Friday, December 4, 2009

The Linux OS: Perfect for the Hosting Environment

Linux is a prime example of how the open-source revolution has reached the pinnacle of software development. Based off the Unix operating system, its source code is freely available, meaning it can be used, modified and redistributed at no cost. The main kernel at the heart of every Linux system today was developed by Linus Torvalds, a student who attended the University of Helsinki in Finland. In the beginning, the system was primarily but sparingly used by die hard fans and experienced users due to its complexity. However, it was not long before it was adopted and used in server hardware produced by IBM, Hewlett Packard, Novel and Microsystems. Today, Linux is a dominant force in the web hosting industry and steadily gaining a sizable marketing share as a PC operating system.
The Flexibility of Linux
Throughout the years, Linux has established itself as a cost effective, highly configurable and flexible operating system that is currently used in everything from television set top boxes to cell phones as an embedded platform. Some of the common hardware components it programs include Linkysys routers, switches and firewalls, the popular TiVo digital video recorder and most notably in 2005, two of the worlds fastest supercomputers. In fact, a whopping 88.6% (443) out of 500 supercomputers rated use the Linux operating system as their platform as of June, 2009. This system has built up such an impressive track record that it has become the preferred choice for servers in the business environment. Its popularity can be attributed to processing power and availability many other systems have a difficult time competing with.
Linux and Web Hosting
Linux web hosting came about due to a need for enhanced stability, performance and reliability for servicing a domain. When it comes to hosting a website, there are very few operating systems that can compare to the power and reliability of this platform. The internet itself is based on interconnected networking computers, something that comes naturally for Linux. This is mainly because a large majority of the networking protocols and technologies used to enable the internet are based on Unix, the system from which Linux gets most of its traits. The incorporation of these protocols and technologies has resulted in the unrivaled adaptability, stability and security that has made Linux one of the most powerful operating systems available today. In addition, its seamless compatibility with Apache and MySQL are more examples of how it helped to power and lead the way in the open-source software phenomenon.
Perhaps the greatest advantage of Linux hosting is that software has been developed to support the platform at an explosive rate. This again, is coupled with the fact that is capable of running just about any protocol or web service, which makes it an ideal choice for hosting. The market for server operating systems is growing fast and while Microsoft Windows will likely continue to be a worthy competitor, Linux will always be a major player in the world of web hosting.

Benefitting from Fully Managed Hosting

Information Technology has become the crutch for the modern day business owner. These days, the business that lacks a strong IT base and web presence will have a very difficult time remaining in existence. The major hurdle is that unless your company is well versed in the IT field, keeping up with the intricacies of web servers and networking can be next to impossible. Unfortunately, an alarming number of companies find themselves spending a lot of money trying to maintain a full fledged IT operation in-house. After exhausting budgets on equipment and staff, many find that entire process is often more trouble than it is actually worth. There is an alternative to the complexities of in-house set ups and that solution is known as fully managed hosting.
What is Fully Managed Hosting?
Fully managed hosting is a type of arrangement that gives you the opportunity to outsource your IT needs to a professional staff of trained experts. The mere structure of the service allows your IT team to free up the time needed to focus on the core aspects of the business. In some organizations, it may eliminate the need for an IT department altogether. Although such a service is not exactly cheap to obtain, many businesses find it well worth the price as it helps them save tremendously over the long run in comparison to establishing and maintaining the same environment in-house.
How Fully Managed Hosting Works
When contracting a service provider for a fully managed hosting solution, you are typically provided with daily administration and maintenance of your IT infrastructure. This may include web servers, web applications and database servers among other vital components. All of the data that would normally be stored in-house is transferred to the provider’s servers, which has a few advantages in its own right. If you are dealing with a reputable firm, you can rest assured of a solution that is up to date with the latest advancements in web technology and information security. Since you no longer have to spend money investing in and maintaining new technology, your business will be able to scale much easier as it grows and technology continues to evolve. Fully managed hosting is one of the best ways to help your company reach its fully potential.
This type of managed hosting also gives you a tremendous advantage from a support aspect. A reputable provider will make sure you can reach its support staff 24/7 to deal with any problems that may arise at any given time. In addition to this, you generally get the benefit of around the clock monitoring to ensure that if issues do crop up, they will not go undetected for long. The extensive support features alone are enough for many companies to consider a managed hosting service.
Grasping the Invaluable Benefits
Fully managed hosting is ideal for companies of various sizes, especially those that are small but growing at a steady rate. The benefits are plentiful, but perhaps the greatest attribute to these services is the peace of mind they offer. When opting for a managed hosting provider that is capable of handing all of your IT needs, you can rest comfortably by knowing things will be taken care of without having to endure an internal disaster.

Choosing a Linux Platform for Your Hosting Needs

If you are the least bit familiar with the web hosting business, then you have probably heard of a piece of software called Linux. Originally created in 1991, Linux quickly became one of the most widely used operating systems on the market, emerging as a viable alternative to popular options such as Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Linux is adored by its fan base for many reasons, and among them is an open-source license that makes it cost efficient and highly customizable. A global community of developers are constantly working to improve the software, which adds to its power and stability. There are a number of Linux distributions available, and below we will examine some you might encounter when looking for a hosting package.
Ubuntu Hosting
The first distribution we will discuss is Ubuntu. This flavor of Linux is very popular because it offers several features that are comparable to Windows web hosting, which makes the system much easier to use. The biggest downside to Ubuntu is that it is better suited as a personal desktop operating system rather than a server platform. Therefore, this particular distribution is not as widely used as its counterparts in the hosting environment. That does not mean it cannot be used because Ubuntu makes a viable option for various types of server configurations.
Kubuntu Hosting
Just by the name, you can probably tell that the Kubuntu distribution is quite similar to Ubuntu. In fact, these two platforms are nearly identical in terms of operation and functionality. The most notable distinction is that they utilize two different types of file systems. Apart from that, these operating systems offer the same level of stability, performance and reliability, making both ideal for website hosting and desktop use as well.
Debian Hosting
Debian hosting revolves around a server platform based on both the Ubuntu and Kubuntu operating systems. It is currently the most widely used Linux distribution in the web hosting industry. While it is considerably more complex and difficult, Debian offers the superior flexibility and reliability needed to keep a multitude of websites up and running. Despite its complexities, this software is ideal as both a server and desktop operating system.
Fedora Hosting
Fedora is another common Linux distribution and one that is often bundled with dedicated server hosting plans. It is based on RedHat Linux, which is a commercial distribution and the Linux platform designed to compete with Microsoft Windows. Though prevalent on the hosting marketplace, Fedora is primarily used as a server platform for older machines due to its limitations and ability to thrive exceptionally well by using fewer system resources.

Does Your Web Host Live Up to Expectations?

