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Web hosting is different from Internet
access. If you have access to the Internet through an Internet service
provider (example. Earthlink), they will probably also provide you
with an e-mail account. In many cases, they may also tell you that
you have a certain amount of free web space. This free space, while
slightly limited in size, is usually enough for a fairly good size
website. There are some limitations to this type of web hosting.
1. You have to use the domain name that your host provides to you.
You cannot terminate your own domain name to this space (usually).
2. These host servers usually do not offer any page support utilities
such as FrontPage extensions, CGI support, etc.
When you contract for web hosting, you
will usually receive a certain number of e-mail boxes. Before you
agree to have your website hosted by someone, make sure that they
can provide the support that you need. For instance, If you are
going to start an online shopping service, you may need SQL support
for a data base. Many pages require CGI support, and ASP is also
popular. You need to know what you are going to need prior to signing
up for hosting. In most cases, if your host does not support the
function that you need, it is difficult if not impossible to add
them.
One factor often overlooked when searching
for a web host is "band width allocation" and backbone
access. All website host companies are connected to the main Internet
backbone through various methods. If your host is using T1 to T3
support, this should allow them to provide almost unlimited access
for your page. If they are in a cloud connection or frame relay,
then they may be band width limited. If they are a relatively small
or local provider, then frame relay may be quite adequate to support
your page. If they already have a heavy server load, and you plan
to have heavy traffic to your site or just want fast response, then
you should consider looking elsewhere. You may want to ask your
potential host for the name of three or four large sites with heavy
traffic currently on their site. Visit these sites and see what
kind of response you get. Try it at 1:00 or 2:00 am and again at
7:00 pm. If you see a significant slowdown at 7:00PM, then you know
their bandwidth is getting limited. Note: Clear you cache' before
each of these tests. This will force your system to completely reload
each page giving a more realistic test. You should also be aware
that when you signup with a host, you are actually purchasing a
certain amount of traffic to your site. This is measured in "bytes
per month" or "megabytes per month". If you plan
to have a very busy site, your provider may make you pay an extra
surcharge. If your usage is really heavy (some porno sites hit this
limit) you may be asked to move your site to another service.
When you finally sign up with a web
page host, you will receive the address of your site, an FTP login
name and password. Your web developer will need this information
in order to move your website from his development system to your
host. Once the page is uploaded, it is ready to use. You may also
need your host company to activate certain services required by
your website.
© 2001 - Barry
Wroobel - Discovery Data Systems, inc.
(note: Set left and right printer margins
to 0.25" for printing)
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(805)
523-8153 (fax-24/7)
