Managing your server: Helm can interact in many ways with your server and can operate with unlimited servers and domains. It is also possible for users to add or remove servers with the minimum of fuss. There are many servers that Helm has compatibility with and these include, MailEnable, SmarterMail, Merak and Imail. In addition to these servers, Helm also works with MDaemon, Mail Servers and hMailServer in addition to Serv-U FTP, Microsoft FTP, Gene6 FTP Server, MySQL Server, and Microsoft SQL Server etc. Helm is also capable of supporting ColdFusion, ASP, ASP,NET, PHP and Perl.

* Billing: They allow the hosting company to use either Helm’s own internal billing system or utilize any other 3rd party billing solution. It also enables to create the bill in any currency and provides the option of sending and viewing the invoices either in HTML format or in plain text format.

* Managing customers: An additional feature of the control panel provided via web hosting is that it allows hosting plans to be created for resellers. In addition to this, there is the ability to quantify how different resource limits are being filled with respect to transferring data, the use of domains, emails and the amount of disk-space that is on offer.

What control panels are suitable for Linux Platform:

There are some web hosting control panels that only operate on the Linux platform and these would include DirectAdmin, cPanel and Interworks. Many people like the services offered by DirectAdmin as they are availale for a low cost and is an extremely easy and convenient control panel to use. Similarly, many people choose Interworx as they find it a simple interface and it too offers a variety of additional features. However, these control panels cannot match the popularity of the cPanel service, which is by far the most coveted Linux based control panel. The cPanel service serves in excess of ten styles of Linux. One of the reasons why many of the companies who provide a web hosting facility like cPanel is due to the low cost of its hosting. There are also other benefits of this brand of software package which provides a great number of other services. These services include deploy applications, provide the ability for customer accounts, offer an account transferring service between servers, provides a secure server and many other key features.

Benefits of using Helm:

* Statistical analysis of a website: If a user would like to know how much traffic they receive, cPanel can provide them with a full range of statistical facilities to obtain these figures. Many web host providers do not offer this facility as statistical programs take up a whole host of resources. If having statistical information is vital for your site, be sure to ask any potential web host that they provide the service.

* Managing your emails: Having the ability to create and delete email accounts is something that many website owners crave and this is offered by cPanel. One of the major benefits is the Webmail facility that can be used by clients to access their emails online. There are a number of other programs that cPanel offers within its email range, with one of the most popular being the ability to create a forwarder that will pass emails in one account to another. There is also the facility to create a basic auto-responder that will send a pre-constructed reply to the sender if they submit an email about an enquiry.

* File Manager and FTP: FTP access is required to upload files and cPanel is capable of offering this facility and this is one of the most important features a website should be offering to its clients. Another thing that cPanel allows is for new FTP accounts to be registered so other people can have access the website. The power to restrict and specify access rights regarding certain files or folders will always remain with the website owner and the hosting company. Not everyone is happy with using an FTP package to load their files to a website and they can use the cPanel File Manager instead. This will grant the user to ability to unzip files, place files upon their server and be able to duplicate or erase any files.

Control panels for websites based on both Linux and Windows:

As well as the dedicated control panels for each platform, there are some control panels that will work on both. Some of the more common web hosts that operate this facility are Ensim, H-Sphere and Plesk. H-Sphere is able to offer its client many different features that run the full spectrum from complete automation to providing key functionalities. Plesk has turned out to be the control panel for Linux and Windows that has turned out to be the most popular. This means that the majority of companies who offer a web hosting service for Windows and Linux will provide Plesk. Many people have remarked that the Plesk interface looks similar to Windows XP and as you might expect, as it serves both platforms, it can be an expensive service.

Features and advantages of Plesk:

* Having shared hosting: Plesk is able to provide an identical various-platform design that allows any user to take control of their shared hosting landscape. This facility can also be undertaken on a self-administration basis. No matter the technical level of the website owner, they will find they are able to take full control of setting up, creating and fully managing their accounts.

* The ability to have dedicated hosting: A good number of technically proficient clients would like to undertake their own dedicated hosting and Plesk and its control panel facilitates this by means of its RPM installation and its modular design. There are a whole host of tools on offer to the client and these include XML-API and other unique 3rd party applications.

Windows Web Hosting

A professional web host is acquainted with all the technicalities related to web hosting. He/she knows that selection of the operating system is one of the foremost duties. Selection on of the operating system, however, depends on the objectives and contents of the website. It is always better to make a wise selection as there are only a limited number of popular operating systems. Microsoft Windows and Linux are the two most popular operating systems that are used by web hosts. UNIX and Macintosh can also suffice client requirements though they are not so popular. This article is designed to help you, the reader, understand how choosing Windows web hosting will affect your website operation.

The most popular of all operating system is Windows, created by Microsoft. It is the main programming software found on computers when consumers and businesses purchase them, and it is the operating system most people are familiar with. The platform that is the operating system is an important consideration when you are choosing your web host as well. In the past most web hosts operated on the technical Linux systems since more of the technical builders used that program. With the huge expanse of mass market web site building programs the need for Windows based hosting grew and is now commonplace. It is important to be sure when you choose a web host that they offer Windows platforms to operate your website.

If a website has to be hosted, that would incorporate the use of Microsoft products, it is always advisable to use Windows as a platform. Microsoft, windows feature an effective Internet Information Server (IIS). Whenever the hosting is based on ASP and Microsoft Access and SQL server, use of IIS is recommended or rather is needed. There are several components used for web hosting like that of CGI. Use of these components can be best experienced if the website is hosted on Windows. Windows web hosting also has a lot of pre-made programs designed for use with Windows web servers.

Windows vs UNIX

These two operating systems can operate successfully with everyone universally. The main system difference is in the software provided for server data. Both operating systems have the ability to transfer data between the host and the client, but UNIX is a bit more stable than Windows in this feature and it can run for years without a shut down, and re-boot. Windows however will meet most website requirements and software packages more easily than UNIX. Windows is also easier to use for the client.