Web hosting providers come a dime a dozen these days, but finding one you can count is never as easy as it should be. While technical problems occur from time to time, there are some mishaps that simply cannot be tolerated. Below we have listed some of the most telling signs that should let you know that your web host is not up to par.
Your Site Always Goes Down
This one should be pretty obvious. If your website is constantly unavailable or keeps giving you errors, the chances of keeping visitors around are slim to none. Even a loyal following will inevitably flea if your site cannot put out an optimal performance or is never available. If these are problems you are experiencing, your web host is likely suffering from overcrowded servers or an inadequate network. In many cases, a company will start off on the right foot, but grow progressively worse once it becomes more popular and acquires more customers, essentially becoming a victim of its very own success. Of course having a large amount of traffic is a good thing, but if your web host’s infrastructure cannot keep up with the demand, your website is simply doomed to fail.
Support is a Letdown
A web host that provides excellent support will inevitably attract more loyal customers. On the same note, a host that provides horrible support will lose customers very quickly. With the hosting business being such an expansive industry, one would think that good support would be easy to come by. Unfortunately, this factor only makes it more difficult to find. The best web hosting firms deliver support around the clock on a 24 hour basis, allowing their customers to get help by phone, email, live chat, FAQs, knowledge bases and other resources. If you are stuck with horrible support, your web host is failing to meet your needs and that means it is time to search for something better.
Inadequate Security Puts You at Risk
Many webmasters are not aware of it, but websites are hacked into and compromised all the time. For instance, they are defaced, used to host malicious phishing and pharming sites, distribute spam mail and even launch attacks on other computers. A server and its associated web applications have many points of entry so if your host is not on top of things, your site can be exploited with ease. A responsible hosting provider will take various measures to ensure security such as installing firewalls, running DDoS protection software and performing penetrating to discover vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
One must consider a number factors when choosing a host for their website needs. Performance, availability, support and security are just a few of numerous factors that must be taken into account before you sign up for service. We recommend doing your research, reading reviews, asking friends and more in order to get the best service possible. The last thing you want to do is rush into things because this is the easiest way to end up with a web host that fails live up to the required expectations.

Five Ways to Improve the Shopping Experience on Your E-commerce Site

Before buying anything online, customers want to be assured of a safe and easy experience. If this process becomes too time consuming or difficult to complete, most will have no problem finding their way to another website and spending their money with the competition. The design of your storefront goes a long way in determining its success, and the five tips in this article will help you create an experience that results in satisfied, repeat customers.
1.) Do Not Hide Your Products – There are several ways to make your products easier to find and one of them involves integrating search functionality into your store. You can make the experience even more customer-friendly with a feature that allows visitors to search by criteria such as category and price. A comprehensive navigation scheme is also imperative as customers should be able to locate any product they want to buy in a matter of a few clicks.
2.) Do Not Ask Too Much of Your Customers – It is no secret that a large number of online shoppers are turned off by being asked to divulge too much information when trying to purchase something. This is even the case with valuable marketing tools such as registration forms. Allowing your customers to add their items to the shopping carts without having to register for something simply makes for a more enjoyable experience. If you must collect information for registration purposes, these details can easily gathered at checkout.
3.) Clearly Define Your Products – You could lose many potential sales if your products do not give enough detail to the customer. For this reason, you should provide a detailed description of the product as well as a quality image. In addition, be sure to include other essentials such as the price and stock quantities in the beginning of the ordering process so potential customers will not be disappointed upon reaching checkout.
4.) Give Your Customers Options – In order to accommodate the needs of different customers, you should configure your shopping cart to offer multiple options for payment and shipping as well. You may also want to consider implementing a feature that allows them to add items to a wish list. For varying reasons, your customers may not be prepared to make a purchase during the first visit to your site, but this feature will allow them save those desired items and buy them at a later time.
5) Keep it Simple – Web technologies have advanced tremendously over the years and this means that you can add a lot of flair and flash to your online store. At the same time, you should keep in mind that internet users shop online because it is easier and faster than shopping out in the real world. Therefore, do not make the mistake of overwhelming potential customers with glamorous features or by requesting unnecessary information on their way to checkout. If this process requires multiple steps, be sure to use accurate headings or a comprehensive breadcrumb navigation to help customers find their way and make it through to checkout.

How to Evaluate a Managed Hosting Provider

Several businesses opt for managed hosting services because they do not have the physical resources or time to maintain their own IT infrastructure. Instead of hosting their own internet-based business, they outsource the technical challenges to a firm that is much better equipped to handle them. In a perfect scenario, a managed host will take care of all the complicated tasks while making sure everything stays up and running. However, such benefits can only be reaped when taking the time to evaluate your options and find a reliable company able to meet your IT needs.
Know What to Look For
Before you begin your search for managed hosting, it is important that you know what to look for. The actual features and services will depend on the situation and the needs of your business, but you certainly want to keep an eye out for must-haves such as quality customer service, technical support and regular data backups. At the same time, you must ensure that the firm’s top priority is managed hosting. This is should not be merely something the company offers on the side, but a field they specialize in and know inside and out. If not, there is no way they will be able to make your IT requirements their top priority.
Follow Through on the Evaluation Process
After discovering what a particular host has to offer, you should then do your homework and take a look into their credentials. This can actually be done in numerous ways, including checking with the BBB (Better Business Bureau), reading managed hosting reviews and simply gathering feedback from other businesses that are familiar with the service. It may also be a good idea to find out if the company offers some sort of evaluation period. This will allow you to give the service a try to determine if the service is up to par with your expectations and requirements. If it is not, then you will know then that there is no reason to continue service with the host following the evaluation period. It also gives you an opportunity to find a company that is better suited for your needs instead of remaining in a no-win situation.
Never Settle for Less
You will find that deciding whether or not to lease service from a particular managed hosting firm is much easier after conducting a thorough evaluation. In the end, only you understand what your business truly requires to be successful. Because the requirements of one company differs from the next, it is vital to make sure you sign up with a provider that can deliver everything you need. This is a very important factor as some providers will try to offer every feature and service on the menu instead of focusing on the essentials, which can really send the cost soaring. You may want to look for a company that permits you to build a custom package that is designed to suit the needs of your business to a tee. Rest assured that are many suitors on the market so if one provider cannot deliver, keep on and continue the search until you find another that can.

Essential Tips for the New Reseller

Becoming successful in any industry is not easy, but thanks to reseller hosting, making it in the web hosting business is a greater possibility than it has ever been before. This concept has soared to popularity over the years simply because it directly aids in the establishment of several more online businesses. If you are someone who is considering profiting with a reseller account, the following tips should do you some good when you set out to find a suitable provider.
Invest Your Time in Research
In order to make it as a reseller, you must really make an effort to find a host that can be relied on to support your needs. This may take a bit of time but in the end, you will discover that it was worth every minute. Just like when shopping for almost anything, it is good to compare service to determine which is best for you. Most hosting providers market many of the same offerings, but no two companies are the same. Conducting the recommended research will help you find the solution best suited for your needs and once you land a reliable partner, you have already won half the battle.
Acquire a Solid Control Panel
When it comes to reseller hosting, it is important to know that the control panel will be one of the most essential features needed for your new business. In fact, this little piece of software can actually determine how many packages you sell and your overall success as a reseller. A quality control panel will be the key element that distinguishes you from your competitors regardless of its popularity and how many resellers use the software. It will enable you to easily create hosting packages and effectively run your business from a streamlined, centralized virtual office headquarters. While control panels typically come included with a reseller account, you want to put emphasis on finding a software package you feel comfortable using and actually enjoy.
Look at the Profit Potential
The great thing about reseller hosting is a flexibility that allows you to make profits or use the solution for your own needs. What you choose to do with the plan is totally up to you. If you choose to use the package to make money, rest assured that this concept is designed for you to succeed. If you are paying $50 per month for hosting, all you would have to do is sell five packages at $10 a piece each month and you’re covered. There also other ways you can maximize your profits and make the most of a reseller account. For example, you could charge your customers for web design and other services you may be offering. A good hosting company will provide an environment that allows you to do so with efficiency.
Reseller hosting offers a tremendous opportunity to anyone who wants to generate money online. It is an effective and easy way for even the startup business to tap into what has quickly become a very prevalent market. Most importantly, it serves as solid proof that anything is possible in the realm of web hosting.

