Web Hosting- Your Business’ Backbone

A web host is the backbone of your website. It can make the difference between temporarily offline and up and running! The best hosting today is provided by websites such as Bluehost, GoDaddy etc. Most of today’s web host, which are basically servers, are powered by Linux platform. While most of them offer the same services there are a few important details to pay attention to.
Always chose a web host that offers PHP5 and latest version an SQL database software as these are the two basic things you will need. If you are a newcomer its best to opt Fantastico! or a similar automatic script installer software. These help you getting your website running within seconds and a few clicks of the mouse. Every web host mentions its up-time guarantee which often is 99.9%. However always ask other customers of that web host before using to get first hand information.
Web host usually offer domain name registering along with web hosting usually as a package. Preferably go for a .com TLD unless your website is non commercial. Also check the content prohibited by your webhost otherwise they may pull your website down without notice. If the content you plan to have is confidential opt for SSL. Payment methods are mostly via online cash such as credit card or Paypal. Popular webhosts offer money back guarantee so make sure you keep all your details. Also if you are unsure about the nameservers configuration have a webmaster do it for you.

Choosing a web host

When people look around before choosing a web hosting service it seems like everyone is offering the best and making a choice can be exceedingly difficult. Every hosting service seems to promise the best service for the most competent price. The challenge herein lies in separating the truth from the tall claims and this can be quite an ordeal. Reliability is the most highly priced quality in hosting services and also the rarest.

There is no certain way to do this. Almost every web hosting service promises that a site will be available at least 99 % of the time but in almost all cases this is not true. Most hosting services have a server crash or shut down for maintenance quite often and during this time there is almost no customer service in place either. Many hosting companies go as far as to get a certification from a third party that they are uptime at least 99% of the time in order to get your custom.

Even the most planned server experiences downtime and at such a time site monitoring services come in handy. These services monitor sites, servers and other associated things such as routers so that if any of the sites you have requested to be monitored has a problem you are alerted immediately. Some service providers however prohibit such monitoring services because it adds to the bandwidth usage which adds to the load on the server which slows things down considerably.

So when you’re deciding on a web hosting service check out how durable it really is. Don’t listen to claims that are made on websites and find out for yourself through monitors. You are going to be stuck with the same hosting service for some time to come so it is best if you satisfy yourself about its services before proceeding.

Globat - Review

Feature Set:

With Globat's GX01 plan, you receive unlimited disk storage, unlimited email addresses and unlimited monthly data transfer. Compare: Most websites use less than 50 MB of disk storage, 10 email addresses and 1 Gigabyte of bandwidth. This host can meet the needs of your basic website quite affordably but allows virtually unlimited room for growth.

Globat assists in all aspects of setting up an Internet-based business including a shopping cart, merchant account, free domain name registration with the ability to host unlimited additional domains, and unlimited email accounts.

Customer Service:

Globat offers a comprehensive array of support options, including email, support tickets (a method to index your past questions and resolutions in case of reoccurrence), live-chat and toll-free telephone support. Globat support is available 24/7 so if you have a problem late or on a weekend you can still find the help you need. Reliable customer and technical support is critical for a web hosting company, and Globat goes the distance with a 30 day money back guarantee.

Globat also offers over 30 Flash video tutorials and a FAQ section on their website. If you are new to web hosting, these tutorials and FAQs will be invaluable when setting up your POP3 email, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and other tasks.

Control Panel:

Globat uses a "Command Console" that allows you to conveniently manage your email addresses, web space allotments, password protected folders and statistics.

Through the Globat's control panel, you can also download free webmaster tools and software. These tools will make your job as a web creator much easier. You'll have instant access to an HTML compressor, popup maker, password manager, HTML editor and more: Everything you need to create an attractive and successful website.

Summary:
Globat is an outstanding web hosting company. You can't go wrong with the exceptional price, comprehensive features, reliable customer service and support, and the money-back guarantee. Globat GX01 combines unlimited disk space and data transfer with a competitive price, setting the standard for web hosting

Godaddy - Review

GoDaddy has a variety of web hosting options, different packages and a host of additional features that make it a great option for hosting a personal webpage or small business site. With competitive rates and additional valuable add-ons, GoDaddy is a great web-hosting solution that is easy to setup and simple to use.