Wherever there are Microsoft products such as MS Access databases, ASP for delivering content, and VBScript site enhancements you will need to create your site with Windows. UNIX is not compatible with those systems. If your web host uses them you must comply and use Windows even if you normally do not. The things that UNIX provides can be found already available in the Windows environment.

Comparison of Windows with Linux

Both Windows and Linux can support standard Cold Fusion, HTML and JavaScript files. Previously it was difficult to use Linux server for FrontPage extensions but now it is easy to do so. CGI and Perl platforms are though supported by Windows but Linux is commonly used for these. Linux commonly supports PHP while Windows support ASP.

One of the main advantages of Windows servers is that it can run on Microsoft’s software like that of Access and also on MS SQL databases. Windows servers allow the web developers to use Microsoft’s programming environments like that of Visual Basic Scripts, Active Server Pages (ASP), MS Index Server. On the contrary, Linux is not fully compatible with that of Microsoft technologies and hence if the users want to use Access, MS SQL, ASP, or VB development tools then Windows is always the better choice.

The best method to choose between the various platforms is to study what Windows has to offer. Not all of the Windows packages offer every component so you need to examine them carefully.

Some of the basic Windows-based hosting packages are as follows:

* .NET Support

ASP.net is the most modern of Microsoft’s Active Server Page and allows for a great integration of information sharing and access. It is an important part of the Internet Information Server or IIS. Some servers charge additional fees for this feature.

* Databases

Most web hosts provide Microsoft Access 2000 database to their customers. If a business is run on a larger scale and would clog up that system too easily a host may require MS SQL in order to ensure the system continues without crashing.

* PHP and ColdFusion

ColdFusion is an advanced option and all web hosts do not provide this tool. Only some specialized websites require this.

* Control Panel

Control panel is the key stone of the arch. This can be used by the website owner to monitor and maintain his/her website.

Other options you might expect from your web hosting service that uses Windows are POP3 email, IDs and Aliases, Bandwidth, Backup, IP, Webmail, STMTPs, and FTP accounts, CDONTS and ASP support.

Windows web hosting will always be popular among the customers as the logo and the name itself generates a trust and reliability. This Microsoft product has created such image in the minds of the people that they are not willing to go for any other option. Windows is in use since several years and has created a brand image for itself. There are several hosts that also provide Windows platform for hosting small business websites. It is an expectation of the people that Windows web hosting would also for a longer period of time and hence would ensure stability which is not available in other platforms.

Windows has a great support system for its users. This includes many free tutorials, and pages and pages of information as well as live and virtual technical support. That is just a part of what makes it so extremely popular amongst average people without technical backgrounds.

Hosting Your Blog

There is no doubt that blogs or weblogs are the in thing at the moment. A blog is the equivalent of a diary that is published on the internet and it allows the blogger to regularly post about their thoughts, feelings, musing and opinions that they want the world to know about. These posts are meant to be truthful expressions and something that people want to share with the world at large. A blog can be about any topic at all and it doesn’t have to just use words, it can use images or video clips too.

A great thing about blogs is that they are designed to encourage interaction and other people to get involved with their thoughts and feelings too. This means that most blogs steer clear of anything too controversial in an attempt to attract more people.

The amount of companies providing blog hosting services is extremely large. Basically, a company that hosts blogs is one that will host or make arrangements to have your blog contained on their server. Serious consideration about which type of host really needs to be made by those undertaking a blog for business reasons. Getting the right or wrong blog host can hugely impact on the success of the blog and if there is money or business at stake, this is obviously a vital decision. There is no doubt that a great blog is a massively useful marketing option for any firm.

Blogs are being looked at as serious marketing devices by many major companies and are therefore hiring top bloggers to write for them, on subjects ranging from electronics to movies and entertainment. The biggest step for all fledgling business blogs therefore is to find the right hosting company for themselves, to become as effective as possible.

Blog hosts can roughly be divided into three categories: exclusive blog hosting providers, web hosting providers and web hosting resellers too. Both web hosts and exclusive blog hosts provide people the choice of either free service or that of a paid one.

Providers of blog hosting space: Learn your blogging options

Even before you write your first blog, you should determine what your needs and goals are. These outcomes may have an influence on which host is best for you. If you blog for fun and enjoyment and require just the basic elements, you wont need much from your host but if you plan to utilize the blog for business purposes, your needs will be greater and your choice of host may vary.

If you are not computer savvy and are scared by technical issues, choose a hosting provider which doesn’t rely on technological issues. If you have internet skills, do not be afraid to choose a host where you can utilize your talents and have your blog customized the way you want.

This may sound strange but you can get more exposure by using a free-of-charge blog hoster as opposed to one you pay for. This is because the free hosts that are always found near the top of the search engine lists get there by including encoding which relates to better exposure. If you aim to make from the blog, this level of exposure could be a great boon.

There are also benefits of working with a web host provider to create your blog. Choosing this option will put you in charge of how your blog will look, its style, how its interface is operated and all other features that are contained in the blog. If you do not have sufficient HTML skills or are uncomfortable with encoding this options may not be for you. However, left in the capable hands of a skilled computer worker, this form of blog can be extremely attractive and add something to your marketing activities.

This is why your own skill set should impact on your choice of blog host. If you have the talent to utilize the HTML and technological elements, then you would be wise to choose the paid for options. If you have no great desires for your blog and just want a simple one, even if it is to make money, choosing a hosting company for blogs can make things easy on you.

How to get your blog hosted?

As far as blogging software is concerned, your choice is certainly between B2 Evolution or Wordpress. Once you have picked either of the two, the next decision that you are left with is the choice of a hosting company for your blog. We shall now swiftly go over some of the criteria that you must look at before you choose a blog host.