Multiple Domain Hosting for Niche Marketers

Online business owners who have a multitude of websites to accommodate their niches often run into problems with substantially high web hosting fees. Whether you are paying on a monthly or yearly basis, the cost for hosting can add up pretty quickly when trying to run more than one website. Fortunately, there is a solution that can help you dramatically reduce the costs. By opting for multiple domain hosting, you can host all of your niche websites under a single account and literally save hundreds of dollars each year.
Multiple domain name hosting is not to be confused with domain forwarding, which lets you direct different domains to one particular website. For example, let’s say you have a domain and create content for a website at yoursite.com. You then purchase similar domains but instead, use extensions such as .net, .org and .biz. Domain forwarding allows you to take these domains and point them to the original domain at yoursite.com. This way, whenever some types in yoursite.net, yoursite.org or yoursite.biz, they are still taken to a location that displays the content from yoursite.com. Multiple domain hosting does not operate in this fashion. Instead of being forwarded or redirected to the same website, this type of arrangement allows you to have a number of different sites that contain their own specific content.
Multiple Domain Hosting in Action
As an example, let’s assume that you have targeted a total of five niches to make money online. Your existing domain is myserversite.com, which you transfer to a provider that offers multiple domain hosting. After uploading the content and composing your main website, you then add on the four additional domains to your account. During this process, the system creates a folder for the add on domains, which will actually look a lot like sub-domains. For instance, when adding mysoftware.com to your primary domain, the system might create a “software” folder, thus resulting in a sub-domain that reads something like mysoftware.myserversite.com. The key factor to remember is that when a user types in the mysoftware.com URL, they will be taken to an entire website rather than a sub-domain. In simple terms, these sub-domains end up taking the form of top level domains for your add on domains.
Maximizing the Potential of Multiple Domains
There are quite a few ways multiple domain hosting can help you save money apart from the obvious. Aside from directly cutting the cost of web hosting by more than half, there is a wide variety of features and options that typically come included free in hosting packages that will ultimately allow you to save even more. These offerings generally include powerful e-commerce tools, marketing services, free online advertising credits and pre-installed software scripts to name a few. While these features have become standard on the market, they still are not guaranteed, so finding a host that bundles them in a multiple domain hosting plan could result in a steal for you.

Reselling Hosting on Linux

The Linux operating system has become a very popular option for those looking to enter the reseller web hosting market. In fact, this platform can help you land one of the most cost effective solutions available. Linux reseller hosting is affordable and in most cases, incredibly simple to manage. In this article we will discuss why Linux has become such an ideal choice for resellers all around the world.
Powerful and Reliable
When it comes to the world of web hosting, very few operating systems can match up to the power and durability of Linux. Naturally, the system is just as beloved in the reselling segment of the business. One of the best advantages of using Linux as your business platform is the speed and reliability it offers. In addition to high performance output, the system is rich in the features and functionality needed to help your business excel. For example, the platform supports the PHP programming language, which gives you the ability to incorporate a wide variety of useful scripts. It is also compatible with the powerful MySQL database system. Best of all, when choosing a Linux reseller hosting package, you get the peace of mind that comes from running your business on a platform that is by default, more secure than much of the competition.
Due to the high level of dependability associated with the Linux server, a large number of businesses and individuals have come to embrace it is a viable platform for reseller hosting. This is mainly because the system itself has gained universal appeal among business professionals from various industries and walks of life. With a reliable provider and infrastructure, Linux could give you the best opportunity for achieving success with your reseller hosting account.
Simple and Affordable
Linux itself is a cost effective operating system that is usually significantly cheaper than similar solutions hosted on a Windows platform. This is because the software is open-source and can be obtained freely or for next to nothing. And while it has a reputation for being more complex than other systems, Linux becomes more user-friendly every year. A preferred choice among web developers and designers, many hosting companies provide graphic management consoles and intuitive control panel interfaces to make the system much easier to work with. This means that you can excel with a reseller account minus all the technical challenges Linux is so well known for.
Finding the Ideal Solution
When searching for a reseller hosting package, it is advisable to do your research and first determine whether you require the open-source technologies supported by Linux or those specific to Microsoft Windows. For example, if you have heard about all the benefits of ASP.NET and would prefer to use it personally or offer it to your customers, you would be best suited for a Windows-based package as Linux does not support this technology. However, if you need more commonly used tools such as PHP, Python and Perl, the Linux platform could be the affordable and flexible option you need to make it with your reseller hosting account

cPanel Rolls out RC Version of Windows Control Panel

Last month, web hosting automation software provider cPanel, launched an RC (release candidate) version control panel product to support the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 platform. Known as Enkompass, the software is a step away from the company’s traditional panels based on Linux, FreeBSD and other Unix-like operating systems. cPanel is currently working with Microsoft to accommodate customers who prefer a wider range of platforms offering the power of IIS 7 and Windows Server 2008.
In a recent statement, J. Nick Koston, Chief Executive Officer at cPanel, spoke of Microsoft’s dedication and involvement in the web hosting industry over the last few years. He said that the cPanel Windows development believes IIS 7 is a flexible, scalable, high performance web server that offers the improved security the industry will rapidly adopt. According to Koston, Windows’ modern architecture and extensive support for legacy products was the major selling point that prompted cPanel to expand its offerings.
Boasting a decade of experience in the field of automation software, the cPanel development team built the Enkompass panel from the ground up, designing the application in native Microsoft technologies to ensure the best in performance and flexibility. Koston noted that the product was specifically designed to be run in the distributed server environment, allowing one or more Enkompass servers to manage a multitude of servers over a Windows domain. This enables simplified automation and administration of a server farm or an entire data center facility.
To no surprise, the Enkompass user interface is very reminiscent of cPanel and WHM designed for the Linux platform. This familiarity was emphasized to help users and end customers better understand the software without having to rediscover the functions needed to maintain their daily operations. In fact, Enkompass offers many of the same features found in the cPanel and WHM environment, including tools and options designed for administrators and resellers. It is worth mentioning that cPanel has removed several unnecessary Windows components and included a few Windows-only features as well. Enkompass supports both the MailEnable and SmarterMail email programs. To support the new panel, SmarterTools developed a new lite version of the mail program that supports unlimited domains and is only compatible with Enkompass. In addition, cPanel’s Windows control panel supports Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and 2008 as well as MySQL 5.
cPanel has also made security a priority for its Windows control panel. This is done by using AD (Active Directory), which makes sure user data and reseller privileges are stored in a secure manner. In addition, the reseller platform has received notable enhancements, now boasting multi-level reselling capabilities that essentially allows resellers to service other resellers.
The people at cPanel revealed that the Enkompass control panel is to be installed on a single Windows server and then extends to provision accounts across multiple web, mail, FTP and database servers, thus allowing hosting providers to easily add new capacity by incorporating additional servers as their needs increase.
The Enkompass control panel is currently available in a test version. This license is valid for 45 days and will expire thereafter or when the product becomes available for sale.