Feature Set:

GoDaddy’s web hosting packages come loaded with features. GoDaddy is proud of their world class data center and physical services, and reasonably so. GoDaddy actually owns their hosting facilities, which feature state of the art security and advanced backup technology for complete and competent network servers.

Each GoDaddy hosting plan comes with web site statistic tools to help you keep an eye on how your hosted page is performing. Setup is absolutely free, and includes access to the GoDaddy.com Hosting Connection, where you can interact with other GoDaddy users and find free applications to use on your web site.

Each GoDaddy hosting plan also comes with a variety of free software and credits to help you get the word out on your site. The Deluxe plan that we reviewed includes a $25 Google AdWord credit, a $50 Microsoft adCenter credit, and a $50 Facebook credit.

GoDaddy provides other tools as well for further adding function to your site. You can host forums on your GoDaddy website, start a blog, and show off your photos. And while GoDaddy doesn’t include a free shopping cart, they do have e-commerce solutions available, including merchant accounts and the Quick Shopping Cart.

Customer Service:

GoDaddy has a variety of help and support options available, and they’re accessible all of the time. The online support forum and FAQs section are well organized and contain a wealth of knowledge for beginners and advanced users alike.

GoDaddy service representatives can also be contacted on the phone, or through email. GoDaddy is a large company with several users, so personal help would be expectedly slower than others. However, GoDaddy’s support team is quick to respond, and the expected response time for emails has significantly decreased since our last review. The 10 to 12 hour response time has been cut down to 1.

Control Panel:

GoDaddy helps beginners easily set up their site, and includes additional tools for advanced developers to work with. GoDaddy also offers a variety of professional site building services and designs for additional fees. Regardless, all GoDaddy solutions support several programming languages. The deluxe plan we reviewed supports CGI (Python and Ruby), PHP, Perl, ASP, MySQL, ColdFusion, and FrontPage extensions.

Most functions within the Account Management tool are similar to other control panels. In addition, with GoDaddy.com you can perform account management tasks, email management, web security, database setup and management, and manage statistic tools.

Summary:

GoDaddy is a worthy competitor and worthwhile web hosting service. They provide all the essentials and then some, complete with secure facilities. The setup process is straightforward, and GoDaddy has an option for all levels of management, from beginner to expert. Though not as complete as a couple of our other reviewed web hosting services, GoDaddy has what it takes, and is definitely a great option.

Pros and cons of dedicated hosting

A dedicated hosting plan means that you rent an entire server, just for you. You have root access and the machine is yours to do whatever you want with it.

Pros :

• Dedicated resources : the CPU, RAM, hard drive are all yours to take
• Flexibility : root access to set up the server to your liking and install whatever you want
• Security is in your hands alone
• Dependency on the web host is minimal
• Can be used to ‘resell’ space

Cons :

• More expensive : often above 100$/month
• Extensive technical knowledge may be required (depending on the level of support)
• Requires more maintenance

If you have access to the knowledge, expertise, money and time it takes to manage a dedicated server, it’s the ultimate choice. Complete flexibility to do whatever you want and to keep everything secure. If however you don’t manage the server well, security and performance can quickly drop well below that of even a shared hosting plan.

Independent Thought
As the world is advancing by people found new ways of learning things. Nowadays many people are doing online certification to prove their skills. If they know about Oracle database then in order to certify it they should give 1z0-042 exams. There are many companies offering different courses like 350-018 which are recognized all around the world. If you have any experience in networking, then go for Cisco 640-802 certified course along with planning for Cisco internetwork solutions 640-863 course. In order to secure your network you will gain knowledge by doing SY0-101 course or by doing check point security administration NGX 156-215 course. Such type of courses will help you to secure your network from any kind of viruses or threat. In order to give perfect solution to Desktop Applications users it is good to opt for 70-272 courses. One can get information about all these courses with the help of blogs or by reading different online articles.

Shared or dedicated hosting?