Determine if paid or free hosting is best for you: This choice is a primary one. There are always plus points of a free service but will it offer everything you need? There are a lot of adverts imposed on these sites and this may detract from the message you wish to give visitors. This is why if it can be afforded a paid host on a sharing system is the best option after you have chosen B2 or Wordpress.

Ask questions to see if your host offers compatibility with B2Evolution or Wordpress: A large number of blogs are coming with Wordpress or B2Evolution already installed which is helping to further the popularity of them. This feature removes much of the technical issues that installing the software would cause. This benefits the user by removing these issues from them. If you lack technical skills or want the easy option, select a blog host that has one of the software programs installed. With a number of clicks you will be all ready to run your own blog.

* Choosing the best host: Choosing the best host or getting the best deal out of the numerous B2 and Wordpress hosting providers available can often be a daunting prospect. A good way to go about choosing the best suited host for you would be to check out the various websites and web hosting forums which let you compare and check the existing B2 and Wordpress providers. This lets you compare everything from pricing to technically important data like bandwidth and disk space being offered. Don’t forget to check the user reviews for the various web hosts and blog hosts, before making your final choice.

* Reviews are one of the best criteria to decide best host: Read reviews and criticism of your short listed sites. If you feel your blog is likely to get many hits you can even think of using a dedicated server. Also before deciding between Wordpress and B2, it is always advisable to have some prior knowledge of the softwares as it makes your work so much easier. Uptime and customer satisfaction should be the top most things in your mind. At the end of the time, if you value your blog and your opinion, choose a host prudently.

How to Use Web Hosting Scripts Effectively

Much like plugins for your PC applications, web hosting scripts are programs, which add to the functions of the websites. Many web hosts offer scripts like Word Press, etc. free of cost to the clients. The main purpose of these scripts is to let the owners of the website add functions to their website at a minimal cost, besides requiring little time.

A range of scripts for web hosts are detailed next:

Fantastico is a script library used for commercial purposes, and it helps in automation of the process of installing web applications to a given site. These scripts can be executed only by the website administrator, from the Control Panel. The website of Fantastico has it that they have been installed on more than 10,000 servers and they have millions of users throughout the world, which is a major factor in making them the leading product in this regard.

The Fantastico scripts are executed upon the creation of a new website, or addition of an application to a current website. These scripts installs software helps in modification of web server file configuration, creation of tables in form of a database, etc. Though one may normally relate Fantastico to an open-source soft ware, there are some scripts available for installation of commercial products as well, and once they are installed, they can be used by every domain which a server hosts. For instance, we can site SohoLaunch’s website builder, the software for customer support by PerlDesk, and the software by Account Lab Plus for interaction with registrars of the internet.

There are over 50 applications that can be associated with Fantastico scripts with the more common ones featured below:

shopping cart software

* blogs

software to enable picture sharing

the enabling of a reliable web content management system

Wikis

It is difficult to make a selection between the web hosts of LINUX and Windows. You must be aware of the language used in the website prior to selecting a given operating system or the server for your requirement. If your website is a simple one having HTML content, or even an e-Commerce website or one with any programming database feature which is php or MySQL crated, then go for the LINUX platform. However, for ASP or ASP.NET sites, a Windows server is required.

As we have mentioned the terms PHP, MySQL and ASP.NET, it is worthwhile to consider them in greater detail.

Hypertext Preprocessor is the full name for the term PHP and it is a server side scripting language or a language used for programming. One of its advantages is the ease you can place a HTML code in it. PHP is commonly found beside APACHE on a number of operating systems, and it is commonly found on LINUX. PHP has a strong role as a filter and it eventually showcases a specific flow of data after it has filtered information from files storing content and instructions coming from PHP. PHP is provided free on the majority of servers, platforms and operating systems.

MySQL has a number of uses and its primary use is for finding and controlling data. It is a computer language for numerous users and has many threads and is handy for users who need to get hands on with their data and need to change it about. It is a management system for SQL databases that has a huge number of uses. MySQL is most frequently found on web applications, used as an open source tool for tracking bugs and to act as a database component on MAMP, LAMP and WAMP. There is no doubt that there are similarities between MySQL and PHP as well as “Ruby on Rails.” The vast majority of sites that are similar to Word Press will only work on a mixture of MySQL and PHP.

Active Server Page or ASP.NET is the platform division provided by Microsoft and it benefits from the hugely successful marketing that Microsoft offers. ASP.NET can be viewed as succeeding ASP technology and if you need to build websites, applications and XML web services, ASP.NET is for you. It manages to make constructing of web applications a far simpler task by reducing the amount of codes a user needs. There is a higher level of flexibility offered by ASP.NET, particularly with regards to selecting languages as it can be used with a large number of .NET languages. As HTML and source codes can be combined and used as a partnership, it becomes easier to maintain and write with regards to hosting a web site with ASP.NET. A further benefit comes from the fact that as the information for configuration is pre-loaded, there is not a separate requirement to register the individual components that are used. Lastly, this is an extremely fast application and is able to host a large amount of users with no noticeable impact on performance.

Now you are armed with knowledge about these technical descriptions, you can make a more informed decision regarding the server. Although there may be some problems in trying to use CGI scripts to automate the website, there is no doubt that repeated use will make it a far easier task over time.

Most users find it helpful to start with a simple script. A handy place to find CGI scripts is at cgi-resources.com. Here you can find all manner of paid for and free scripts which will enable anyone to use mails, rotate banners, manage their website, place classified advertisements, apply protected passwords, host polls, enable mailing lists, place a search engine upon your site, run shopping carts and much more. Some of these scripts charge but it is possible to lower costs by finding cheaper or free scripts and running them yourself. Paying the highest price is not always the best option as sometimes the features you need may be on the low cost scripts.

The most important hindrance in webmasters not using scripts is because they have the impression that a thorough knowledge in computer science is required for setting it up, which is false. For CGI scripts, however, access is required to your server, but some free providers allow users the chance of uploading CGI scripts. You can try many combinations of these CGI scripts before going ahead with any one of them.