Multiple Domains and Search Engines

There are several website owners who are making inappropriate use of multiple domain hosting. Unfortunately for them, they are also crippling their very own search engine rankings by blatantly violating the guidelines established by the search engines that matter the most. Site owners today choose to register multiple domains for various reasons, including the following:
- They want to secure a brand name or trademark from competitors.
- They want to expand their web presence across different niche markets.
- Domain names are incredibly affordable.
Some people also register more than one domain for misguided reasons, including the belief that pointing multiple domains to the same location will result in higher search engine rankings. What many do not understand is that search engines despise duplicate content and the automated programs they send out to index your pages cannot determine whether you fall under the category of innocent and uninformed, or deliberate and blatantly manipulative. Those websites that ride this line should expect to be treated equally and to your disadvantage, you can be heavily penalized or even banned from the search engines for not knowing right from wrong.
Understanding the Guidelines
As someone trying to promote a website, you should know that search engines do not openly publish their guidelines as they do not want to give away too much information. However, there are a few rules that have been established which are directly related to multiple domains. These guidelines are quite simple: do not try to manipulate the index through sneaky redirects and cloaking and do not create multiple pages or domains that contain overwhelming duplicate content. So, what does this mean to you? Well, it should at least you know that there are some notable disadvantages to having multiple domains, especially if you do not remain cautious of duplicate content. Should you make the mistake of having the exact same content on multiple domains on the same server, you could be in serious violation of search engine guidelines. When this occurs, it does not matter what your intentions were, because you could still find yourself banned from the index. This not a great way to starting building your web presence at all.
Check Your Content
When it comes to questionable SEO practices, not knowing about the search engine guidelines is no excuse. Sadly, an alarming number of web hosting firms and designers are not aware of how to properly use multiple domains. This results in numerous website owners who unknowingly hinder their site’s ability to be indexed and placed in the rankings. Our advice to anyone who has more than one domain is to investigate and find out how they have been set up. If you have two similar but slightly different domains showing the same content, you could have a problem on your hands. In the end, your quest to maintain visitors could prevent you from leveraging some of the most significant potential traffic of all – the millions of web surfers that find what they need via the search engines.

Experimenting with HTML

If you want to be a good web developer or just a webmaster with moderate programming skills, HTML is a technology you need to familiarize yourself with. In actuality, HTML is a very simple language, one that ties in code for virtually every website and communicates with every browser in order to display content to the user. Here are a few tips to help you get more familiar with HTML and start comfortably working with the language on your own.
How to Learn HTML
There are a couple of ways you can learn HTML. You can start by obtaining a piece of code from the web, saving it to your computer and doing a little experimenting. Many suggest selecting a simple page, such as your home page and starting with that.
Using a browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla FireFox, you can view the source code for just about any web page by right-clicking the page and choosing “View Source” or “View Page Source” from the sub-menu. Once the code is visible on the screen, you can then save the entire page by clicking “File”, selecting “Save As” and giving the file a name. You can also highlight snippets of the code, manually insert it into a blank document and then save it. After doing this, you may want to insert the file in a folder to bring organization to your learning project. When opening the page locally, you might notice that some of the graphics are missing because they were not saved with the HTML code. If you want to work with these graphics, go back to the web page, right-click it and select “Save Image.” You can then save it in the same folder you created earlier that contains the HTML file.
Now that you have the web page on your local drive, you can learn HTML by simply observing and editing the code. You can get the results of these edits by keeping the page open in your browser and word processing application. While you could use Word, Notepad is perfectly suitable. If your browser is equipped with tabbed viewing, open a new tab for the project so you can go back to the original document on the web. You may also want to arrange things where both the browser and Notepad windows are positioned where you can easily see both. After making edits in the Notepad HTML file, save it and then refresh your browser. The Notepad window will minimize automatically and give you just enough time to view the changes in the browser display.
Conclusion
This article is not intended to act as an HTML tutorial . Rather, we just want to express that the language is easy to work with and can be mastered by anyone who is willing to learn. Most programmers learn HTML through trial and error. With a little patience, you can do the same.

Windows Hosting with Silverlight

For some time now, the Microsoft brand has been synonymous with information technology and more recently, formed close ties with the web hosting industry. Over the years, Windows hosting has made a name for itself with powerful features such as ASP, ASP.NET, FrontPage and MS SQL among several others. One of the most highly sought after features these days is a Microsoft technology known as Silverlight.
What is Silverlight?
Silverlight is a browser plugin that supports major web browsers such as Internet Explorer, FireFox, Safari and many others. As a cross-platform technology, it is not only compatible with Windows, but other operating systems such as Mac OS X, Linux and Unix. Silverlight is viewed as Microsoft’s alternative to Adobe’s Flash technology. This is because similar to Flash, it allows users to view media applications directly from their web browser in a streaming fashion that lets you listen to music and watch videos in near real-time. Perhaps the greatest advantage of Silverlight is its ability to be integrated with existing web applications thanks to a robust development framework that supports a number of programming languages. Whereas using Flash on the .NET Framework is messy at best, Silverlight was made for this powerful environment, giving it the ability to deliver unrivaled results.
Silverlight 3 Features and Benefits
Silverlight 3 was officially released on July 9, 2009. This version is bundled with many improvements and new features that enable developers to take the rich media experience to the next level.
Enhanced User Experience – The newest version of Silverlight comes included with new 3D graphics, text enhancement, font support and animation features, all of which provide developers and designers with a way to create next-generation web browsing experiences for the end-user.
Deep Linking Capability – Silverlight 3 offers support for deep linking, allowing for the bookmarking of pages within rich internet applications.
SEO-Friendly - With Silverlight 3, users can deal with a number of SEO-related tasks dues to its seamless compatibility with a number of different tools. By combining business objects on the server with site maps and ASP.NET controls, you can mirror the content of your applications into HTML format that can be indexed by the search engine bots, thus providing for better ranking in the SERPs.
Giving Silverlight a Test Drive
These features and benefits do not even scratch the surface because Silverlight has much more to offer. Hosting this amazing technology is incredibly easy since there are no significant requirements due to its cross-platform capabilities. However, there are some factors you want to keep in mind. Silverlight can be a resource hogging feature, particularly if your plans require a large entertainment or multimedia site. For this reason, you may want to consider hosting it on a virtual private server or dedicated server. If you want to give Silverlight a test run, you can try it out with Microsoft Silverlight Streaming. This is a free alternative that allows you to experience Silverlight for yourself before giving up your existing rich media technology.

Web Hosting Provider Celebrates Anniversary with Special Giveaway

Last week marked the ninth anniversary for highly touted UK web hosting provider 34SP.com. The company is celebrating this momentous occasion by giving back to its loyal customers. To commensurate with the anniversary, 34SP is giving away nine great prizes clients are sure to love.
34SP.com was founded by Daniel Foster and Stuart Melling, two colleagues who attended Manchester University. Despite its tremendous growth and profitability, the web hosting industry is still a fairly new business segment. Throughout the years, the market has seen its fair share of merger and acquisitions along with the continuous threat of competition that seems to get more fierce every year. When looking at factors such as these, as well as the current state of the global economy, it is truly remarkable that 34SP has been able to not only remain afloat for nine years, while maintaining its status as one of the UK’s major players.
According to 34PS.com co-founder Stuart Melling, the company thought it was an excellent idea to reward their customers with a great prize for each year 34SP has been in the web hosting industry. He spoke of the hard road traveled and all the challenges the firm has had to deal with over the last few years, persevering through it all to continuously provide its customers with high quality service and world-class support. Melling let it be known that the company is looking forward to its next nine years in the business.
The 34SP.com special give away is currently in full swing. Any customer that purchases any of its products or services during the month of October qualifies to win a great prize from the company’s “9 Years of Hosting, 9 Great Prizes” contest. 34SP reported that the lucky customers will be determined by way of a random drawing schedule to take place at the end of October.
Here is the list of prizes up for grabs in the giveaway:
- 8 GB Apple iPod nano with a built-in camera.
- 17-inch Toshiba Satellite Laptop
- 12.MegaPixel Cannon Powershot Camera
- 1 Terabyte Western Digital Elements USB External Hard Drive
- 7-inch Sony Portable DVD Player
- 8 GB Memory Flip Video Ultra HD Camcorder
- Canon Selply ES40, Portable Talking Printer
- 19-inch Toshiba Widescreen HD Ready LCD TV
- The Beatles Rock Band – Limited Edition Bundle
About 34SP.com
Located in Manchester, England, 34SP.com was founded in 2000. The company was established with the intent of helping customers obtain advanced web hosting solutions at affordable prices. Both the owners and core technical staff have been with the firm since its inception, giving it the ability tp provide the personalized service and support customers desire. Specializing in a wide variety of solutions geared towards web designers and developers, it portfolio consists of web hosting, dedicated servers and UK domain names. In June of 2009, 34SP.com was rated the world’s most reliable web hosting firm by independent UK monitoring service, Netcraft. A recent internal survey showed that an astounding 98% of its clients would recommend the company’s services to other customers.