That’s a popular and extremely important question to answer for any web project. Choosing the right hosting plan depends on your needs, your budget and your technical expertise in managing a server. Here are a few pointers to get you started:

Shared Hosting
Recommended usage :

• Traffic : Low to moderate (under 100 simultaneous users)
• Budget : Low (under 10$/month)
• Technical expertise needed to run : Mimimum

Virtual Private Server (VPS)
Recommended usage :

• Traffic : Moderate to high (under 1000 simultaneous users)
• Budget : Low to intermediate (under 100$/month)
• Technical expertise needed to run : Intermediate to high (depending on level of management by the host)

Dedicated Server
Recommended usage :

• Traffic : Moderate to high (over 1000 simultaneous users)
• Budget : Low to intermediate (over 100$/month)
• Technical expertise needed to run : Intermediate to high (depending on level of management by the host)

I would say that most people will never need anything more than a good shared hosting plan. It is, in my opinion, the simplest and cheapest way to get started. However, if you require more power, a VPS or dedicated server might be a solution. If this fits your profile, the biggest question after that is whether or not you have access to the technical expertise required to run and manage your web server. Some hosts will offer ‘managed’ plans in which there is a certain level of support. Carefully choose your host and do read the fine prints.

Changing Web Hosts? Step-By-Step Guide

Every webmaster cringes at the thought of moving hosts. Like moving your home it can be messy and sometimes problems arise. But if you follow these simple steps, your move will be less painful.

Backup Backup Backup

If you’ve been diligent with your backups, you’ve got a lot of insurance to fall back on yet always make the latest backup. If you haven’t, before you do anything else, do a backup now. Backup anything and everything you can and don’t forget your database if your site relies on it. Save at least 2 copies and store them separately. One for you to work with, and the other as an archive. Do not underestimate how easy it is to copy over these files as you make changes or simply mess it up.

If you’re moving to a host who has as different control panel, make a manual backup by downloading all your files because different control panels may not be able to restore the backups made by your old host. They also have different directory structures so your file trees will be in a mess. If you need to, make a small note file with notepad with memos for you to remember the old server configurations. This will help you as you make changes on your new host server and save the confusion moving back and forth between hosts. Remember to make the correct transfer type (ASCII or Binary) as you download. If your download is not right chances are you’ll have a tough time getting your site to work on the new host server.

If server logs are especially important, remember to backup those too. There is no good way of moving logs yet because different hosts may log statistics differently. So the best thing to do is to download it and use a log analyzer on your computer to make references to later on.

Gather Odds & Ends

1. A Good FTP program which you should have by now
2. Get your new host server’s DNS
3. It’s also helpful to have a script that tells you the server environments installed on your new host server for quick references.
4. Get the temporary URL on your new host so you can check your site before you make a DNS change.
5. If you have your host control the domain inform them not to change your DNS until you tell them to.
6. If you run scripts:
- Get a copy of the original installation guide and the script. Sometimes after moving the scripts just do not work right so you might need to install the script from scratch.
- Get a list of all the server paths such as Perl, Sendmail and home directory on your new server.
- If your script needs special server modules or programs ensure they are installed and where. Even though these might be covered before you ordered the account with the host but sometimes your host has removed it or haven’t installed it yet.

Inform Your Visitors

It is common and good practice to inform your visitors and customers of the server move. If you run a e-store, this helps assure your customers you have not fled with their money if there is any downtime. Also give an alternate email so you won’t lose emails in the transfer. You might also want to give periodic updates prior, during (if there is downtime) and after. If your site is large, doing this is helpful because your visitors can alert you whenever there is a part of the site not working.

Moving Day

Try to schedule the move at a time where there’s least traffic. Backup again just before you do the move so you’ll have the latest data. Start by first copying or creating your custom error pages onto the new host server. Put a small note in there about the move. You can always remove it later. Then upload the most visible parts of the site first i.e the main pages then move on to the less critical parts of the site. If you have a large site with many divisions you might want to split them across different days and instead move the least critical first. Just ensure you always do a backup before you do any moving. Use the temporary URL to check your site, visiting as many pages as you can.

Changing DNS

Once you’re satisfied, change your DNS over. This typically takes about 24-48 hours so you have time to make some minor changes if need be. You might want to also take this time to modify your old site’s error pages to inform your visitors of the move and give a new URL if there are URL changes. To help you determine if the DNS has resolved, make a small change on the new pages to differentiate between the old and the new.

Monitor

After you’ve moved and the DNS resolved, do not release the old account yet. Keep it as long as two weeks running concurrently. Go back and check the old servers for activity. Check your old email account and if you have a web based contact method on the old server check to see if any communication is left there. Once you’re comfortable all email and traffic is correctly directed to the new host server, you can cancel that account.