If the scripts include a setup or a config file, then setting up CGI scripts would be quite simple. Upon uploading the files onto your server, you would be able to access the config files and the setup files, and after you enter some content into it, the script automatically sets itself up. Having a variable file is another way of setting up things. Generally, the file has most of the information required for running the script. The most general scripts may have multiple files which need to be configured for their working.

In general, a script comes with a setup file or a read-me, which is used in HTML text. You can follow the directions after opening it up. There are some script writers who give good instructions, but there are some of them who simply assume that the one who is required to set up the script has enough information about it. Try finding an alternative script for performing a similar kind of job if you are confused.

If you select CGI scripts, then you will find that maintaining the site becomes a lot easier, and the website would be quite interactive as well.

Web Hosting 101

The history of we hosting started in 1990 when the first web program was written by Tim Berners Lee. A great number of programs followed with companies creating their own form of services to offer web hosting which has resulted in the modern scenario. Today there is a huge increase in the web hosting industry. Although the term web hosting is very common today, it meant nothing before 1991 and similarly, there no ideas of the internet at that time either. However, to get the best from modern web hosting it can be worthwhile to research the development of the internet and it has developed a lot. Aside from television and radio, the internet is probably the largest technological development and there are over 50 million websites, making up the platform of the modern internet. If you did not have websites to visit, what would you do online?

How it all started.

It was back in August of 1962 when J.C.R. Licklider of MIT introduced the ideas that went onto form the internet. Licklider created a lot of articles regarding the future and one of his main topics was about the Galactic Network which was based on millions of computers linked to each other providing information of many people to benefit from. The next step for Licklider was to take a trip to the Advanced Research Project Agency [ARPA] which was the computer science project offered at MIT. When there, Licklider attempted to wow and detail the benefits that would come from networking and linking computers together.

An interesting point to mention here is that the militants developed the ARPA at the same time as they developed NASA, in order to find a manner in which the United States could make pace to catch up with USSR in the space arena after launching Sputnik, an artificial Russian satellite. Computer networking initially meant packet switching, based on the concept that it would be possible to send data through telephone lines as small packages rather than using the solid lines of circuit. In this manner, the connections would be used only when information was traveling through it, which would free up space on the system for the computer to perform more activities. Later on, while working on a project for allowing the telecommunication system to even survive a nuclear war, Paul Baran would come up with the Hot Potato networking design, which would lay the base for what would come to be known as the internet.

Following on from this, was the process that allowed computers to talk back and forth to each other and there is no doubt that 1991 was a pivotal year for the development of the internet. It was already around before then but this year was the base for the internet to grow into much bigger things. A major step came when the National Science Foundation] NSF] made a judgment that the web restrictions that prohibited commercial activity should be lifted. This changed everything and resulted in much more scope and possibilities for the internet. What is now known as e-commerce was born and a whole host of companies who foresaw the benefits the internet would bring came rushing in behind. It was at the tail-end of 1991 that WWW or the World Wide Web started to be used by CERN and it incorporated Hyper Text Markup Language [HTML.] HTML was developed by Tim Berner Lee and it was linked to the website address or it’s Uniform Resource Locator [URL.] That’s a whole of abbreviations to learn but it is now synonymous with the location of addresses for websites and the World Wide Web.

Although its early use may have been mainly benefited by computer and technologically minded people, the internet was soon to spread to the general public, greatly assisted by its simplistic methods. Of course, as the internet grew, complexities followed but it was offering many new benefits and the business world was not slow in predicting a positive future nor was it slow in cashing in on it.

Web hosting was pretty expensive in the earlier days, but now it is quite reasonable, though a bit complex for a common man to decipher. The beginning saw big companies renting space on their server, and this has become a business now. The number of companies offering web hosting services is equal to the number of companies providing access to the internet. The internet has evolved with the evolution in computers. The way business is conducted has seen a drastic change with the introduction of computers and web hosting facilities.

Statistics claim that today there are 35,000+ businesses which host 100+ websites on their server. Due to the increase in competition, the industry is seeing a huge growth. In fact, as you read this, 100’s of companies have already been added to the list. The first program for the WWW was of a hypertext editor which was executed in the NeXT machine. A line mode browser was used at that point of time, designed by Nicola Pellow, a student. The server published the specifications of HTTP, UDI and HTML in order to facilitate discussion by people who research on the given topic. For accessing the internet, browsers like Cello, Mosaic, etc. were introduced to enable clients to work on machines other than NeXT. 1994 marked the beginning of the World Wide Consortium, which is a landmark event where companies formed together to create common protocols for the Web, and then began a world of the web.

Prior to this, there had been publications of various TCP/IP related features which enabled networking without even knowing the potential that this protocol had for the future. In the past couple of years, most of the discussions at the IETF meeting gave a lot of importance to topics related to the TCP/IP protocols and the manner in which it could be expanded. For this purpose, some tools were required, and discussion was also done on its features. Some basic products meant for networking were developed for this purpose, which provided an internet connection. These were the limits to which commercial efforts went. But when the users of the internet grew substantially, it became an essential service and the internet captured the imagination of the common man. Technology developments had a big role to play in making this possible.

This can be seen in the way that many IT organizations such as Microsystems, Sun, Microsoft or IBM have moved into the internet market with an array of products, tools and other items to assist the development of the internet and web applications. There has been a development in the way that web servers are providing access to customers and the web pages that they need to visit, in addition to a large range of additional services and features.

In order to facilitate this growing demand, there has been a need for hardware manufacturers to manufacture bigger and better working servers to continue the rate of growth of the web hosting industry. The internet and how it works has changed dramatically over time and it is now viewed as a Peer to Peer [P2P] network, which has developed from the previous Personal Computer [PS] and client server states. There are a multitude of features that can be undertaken on the internet and they include distributing data and information, contacting others by email, logging remotely and much more. If you can think of it, it has probably already been done, yet there are still many more transformations to come from the internet. Concepts like internet telephony and television are very recent additions and who can say what form the internet will be in when it comes to a decade or so from now.