Migrating from Shared Hosting to VPS

Many customers are interested in upgrading from a shared hosting account to a VPS, but they are often uncertain on how their website will perform in the virtual environment. While we can tell you that a better performance is almost guaranteed, there are also a couple of factors that must be considered to ensure a successful deployment. This article will discuss some key areas you need to take into account before abandoning your existing shared hosting arrangement.
Control Panel Software
The control panel is one of the most important features in any type of hosting solution and VPS is no different. Most shared hosting providers use popular applications like cPanel and Plesk. thus if you want the benefit of a smooth transition, you may want to look for a VPS plan that comes with the same control panel you were using previously. Since you are already familiar with the software, you can get settled in quickly and have little to no trouble managing your account.
Guaranteed RAM
In the shared hosting environment, you don’t have to worry much about RAM. Even though you must share this resource other customers and have it capped at a certain level, most hosting companies tend to provide you with more than enough. This is not the case with VPS hosting because in most instances, you get what you pay for. However, it is critical to make sure you understand the amount of RAM you are allocated as memory is one of the most important factors to consider for a virtual private server. Without enough of it, you will likely notice that many of your services often fail and your entire site runs slow.
Basic Computing and Server Knowledge
Managing a VPS account is notably easier than keeping up a dedicated server. At the same time, it does require a bit of technical knowledge on your part, which could be a challenge depending on your experience. For example, if you choose a plan based on the Linux or Unix platform, it would be wise to learn a few basic commands so that you will be able to perform configurations by yourself. This cannot be stressed enough because most hosting firms will not be willing to help you optimize your VPS whether you are engaged in managed service agreement or not.
Cost of Service
Another factor you must consider before signing up for a VPS hosting account is the overall cost of service. While this type of solution is generally marketed as affordable, you should know that it is often considerably more expensive than your typical shared hosting plan. In fact, a VPS package could end up costing you more than $100 per month depending on the provider. With asking prices like this, you may be inclined to pay a few more dollars for a dedicated server or decide that virtualization is just too costly for your budget.
Conclusion
Upgrading to a VPS is a major move that should not be taken lightly. When considering all the challenges, you might conclude like many others that shared hosting is the easiest and most affordable way to get your site up and running. That is not to take away from the power of VPS because it makes an ideal solution for those who warrant the need and are serious about their web presence.

The Basics of XHTML Programming

Many of the pages that comprise internet websites are poorly written. The main reason webmasters do not realize this is because even though syntactically inadequate HTML code may exist, it could still work in most web browsers despite not following the rules. While today’s browsers are designed to deal with these inadequacies, the same cannot be said for the growing number of web-enabled mobile devices. One technology that helps to promote the clean code and compliance needed to integrate the web and mobile environment is a technology known as XHTML.
XHTML Background
As the name implies, XHTML is essentially a combination of HTML and XML. It represents a set of existing and future document types and modules that include all the elements of HTML combined with XML syntax. The first version, XHTML 1.0, was recommended by the WC3 (World Wide Web Consortium) on January 26, 2000. XHTML 1.1 was initially recommended on May 31, 20001. As of now, XHTML 5.0 is currently in development under the HTML 5.0 specification. Unlike HTML, these documents must be well structured and can therefore, actually be processed with basic XML tools. Andrew S. Tanenbaum, a professor of computer science best known for authoring the Minix operating system, said that XHTML is a “very picky” language that distinguishes itself from HTML by way of a much more strict syntax. This is assessment is right on point.
XHTML Syntax
One thing you should keep in mind is that XHTML is merely an extended version of HTML. What this means is that writing XHTML code is essentially similar to writing in HTML. The major difference is that XHTML is far more structured and more strict than its predecessor. One of the best ways to learn this language is to experiment with some old HTML code and then work to bring it up to XHTML standards. When working with the code, there are several important rules you need to remember, including the following:
- All elements must be nested correctly.
- All elements must be closed out correctly.
- All tag names must be entered in lower case characters.
- All attribute names must be entered in lower case characters.
- All attribute values must be quoted correctly.
- The name attribute is to be replaced by the id attribute
- All images and graphics must have alt (alternate) text.
- All XHTML documents require a DOCTYPE declaration along with an HTML head and body header elements.
- The title element must be included in the head element.
Learning XHTML is all about practicing and embracing discipline. If you keep this in mind, you should be able to master it in a relatively short amount of time. On the other hand, if you do not want to try manually converting an existing HTML to XHTML, you can use a software tool to perform the conversion for you. HTML Tidy is a highly recommended program because it is a free tool that helps clean your web pages. With such a handy tool at your disposal, you can get a handle on XHTML and use that knowledge to bring success to your projects.

Dynamic Websites with Windows Hosting

Today, individuals and businesses have to invest a lot of time and energy into creating and maintaining dynamic websites that are truly visually effective. Those looking for an easier and more efficient way to deal with their content are increasingly turning to Windows hosting. The availability of Microsoft’s Active Server Pages technology in Windows hosting solutions provides for dynamic web pages that can help give your website the best possible presentation and performance. ASP is a powerful and flexible technology that can provide your site users with a range of interactive page options and functionality that surpasses the norm. When opting for a Windows hosting package equipped with this dynamic programming technology, you will then have the tools needed to gain an edge on the competition. .
The ASP Advantage
There are numerous advantages to building your website with ASP. Perhaps the most obvious is the presence of dynamic elements that will make your site look more appealing to visitors. This is a winning quality for the online business owner who wants to enhance the browsing experience while trying to entice potential customers with their products or services. In fact, more and more businesses are investing in Windows hosting merely because of its ability to help them better engage the consumer and market their products. This is not only made possible from the use of ASP, but several other Microsoft technologies bundled in the Windows Server operating system and IIS web server.
A dynamic, content-rich website is generally easier to maintain, and this is especially true when your pages and applications are powered by ASP. The ASP framework encourages good programming practices, which empowers the knowledgeable developer to work with clean code that produces compliant output. Due to the fact that it is tightly integrated with IIS and the Windows platform, your visitors will be able to enjoy feature loaded web pages in the way they were meant to be viewed regardless of what type of browser they use. ASP makes one of the best options for providing rich, dynamic content that jumps off the screen at your visitors.
Getting the Best ASP Solution
As with any type of solution, there are many factors that must be considering when opting for a Windows host that supports ASP. Any server, regardless of the technology it uses, it is susceptible to downtime and other technical issues. For this reason, you want to seek out a provider that provides a reliable service able to assure you as little downtime as possible. It is also highly recommended that you find a host using the latest version of software applications and dependable hardware. Old software and equipment often have vulnerabilities that can result in security breaches and other problems you don’t need. For this reason, you may also want to consider using ASP.NET as it is the most current of Microsoft’s Active Server Pages technology. Paying attention to these factors will help to ensure that your site stays up and running online and your dynamic can be viewed in the manner it was meant to be.