What is Reseller Web Hosting

The next step that you need to take after choosing a web-host for your site is to zero down upon a proper hosting plan. Depending on your needs, reseller web hosting may be the best option for you, even if you aren’t a web hosting reseller. It all depends on your monetary ability to provide for the plan and hence if you run a relatively smaller website your preference will be unlike what you’ll choose for a profitable site. The options presented vary between these: hosting for one little website, for a relatively larger one, for a mega-site, or a hosting plan that you can employ to extend into a network of websites.

So what you essentially have to do is decide between a starter plan for the uninitiated, a plan that hosts a large website and provides for over one domain, or a dedicated server that is expensive and hosts a network of various sites for business purposes mainly.

If your business is entirely based on the internet, then due to increased demand, you will need a bigger website. The same goes for a web designer, as once you design a website properly, the demand increases and the need for a bigger website becomes inevitable. You need to save time while you set up a new project, and for this purpose, you need a flexible and an affordable web hosting plan. A reseller hosting package would be a good solution to all these problems which you may confront.

Then again you could actually run your own lucrative production of web hosting instead of the facing the manifold troubles of running a web-server. What you gain through this is an abundance of space in your account for various projects, and be able to minimize your costs by (as well as profit) by offering other people the required space for their domains.

All you have to do is to set up an account and in the process you will be required to answer to a few queries but there is no major hurdle as such because responsibility of running a web server shall be taken over by the hosting company. You may also need to spend a little money for advertisement and promotion of your web hosting business, but this amount is quite small as compared to the huge amount of profit that you will be able to pocket.

So what actually do we mean by reseller hosting?

Reseller hosting is a type of web hosting, here you have the capacity to be able to host websites on behalf of third parties by using the hard disk space and band with. As a reseller the main aim is to buy the facilities from the host and then sell it to third parties such that you are able to pocket a decent amount of profit for your own. In this case a fraction of the amount of the hard drive and bandwidth is charged to the account of the reseller. So here it is possible for a reseller to be able to lese a dedicated server from either a hosting company or from a resell collective hosting services.

Most of the resellers are the ones who either web developers or who run web designs. In case of fresher, reseller hosting is a cheap and economical way in which they can start off with their own business. Even in the case of more experience people such as web masters and also internet consultants reseller hosting is a very lucrative avenue. Here most of the hosting resellers give full independence to the individual resellers to have their own service and fees structure.

There are many advantages associated with such a system, some of which are mentioned below.

First of all, you need not have a sound and technical knowledge of how web hosting works. The owner of a dedicated server will take care of the server and its configuration, since that’s his responsibility. He prima facie also take the responsibility of security and updates made to it as per your requirement, while the main responsibility of the operator of the data center is to maintain the hardware and the infrastructure requirements. As a reseller, your job would be to provide answers to the problems faced by the customers, but all the problems regarding software, hardware and configuration are forwarded to the provider of the server. The resellers can gain web supervision over the accounts of the customers by using the Control Panels. A soft ware “Modern Bill” provides great help to resellers due to its facility of automatically creating and billing accounts. Some of the listed Control Panels are:

Webmin- Unix

WHM/cPanel- Unix

DirectAdmin- Unix

Webmin- Unix

Ensim Pro- Windows/Unix

Helm- Windows

The reseller gets benefits both for the short term, as well as for the long term. You can actually build your business by making your own rules and get away with giving excuses to the service provider. There are some owners of servers who assign your name servers a unique IP address, which gives you the liberty of hosting as many websites as you wish to, within the constraint of the space and bandwidth, though. Flexibility is a very good feature of most of the reseller accounts, which permits you to expand the hosting account whenever you feel the need to do so.

Most of the resellers provide a package deal to the customers and also provide discount that reach up to 50% to the resellers, this discount is given on the price of the initial reseller hosting account. Reseller hosting is a perfect answer for all the people who wish to have reliable and consistent performance in their business.

How to Choose the Right Domain Name

Domain name is the web address of your site, which generally follows with a ‘www’. We can mention an example of this which is also a well reputed domain name is www.amazon.com.

What makes a good domain name?

The web address of your site should, by no means, be a difficult one to write or remember. It is supposed to be an aid, not a barrier. Well, for a domain name, you can definitely consider your company’s name but at the same time, you can have a bias towards a phrase that promotes your own identity and your offerings.

It is expected that you consider the opinion of others about your choices of domain name to familiarize yourself with the kind of domain names that your users might prefer.

Well, here I denote certain things that you need to fight shy of while registering a domain name to be used for your main company web site:

1. There is a possibility of forgetting your domain name while typing the name into the browser or e-mailing you if you use a hyphen. So, avoid hyphen to reduce future problems.

2. Strive not to use digits in your domain name. For instance, if it is 3.com, you have to make everybody aware that it is not ‘three’ but ‘3′.

Now, with regard to your domain name, I will show some positive things:

1. Well, though not necessary, it is better to use ‘.com’ as a part of your domain name. You will get to see that people often forget addresses that end in ‘.net’ or ‘.org’ and on a more serious note, wrong address often becomes the destination of confidential e-mails.

2. Keep the spelling of the domain name simple.

3. 3 words or 20 characters should be its maximum length. So, make it as short as possible.

You should attach a lot of importance to the factors mentioned above, for the domain name of your primary company. You can consider ‘.net’ sites, hyphens and numbers for the secondary sites, but refrain from using them for the primary company.

Well, it goes without saying that ‘.com’ extension is the most available one as far as the web sites are concerned. So, if possible, my suggestion would be to use ‘.com’ as part of your domain name. But, now it’s not easy to find good ‘.com’ domains as most have been obtained.

It is of immense importance to clarify that ‘.com’, ‘.net’, ‘.org’ actually indicated three different things. ‘.com’ stands for commercial purposes, ‘.net’ stands for network purposes and ‘.org’ stands for non-profit purposes. But, this demarcating line has become fuzzy. Now, don’t think about these and outs and choose any of the extensions available for domain names.

Using uppercase and lowercase letters

As capitalization does not make any difference, your domain name can have thus anything ranging from numbers to letters or even to dashes.

Should my domain name have dash?

It’s better for you to remember that you might face a situation where your desired domain name has already been purchased, whereas, the same name is available with a dash. Make yourself familiar with the problems of using dash, although, sometimes it remains as the only option for you.

1) Using a dash in your domain name can be never ideal for communication. Users are likely to end up at a wrong site unless you tell them the proper place to put the dash and they put it perfectly.

2) Dash is often left out by people as it is always difficult to use and uncommon to type.

Price of a Domain Name: You need to know that you have to pay as annual fee ranging from $6 to $50 varying as per the registration service) for your right to use the chosen domain name. But, it is just a rental service without letting you purchase the domain name.

It is your choice whether you wish to use a cheap registrant whose service over a period of time is doubtful. But remember that a saving in the short term might cost you in the long run. You should stress on the access control panel domain when you are registering for your domain. As far as the domain registrars go, many of them permit the webmasters to edit the domain hosting, manage the DNS records, and also widen the domain so that transfer of the domain from one registrar to another becomes easy through the internet, without requiring any support. This gives you a lot of control and freedom as a webmaster. If you have got registered under a particular registrar, you will never want to bear the effect of any mistake incurred by the registrar, if you have settled on the domain for a fair period of time.

So, make sure that your domain name is registered remembering all the things mentioned above to prosper properly on this track. Will it be a Problem if someone else manages My Domain name?

It is expected that you will remain the owner or administrative contact of the account to solve future problems, though you can let others manage. For example, the information needed to shift your files to a new server in the future may be impossible to edit for you. You won’t be able to direct browsers to your site’s new location if you are not the owner or administrator of the domain name.

As more than 20,000,000 domain names have already been registered, it is indeed surprising if you are satisfied with your domain name. Your choice of your domain name affects your purchasing the domain name. Apart from this, you can be inspired in the future in the future to think about an unregistered name that can be secured. Let me remind you that if you give a suitable mount of money (which you should have in your pocket) to the present owner of the perfect domain name, it is both sensible and wise.

You are expected to be a marketer who researches and this research on this subject makes you familiar with a mixed bag of opinions. Your choosing of domain name can be sometimes discouraging as well. But, two common points are there.

1. At the very outset of your business plan, choose your domain name. This is ideal in a competitive market.

2. Register the domain name as soon as you select it.

To conclude, let me inform you that even if you haven’t resolved your business plan, purchase the domain names that have fascinated you. It is not very expensive if it is bought at an affordable registrar like GoDaddy. In the future, you can resell it and can even enrich it with creative content. But, once you don’t buy it, you may not get it in the future.

How To Find a Reliable Web Hosting Company

Making a catalog of your entire web hosting requirements is the first thing you should do before looking for a trustworthy web-hosting corporation. Check details like the necessary area needed, the total mails received, the space set aside for relocations, if you will need a database or shopping basket. Think about including chat aspects, make a forum or take a commercial account. All this is necessary, as, for a web host to be trustworthy, your requirements have to top the priority list. The following list is about the characteristics that a web host needs to have:

Dependability and Uptime

Find out how much Uptime your web host guarantees for your site, for greater Uptime means greater accessibility. Certain web hosts guarantee Uptimes of nearly 99.5%! Enquire about the hardware, safeguards and the connection stability, all of which minimizes downtime.

Pricing

Your web host should charge you a reasonable price and offer you flexible ways of making the payment. Look out for hidden costs, setup fees etc. But setup fees are now charged by most major companies to cover their costs for having quality technical support.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is a very important component is increasing or depleting the trade developments. If the host gives an undersized bandwidth then you pay more if you download more than the limit. However, many hosts will give more bandwidth at around the same costs. Select carefully. Don’t be fooled by any promises of ‘Unlimited Bandwidth’. It does not exist. Have a limit of at least 1GB of data flow. This will let more interchanges as the site becomes popular.

Storage Space of Disk

Space is another crucial factor as far as growth is concerned. You will find web hosts offering you 20 to 50 MB space while others offering 100 MB space, at again roughly a similar price. Go for the ones offering 100 MB and greater, for otherwise you will end up paying $5 to $10 more for every 10 MB additional space.

Server Speed-Velocity of the Server

Before zeroing on your web host, check the server speed. Use a free tool like Net Mechanic to gauge the access speed for all facets of access like connect time, download time, DNS lookup, network speed and absence of timeouts. The download time figures will tell you how fast or reliable the server is. Run a speed check on all the prospective web hosts that you decide, both in peak hours and non-peak hours.

Fundamental Characteristics

Select such a web host that offers a wide range of characteristics from the very beginning. You may be charged extra for features that some web hosts attach every month.

Multiple Domain Names

If in case you use more than one domain name, find out if your web hosting account will allow multiple hosting and if they will charge more for this service. Some web hosts do not charge anything extra for multiple domain names.

Email Auto responders and Mail Forwarding Accounts-Mail Auto- Responders and Forward Accounts

Make sure that your web hosting account permits forwarding of emails. It becomes extremely efficient and easy if all your emails from many of your websites are forwarded to your ISP service. Without logging into each and every one of your accounts, you can simultaneously read all the mail. Autoresponder is another time saving device that also acts as a great marketing tool. It is a program that sends any of your wanted pre-written messages to anyone who mails you. You can stay connected and increase your publicity while drastically reducing your own workload with this program.