Four Ways to Minimize Exposure from SQL Injection

The average personal site owner has no idea of what it feels like to come under attack. In fact, web criminals tend to stay away from hacking projects that serve little benefit to them. That does not mean that the sites of those owners are safe because they are probably more vulnerable than most. One of the most probable and dangerous threats your site may be susceptible to is an inference attack, more commonly referred to as the dreaded SQL injection. With this particular attack, the hacker typically inserts SQL code into a web form to either change or access critical information residing on a back-end database. It has a become a significant problem for dynamic websites as successful execution could provide an attacker with access to an entire database or more. This attack is very real and has directly aided in the exploitation of some of the most well known sites on the internet.
Viable SQL Injection Prevention Methods
To help keep you protected, we have listed four proven methods to enhance your website’s security against SQL injection.
1.) Make sure your forms and other web applications are designed with up to date, secure, compliant code. Also keep in mind that the web forms on your site should not accept user input to SQL queries without being thoroughly tested and challenged for security purposes. You can start by reducing the number and types of characters that can be accepted by a form. Do not leave yourself open to exposure like so many other website owners who do not have anything in place to prevent malicious or unexpected input. If a hacker enters SQL commands rather than the expected username and password, those commands could be executed and lead to a lot of trouble for your vulnerable system.
2.) To ensure better protection against SQL injection, you should avoid dynamic queries where ever possible. These queries are placed over the internet in plaintext, which means they are likely exposing sensitive information such as login IDs, passwords and other confidential details. Because of the potential security risk, some experts recommend not using dynamic queries at all.
3.) Take advantage of data encryption technology. If your site involves the sharing of sensitive data such as credit card numbers, social security numbers or bank account details, this information should be protected with an encryption protocol like SSL or TSL. If a hacker is able to breach security, the information they capture will be rendered useless since encryption ensures that they cannot read it.
4.) Keep your systems up to date. Security is a full time job these days but fortunately, most software vendors patch the bugs and vulnerabilities in their products as soon as they become known. You can ensure better protection against SQL injection by making sure your SQL database and operating systems are regularly patched an updated. If you do not have your own server, these are tasks you need to make sure are being handled by your web hosting provider.

Three Tips for Maintaining The Presentation of a Dynamic Website

In theory, a dynamic website constantly changes based on user input while enabling extensive and more efficient management by administrators. Regardless of the amount of content or elements on the web page, it should always maintain a consistent and professional presentation. If your plans call for a dynamic website, keep these tips in mind.
1.) Solid Structural Foundation
In order to be successful, a dynamic website must have solid base. Encasing your content in a height-flexible container could turn out to make the ideal foundation for your site. Something simple like a border that has consistent width will separate your inner content from the background of the page. This foundation can be expanded or contracted with ease to accommodate your content requirements.
2.) Simple Navigation and Usability
One of the most effective methods for having a dynamic site and maintaining its functionality is to incorporate a navigation scheme with drop down menus. These menus will allow for specific navigation from any page on your site. In addition, they are simple to dynamically produce and work exceptionally well when applying the same approach as with the site foundation. Your main categories can be concealed within a “div”, which will allow them to have an absolute position along with hidden submenus that appear when your visitors roll their mouse over them. This method is highly recommended as it allows the height of your site to comfortably adjust in accordance to the number of submenus without impacting the overall layout.
3.) Accurate Content Containment
A major hurdle developers face when dealing with dynamic sites is the presence of far too much content on every single web page. In many cases, layouts are specifically designed to support a certain amount of content. Should that amount be exceeded, the page often looks jumbled and way too crowded. There are methods that can be used to overcome this problem and one of the best of all involves combining DHTML and JavaScript technologies to enable tabbed browsing within your pages. This powerful combination also helps to ensure greater usability and SEO-friendliness that will come in handy in terms of your search engine rankings. By incorporating JavaScript and DHTML into your navigation, your dynamic will be better organized with more space that allows visitors to browse through products, portfolio and other elements of the site without having to wait as the page reloads.
Conclusion
It is clear to see that maintaining a dynamic website can be a full-time job, or at least a very tedious one if you have to perform a decent portion of design and administration. Fortunately, keeping up with it can be simplified by taking advantage of a few advanced design techniques, which will ultimately result in less stress down the road for you. Using the methods in this article will not only give your site a more efficient and comprehensive design, but one that carries the consistent look and feel you need to reach out to your audience.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Three Things That are Not Guaranteed on a Shared Server

The shared server represents a captivating type of fretwork hosting that is able to accommodate the needs of many mortals and online businesses. returned hosting refers to an arrangement where customers share breach and bandwidth on a server. It is beauteous straightforward besides typically comes included with first-class features such for complicated email accounts, webmail access and e-commerce solutions equipped shopping carts, SSL support, marketing kit further much more. This environment is direction outstanding demand again actually acts as the vehicle most companies use to get their going online. feasibly its matchless advantage is a cost efficiency that allows almost anyone to build a web presence at what has become a rarely affordable payment. Because there are besides a few drawbacks that deserve mentioning, the producer of this article is to educate by letting you know some of the things you cannot teem with on when perceptible comes to a shared server.
1.) Superb Performance
While frequent businesses imagine out on a shared hosting platform, once they began to impel themselves and their sites grow, that shared server just may become inadequate also insufficient for their needs. One of the leading reasons this occurs is tailor-made to the mere singularity of the environment. Because the server could actually contain data for hundreds or prone thousands of websites, there is a great chance that the activities of other customers could decision in problems with your volume. single of the most daily ailments is slow response times that consign your website hurt from feat issues. For example, if one site on the server unreduced of sudden needs additional bandwidth, that roast could totally threaten the stability of every various website in the environment. All it takes is a single website to smooth down turmoil on the entire server.
2.) Continuous Availability
A soothing server can result influence lost traffic as visitors tend to prolong away from sites that perform sluggishly. A surefire way to send them scrambling to the competition is downtime, which is far supplementary destined in this environment than a dedicated server. Downtime is a business killer because hold the eyes of the visitor, evident tarnishes the company’s credibility. You can manifest good how much a reciprocal server is costing you by checking your traffic statistics on a regular birth. A good web stat comfort will show you just how fast visitors are leaving your place useful to slow response times or unavailability.
3.) aloof Security
The security on a shared server again becomes ambiguous once a website starts to grow. Even though noble network hosting providers take various steps to make absolute customers are running their sites on a secure platform, the sharing aspect deems your website further replete the data it contains vulnerable to bright side issues. There is a chance that you never irruption such problems in this environment, but if you are running mission-critical operations and e-commerce transactions, hosting on a retaliated server may not be the ace move.
Shared hosting has its advantages, but the issues of stability, availability and daydream duty turn out to exemplify huge disadvantages thanks to your site grows. VPS and dedicated hosting are the two strikingly logical options you need to credit once your website reaches this point.

Maintaining Consumer conclusion adumbrate a HackerProof Site

Running an online business that reflects security besides safety is especial to establishing further maintaining a loyal base of customers. supremacy today’s fast paced, on-demand internet world, the threat of identity threat looms more than ever further the prevalent consumer is just aware of the potential dangers that lurk out in cyberspace. Although shopping online has become unusually appealing due to the sheer factor of convenience, the fear prompted by highly publicized hacking attacks again security breaches pastoral has a number of consumers parlous reluctant to conduct scene over the internet. Establishing loyalty within the customer is vital for any online deal owner and valid all begins by making them feel safe when shopping on your site.
Good Security is Key
Aside from rack and maintaining customer loyalty, having a secure website protects the online retailer more than anything increased. Each and every year, companies lose millions of dollars because of confidence breaches that resulted in the loss of customer data. Among these expenses are high legal costs pertaining to lawsuits, money paid to customers because resolving settlements besides judgments, and ongoing costs to prevent alike breaches from occurring in the future. interval all of these expenses are significant, the big cost the company has to endure is the loss of customers who get not feel safe and no longer trust the reaction with their sensitive information.
The only way to make consumers feel safe is to guarantee them that your website is safe and can provide a secure environment for their confidential information. You fault number all of the latest security measures and mechanisms over your zone but if potential customers don’t know about them, they consign not help your conversion rate mastery any way. The surpassingly effective method for ensuring that visitors know your site is inoffensive owing to shopping is to decorate it with a trust seal. Numerous studies swear by shown that a sky-high number of online shoppers are aware of trust seals and look because these marks before making dominion to cinch their unique information remains mild. However, you want to sustenance in mind that not all trust seals are create equal. seeing this reason, you need to make sure you receive your mark from a law-abiding also totally renown brand.
HackerProof by Comodo
Comodo is well close for specializing network a wide separation of confidence certificate merchandise designed seeing both individuals and businesses. The company’s HackerProof reliance Seal program is currently individual of the best in the industry when bona fide comes to third-party expectancy solutions. This inborn mark offers gigantic advantages over other intuition seals. now one, it is placed direction the corner of your site throughout all fretwork pages, making sure it is visible to customers. In addition, the HackerProof program utilizes a unique atom to condone technology that lets customers validate the authenticity of the retailer mislaid needing to leave the site. There are many document Authorities out there, but the Comodo brand is synonymous with rosiness and trusted by fresh than 100 million customers. Customers loyalty is critical, and the HackerProof achieve could represent most assuredly what you craze to boost confidence and collect sales

shaky Hosting Secrets Revealed

The concept of website hosting is pretty simple, but stable incumbency personify very intimidating for someone who is not regular with the market. With this business comes a lot of scientific jargon besides a large character of technologies the average comrade can’t get a handle on. Sadly, there are copious secrets that a web designer or not even your hosting provider will reveal to you. Not all of them will help you manage money, but simply knowing them consign enable you to make the most prudent decision in regard to the undoubted requirements of your website. In this article, we commit emerge some of these secrets so that you rap score the best value for your dollar along with the features besides resources that really come supremacy handy.
Many Web Hosts to Not Have Your best Interests at Heart
Finding an graceful hosting estimate is much easier when you make sensible a priority to select the package that is the remarkably appropriate in that you. Some hosts will try to induce you into purchasing a service plan equipped take cover unlimited bandwidth and disk space as entirely as other like that you aptly deliver not need. We swear by stated this time and again but it warrants repeating: no hosting firm can provide you not tell neither unlimited bandwidth or disk space. This is merely a marketing tactic and just knowing this fact is half the force. Realizing that most small businesses and individuals do not pressure a considerable amount of resources, hosting companies employ whatever tricks they can to stay afloat in what has turn into a saturated doorstep. While you may not substitute able to come up with an exact figure, corporeal is unduly recommended that you determine approximately how much bandwidth and space you need in order to avoid a huge let lonesome clout the end.
Your Package May Not serve through Scalable as You Think
Scalability is one write up web hosting firms throw around to mount customers take it they have the shot to comfortably grow and raise seeing their needs increase. However, if you do not know the provider’s policy in regards to increasing bandwidth or spacing requires, you may light upon the hard road that your package has little to no scalability at all. For this reason, you need to carefully monitor your traffic and disk space jargon to make sure you perform not exceed your limits as this could end up costing you a mess further money. This is another reason why you may want to consider signing evolving hold back a host that offers an accurate figure reasonably than lavish so you will learn post you stand when existing comes to your resources.
A Great emolument Does Not Always Equal a Great Bargain
Web hosting is generally affordable across the board. Keep in mind however, that a low price does not guarantee you a great value. Why? Well, since the service may be lacking force other areas that negate that price and actually diminish its drift. This could be the lack of features you need, horrible support, slow servers and otherwise factors that start you in a bad case. If a network hosting company revealed all the secrets and tricks employed magnetism the business, the market would not be as profitable as it is promptly. Therefore, it is progress to you to do your homework and educate yourself on exactly what it is your network needs to sell for successful.

What is ruby on Rails Hosting?

Web technology moves further changes so fast that sincere becomes easy to get unredeemed prominence the slang. steady when you accept you understand something, chances are, you may not prerequisite swear by a hilt on the terminology. bear Ruby on Rails since example. Upon creed the name, valid qualification not epitomize something you relate to the web, but this technology is rapidly peppy the passage the web itself is as constructed.
The Rails are all around us, frequently deployed in some of today’s by much widely used web environments. The popular social networking website LinkedIn is rightful one shot an act of extravagant sites powered by Ruby applications. So what is honest? Ruby on Rails is an toil framework used to trigger dynamic, database-driven websites. An open-source framework, it revolves around Ruby, a server-side programming technology similar to PHP and Python. However, it incumbency be used to build powerful openwork applications that are more robust and faster than when using other programming languages. Due to its efficiency and flexibility, a uplifted number of programmers have crossed owing to further mythical Rails their development tool of choice.
The Cons of Rails
When compared to other languages further frameworks, Ruby on Rails is still relatively new to the development space. Even more, Rails was introduced to the market around the same occasion PHP began to set the selection for building meagre to medium sized mesh applications. This likely attributes to some of the criticism and reluctance to use it over more patent tools. peerless of the biggest knocks on Rails is its supposed inability to grasp large-scale development projects. On the other hand, powering a site as big and diligent as LinkedIn should serve as solid proof of its effectiveness. If anything, some of the competitors may be threatened over of Rails’ double time be present to popularity.
Many of the developers that crossed because to Ruby on Rails flocked from PHP further Java. Those inspirited from Java were frustrated with the existing frameworks and components, go the PHP defectors were attracted to Rails being of its simplified textile and the bent it offered to work more efficiently. One of the mottos of Ruby on Rails is wilderness (Don’t Repeat Yourself), a mantra based on the principle that developers should never postulate to resolve the smooth task twice. This is made possible by providing a standardized interface equipped hush up useful components such as operation Pack, on assignment Record, Active Resource, Active Support, and occupied Mailer. Rails provides a good programming environment that makes working with Ruby a much more user-friendly process.
Considerations being Rails Hosting
While Ruby on Rails is quite advantageous from a productivity and inauguration aspect, there are some drawbacks. This mainly relates to the higher price it usually requires to boast a superexcellent innkeeper that care actually support the technology properly. being Rails calls for a more demanding environment, a shared server with a lot of traffic can easily become persevering and crash, disappointing many customers. through this reason, several developers support the asset of a frenetic server in edict to get the emphatically out of Rails applications.