List for Mailing

See if the web-hosting corporation will let you make mailing lists. Such a list or an online, mail based conversation assembly will be useful if you disperse the ezone for marketing strategies and endorsement episodes.

File Transfer Protocol or FTP

This is an assistance offered by all hosting corporations. It is a main tool and lets fast and competent file flow from one site to another.

Setting up Anonymous FTP accounts

This service gives you a FTP website that lets users have accessibility to download the required data and files. These nameless mail accounts can get you good money if people make huge downloads of free e-books or software and so on. The best advantage is that if the Net service or phone corporation drops work while file transfers or downloads, you can still keep downloading from wherever you stopped as soon as you reconnect.

Using a Secured or SSL Server

You have to use a very secure server if your trade deals with financial exchanges through the site. You may require meeting extra web hosting expenses for the service but the lack of a secure server can prevent clients from coming. You need a safe server like SSL server, which lets data in a structure to be figured out before transferring it to the server from the browser. This is especially important in cases where orders are taken and personal data like card numbers are exchanged.

CGI Scripts-Scripts of CGI

CGI scripts are usually used to obtain information from any form and then this information is conveniently sent to your email account. Decent web hosting companies are bound to have a library of CGI scripts which can be used by people hosting their sites. But the best web hosting accounts will allow you to add your own desired CGI scripts and use them. Go for web hosts which allow you this provision, for even though you might think you don’t need to use CGI scripts that much, you might need them later.

Highly Developed Features

See if the web host has developed characteristics like RealAudio/Video, Java Applets, Database Access, Password Protection and PHP so that your site may use them if required.

Backup-Support

Everyday, your web directory will most certainly be backed up by almost every web hosting service. It is unthinkable nowadays to not provide this basic service. To ensure that your website is not lost in the confusion, certain web hosts provide you with unnecessary and unimportant backups.

Security and Assurance

Since there are many web hosts present it can be problematic choosing and believing in the right one. Services that give plans like a money back strategy can be helpful if you are displeased with the functioning. Hosts giving out such plans are also more competent and trustworthy.

Being Flexible

A stagnant web hosting service can be the worst bane for your website and your business. It too needs to grow along with your website and business. So if you desire to include newer features like ecommerce, it should be able to upgrade and provide you with facilities like shopping cart, storefront or a merchant account. The web host should have constant upgrades an should be ready to provide you services like more web space, or your own dedicated server or even a forum.

Secure Web Hosting With SSL Certificates

“SSL certificates” are used by many businesses on line to create a secure atmosphere for their clients. These applications formerly known as Secured Socket Layers encrypt data so that information can be stored and used with confidence online. With fear of hacking and stealing of vital information on everyone’s mind this type of security is vital to your business. Without it your information is easily available to others online. SSL protocol uses a Certificate Authority to provide third party security for both transaction parties. It is a well-used technology that is proven and the industry standard for top security online.

Websites are most commonly used for business purposes. Sites like Amazon, Dell, and Ebay are shining examples of the impact e-commerce has made on our society. They all use a rapid exchange of confidential information in order to transact such business. By using other payment gateway sites such as Paypal, they collect private information to charge credit cards, as well as personal addresses and more. This data would be vulnerable to internet hackers resulting in severe damage without proper protection.

Without SSL protection it is easy to manipulate secured data. While the technology that SSL uses to secure data is not absolute, it restricts the ability of hacking almost completely. E-commerce businesses that store valuable data on their customers use SSL certificates exclusively in their everyday exchanges. It is so popular that customers have learned to look for the encryption sign as a symbol of their assurance to security. When they see a change in their URL to HTTPS:// they feel safe in using the service.

There are manifold benefits of SSL certification installation which a professional web host can provide:

* Customer Confidence in SSL certification

Customers feel good when they see the signs that indicate an SSL secured website. These signals include the ‘https’ in their browser’s URL and the SSL site seal as well as the secure locked padlock next to the URL. They gain a feeling of relief and enjoy stress free shopping with the understanding of security protecting their private banking and other information. Your host understands these requirements and targets your exact needs. Your many customers that wish to purchase products online need that security to feel comfortable doing so feeling your site is reliable and authentic.

* Keeps your Customer’s Information Confidential:

The measure of your web host’s success is the ability to install SSL certificates properly. The technology of encryption is measured by bytes. Your webhost will have knowledge of that for sure. If your web host can provide the necessary SSL certificates your customers information will be secure and your reputation will be stronger for it.

* Fast certification installation

Your webhost can get your certification up online in a short amount of time. They have the personnel and knowledge to understand the complex needs of installing SSL certificates and the resources available to complete the process. If you plan on going it alone and installing your own certificate you need the knowledge to complete the act.

* Helps in meeting regulatory requirements

Your web host caters to its clientele or web site owner in a variety of fields from finance to health care. There are several companies, however, that need to know their government requirements in the area of protection where confidential information is concerned. These regulations are exactly what SSL Certificates provide the extra security for.

The right web host for SSL certification installation:

* Web-based User Friendly Control Panel

Everything you do on your website will go through your control panel. It enables the management of your server. Make sure that you find a host that you feel comfortable with using their interface.

* Web hosts should provide dedicated IP address

The host should be able to provide a dedicated IP address which is essential for secured socket layers and Virtual FTP accounts.

* Watch out for hidden charges

The web hosts have a typical tendency to add hidden charges. After the installation is complete they include that in the list of charges. Such hosts, who don’t provide a clear estimation, should always be avoided.

* Compatibility with a variety of browsers

Chances are good your customers will not use the same browser as everybody else. Your host should provide installation of certificates that work on all popular browsers.

* Proper instructions

The web host should posses ample knowledge of all the technicalities related to SSL installation. He/she should be able to guide website owners who are ignorant about exactly which pages will have to be encrypted and which will not. SSL provides an option to turn it on when required and off when not in use.

* Shared SSL certificate

Another type of SSL certificate is the shared SSL given to authentic web hosts. This web host will install SSL certificates for their customers the same way dedicated certificates are installed. The difference is this type of SSL certificate is linked with the Secure Site Seal issued to domain owners. This type of SSL certificate allows top-level hosts to secure their own information. This requires the special expertise of a web host.

Installing an SSL certificate

Step 1:

The domain where the SSL certificate would be installed should have its own dedicated IP address. The Web host has knowledge of it as they will be handling the entire process.

Step 2:

Before the installation process of SSL certificate begins, the web hosts checks if owner has a Certificate Signing request generated or not.

Step 3:

When a web host opens the control panel they look for the ‘Install SSL certificate and Setup the Domain, and click on it. A window appears with the wizard to install the certificate.

Step 4:

In that wizard, they paste the certificate which is obtained from SSL vendor. Note: This is not the same as that of CSR

Step 5:

When the next box opens a Domain section appears. This is where the SSL is applied. In another field labeled ‘user’ the control panel name is added followed by the dedicated IP address to install the certificate.

Step 6:

Finally to end the installation process the host pastes the RSA private key and it’s complete. Note: The process may vary from host to host. The above is a general scenario to provide a description of the process.

Who Are the Top 5 Web Hosting Companies?

Every web hosting site is different and there are a wide variety of services available. Internet providers often offer free web sites to their customers. Many people prefer to purchase hosting services from professionals. Personal website hosts are often more affordable than websites that cater to business. A hosting services set up for professional usage will provide a control panel for access to the functions of the web site and management of its content and installation of scripts. These professional website providers can be easily searched online through the variety of search engines.

While selecting a hosting service provider, one has to carefully go through the services and packages that they are offering. Hosting service providers often offer discounts on packages which can be effective for those hunting for cheap services. Host Uptime is a big factor that has to be taken into consideration. Uptime refers to the total time the host is accessible through internet. If performance goals promised by the professionals are not met, the owner can ask for a refund or cut down of cost. These factors however depend on the company principles and hosting policies.

There are various types of web hosts such as:

* Dedicated hosting: When the owner gets full rights on the server and has all the administrative accesses, it is called a dedicated server.

* Managed hosting: With a managed hosting service you get the same separate server as the dedicated hosting but not the administrative access. This service is normally leased.

* Virtual hosting: A virtual server is separated and all users feel they have a dedicated service but they are really sharing the server with others. Each user does have their own access to an individual space on the server.

* Free hosting: Advertisement supported hostings are free.

There are a few less popular types such as reseller hosts, shared hosts, grid web hosts, clustered hosts, and collocation hosts.

The most common type of service offered by web host companies is the general internet access plan. This package provides all of the services mentioned above as well as site design and email access, billing information available online, content management, technical information, and backup services.

When selecting a web host provider you can use certain parameters to make a decision based on the important information you will need to have a good experience. Some of the important aspects to consider are Uptime, amount of disk space, bandwidth, support, and security socket layer availability. The top 5 companies that offer web hosting services are listed below selected for their abilities in these areas.

Top 5 hosting companies are mentioned below:

1. Hostmonster- This web host service has been in existence since 1996. They have a reputation for providing great service at a low cost. Their backup system is secure and reliable their customers have a great sense of security. They provide a large amount of information on their use and procedure to give visitors a clear understanding of their performance.

There are a large number of hosting features this company gives its customers including:

* Large amounts of disc storage

* Domain name

* Email addresses

* Additional domains

* Domain parking capability

* Advanced technology

* e-commerce features

* Multi-media ability

* bonus features

* Other bonus features

2. Inmotion hosting: This is a web hosting company that is providing it services to clients all over the world. The flexibility and reliability of its services is praiseworthy. The company has won the Top Business Host Award 2008 and has been listed among the top 10 hosting companies. The company has been awarded for all its specific services in 2003, 2006, 2007 including 2008. Since 2001, the company has been serving its clients with dedication. The company shares partnership with CNET Certified Service provider, BBB reliability program and SWsoft official partner. Services rendered by the company include:

* Private Virtual server

* Virtual private server

* Business Class hosting

* Cheap personal web hosting

* Management capability

3. Bluehost: This company is one of the top web hosts around and have been serving the internet community since 1996. Their high-quality service and reliable and wide-ranging Uptime are just a few of the many services this company offers. They have a superb server environment, easy to use control panel, quality security features and more for their customers. Their reliability is what their customers have come to depend on. Their clients benefit from their many services as much as they do.

Apart from the basic web hosting services, the company offers:

* Free website plug-in scripts like message forum, poll survey and software, moodle, PHP nuke, Tikiwiki and more.

* Wide range of e-commerce features like Agora shipping cart, cube cart shopping cart, password protected directories and more.

* Multimedia features and world class technology are also there in the list.

4. RackSpace Inc: Rackspace is a UK based company that began its service in 1996. They are registered as Rackspace LTD and are known to be one of Europe’s top web host servers. Amongst the many large businesses that use Rackspace are Vue, OnSpeed, Renault, and Confused.com. Rackspace was included in ‘The Sunday Times’ list of 2007 best companies.

* Their service includes solutions for companies of all sizes.

* Management configuration and green configuration provided.

* Visualization

* Excellent security services

* Database

* Database services

* Visualization

* Reporting and administration

5. Godaddy.com: Godaddy is one of the Internet’s most popular web hosts amoungst personal and business web host customers. They are flexible and authentic and have awards in their list that provide good proof of the quality of their service and their prominence in the industry of web hosting. They use lucrative discounts and promotions to entice customers which can be valuable for those seeking cheap hosting service. Along with their discounts they continue to offer the same services as big host services.

A sample of the services offered by this company are:

* 20% discounts on packages

* Host server

* Easy to use site builders

* Functions for business and e-commerce

* Websites for both commerce and business

* Expanded websites

* Web developers can get the offers as well as individuals

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