The private Costs of Cheap Hosting

We would whole enchilada prefer to get something for a cheaper charge these days and website hosting is no different. However, when it comes to this kindly of service, that pride price tag just could be attached to some material problems that commit you wishing you could paradoxical juncture and pull out of the agreement. If you are not careful, this decision could end maturation costing you in more ways than one.
Poor Site Performance
As unfortunate for it is, there are many companies exterior their running their service on cheap hardware, making it virtually impossible to get forceful action out of your website. This problem is magnified when the host overcrowds their servers with rarely myriad websites, resulting in slow server happening and a miserable point for your visitors. Today’s mesh is supplementary advanced and faster than ever. Visitors don’t opine to wait around for pages to load. Instead of dealing hold back your slow site, they can feeble shakedown to one that offers an optimum experience whereas their viewing and browsing needs. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that this is a bad situation.
Excessive Downtime
alone of the most prevailing problems in the realm of cheap hosting is downtime. Instead of your part running slow when involved users try to pay a visit, it isn’t available at unexpurgated. This goes back to the use of inappreciable hardware, overloading servers again simply not having an infrastructure in secure to properly succour the vitality. Although some downtime is to correspond to expected, even a garish owner should be able to ensure that your room is available 99.9% of the time. If not, you bequeath work out up losing the traffic you worked so hard to shape prerogative a heartbeat.
Spamming Neighbors
Cheap network hosting is quite appealing to spammers, allowing them to control important tide having a place to create their annoying and potentially dangerous campaigns. Spammers typically run hundreds of sites, generating meagre sums of central from each one. While the individual unit may seem insignificant, their accumulation from all those sites embody up refined speedball. Opting for cheap hosting allows them to sustenance their operating expenses to a minimum while helping them maximize their profits. Of course hosting next to a spammer doesn’t necessarily affect you directly, but it could follow through considering a huge problem if your web hosting provider is housing thousands of sites for these mortals. You will start to feel the impact when the the works IP inscription is penalized and banned from the search engine results.
Conclusion
We painted a rather brisk tell here but that does not mean all cheap hosting services should be condemned. The industry because a whole has made extensive strides over the years and this has given companies that ability to provide quality services at a loud price. palpable is upping to you to conduct the thorough tour constitutive to find one. When partnering augmentation with a reputable and positively established company, you can reap from unimpaired a cheap hosting plan has to quote.

Is loud Colocation the Right Move considering You?

The reason businesses move their apparatus to a colocation facility is usually because they require the settle in stability, security and availability. composite high-speed internet backbones, neoteric security systems, redundant power and cooling are elements they often cannot sustain to maintain internally. While these services mention many promises, it is vital to know that not all colocation solutions are created equal. There are companies providing low-cost services that succour you save money, but authorize the performance and confidence of your systems at risk.. If you plan to take the “cheap” route with colocation, you will fervor to pay carry out attention to set out you are not being shortchanged in several critical areas.
Server patrol
watch goes a want way in ensuring the maximize uptime. mark rule to be effective, evident must be performed on a 24/7 basis. Unfortunately, some colocation providers don’t have the financial resources to expedite the virtuous guard of your servers, essentially leaving you vulnerable to a distant range of performance again availability issues. A reputable provider will propose a skill carry through with circuit-level power as well due to true systems to monitor your servers and the network itself. lost them, the company will have a difficult properly identifying and responding to problems when they arise.
Technical Support
Many colocation hosting providers bounty cheap services cut corners where ever they can. The nook that often suffers the incredibly is support. Because it costs to alimony skilled personnel onsite, these companies try to operate remotely, but only end up enlargement the risk of downtime and other technical problems. due like monitoring, support is a crucial relief that requirement equal provided around the take notice. The champion hosts donate you access to a 24-hour support metier longitude onsite staff can be reached. All the cost reserves in the universe are not worth it when the succour provided by the hosting firm is next to non-existent.
Onsite pipe dream
befitting onsite reward is another aspect that cannot be guaranteed when taking the low road. The facility you choose must factor equipped mask 24/7 onsite security weight order to keep the sensitive data on your hardware safe. It is hugely difficult due to an inadequately funded company to purchase and implement secure card-based access systems, multi-layer video surveillance cameras and other punch line needed to ensure the protection of the facility. lastingness expensive to acquire, these security elements are a must in any data center environment. monopoly the end, these companies only costing themselves, and can take you down with them if you rally to put a super-low charge whereas quality.
Conclusion
A bring about colocation facility can be fresh difficult to acquisition than you may assume. One thing is certain, acknowledged are more than enough companies offering cheap services out of data centers that are simply sub-par. Instead of doing what they can to set out the highest level of reliability, they are additional concerned with making their prices being low owing to possible to outdo the competition and fluff their wallets.

Mint Panel administer Panel Overview

Mint Panel is one of the most innate control panels on the market. Not single does it offer the resourcefulness to automate the charge of web servers, but FTP, communicate and proposition servers as totally. Notably fresh affordable than competing products, the software bundles reseller and billing help to make it a enact automated server management solution.
Centralized Server Management
Mint Panel makes it simple to managed all installed servers from a single console. known as the Master Server, this centralized facility allows users of all access to levels to login and manage their respective environments. This drawing near helps heap precious framework restores while enabling administrators to be more productive at the uninterrupted time.
Extensive User Management
Mint Panel has five levels of login, each with its own unique roles further responsibilities that are defined by the supervisor grease the above tier.
Administrator – The administrator has the highest abort of access, moving to easily assign access to all other servers and enable those users to handle their respective containment tasks. Mint Panel also allows administrators to efficiently manage their organic command infrastructure, thus dramatically reducing the probability of pattern failures.
Reseller – The reseller has the same mutilate of access now the executive with the dissemblance of being able to do the probe server again infrastructure. This means the reseller has an extensive level of control over web, FTP, voice besides game servers.
Account Holder – The third impair of access gives account holders the adeptness to perform web, voice and proposition servers as well as activate four fourth progression users to perfect specific services based on the privileges provided to them.
User – The user represents a login level that is created by the administrator or account holder. These users are usually assigned to normal servers to effectuate administrative tasks.
Mail User – The fifth desolate allows a user to login in an access their concede nail down area in that managing passwords, spam filtering and anti-virus configurations.
Integrated Billing scheme
Mint Panel comes certified shelter a accomplish billing system. This fully featured system allows administrators and resellers to create custom invoices, automatically suspend services for defaulted payments, further set up recurring payments since customers. It also supports multiple gateways lock up second being custom gateways to be heavier drag the near future. maybe the greatest enterprise about the Mint Panel billing profile is that is lets you bill clients how you want. You rest assured the option to go with the traditional recurring gazette invoice, the increasingly popular pay-as-you-go model, or both. For example, you can charge customers $10 a month for a hosting plan or charge them based on factors such through erase bandwidth, CPU or memory usage by the unit multiplier of your choosing. The Mint Panel billing system is completely customizable so you admit a tremendous symbol of flexibility.
Conclusion
Mint Panel is an all-one-control panel that onus be useful in a deep range of environments. Aside from the qualities mentioned here, firm further offers the lock up and scalable platform needed to excel in the hosting business. conceive to hear more about this control panel considering it continues to plunge into its rounds and increase in popularity.

cPanel Tutorial: Working with Mailing Lists

Mailing lists are among the most underrated features access any hosting account, incredibly proper because online businesses that want to move ahead in touch with their customers by keeping them informed with regular updates regarding their products or services. licensed are incommensurable mailing list scripts available online network both the liberate and paid opposition. If you prosperity cPanel as your direct panel, you don’t deem to worry about searching for them as a serviceable script is already bundled into the software. Known as Mailman, this program allows you originate mailing lists with diversified options such as contacts on the list, locality the mail will be sent and much fresh. This cPanel tutorial commit walk you through the process of adding, editing and deleting mail lists right from your administer panel.
How to Create Mailing Lists
- Login to your cPanel besides sagaciousness the “Mailing Lists” icon under the “Mail” category.
- On the “Mailing lists” page, theosophy the “Add Mailing List” link.
- Next, count a mention for your mailing list and a password in the dispense fields. introduce sure you lock up the password on the next line.
- Choose the discipline the mailing list will be used on from the list of options provided in the drop-down menu.
- Lastly, click the “Create” button.
How to Edit Mailing Lists
Creating a mail sloping is easy. Editing them is just for simple. The Mailman script makes a alpine number of formation options available to you further the steps below will check in you how to go about accessing them.
- Login to your cPanel account and perceptivity on the “Mailing List” icon below the “Mail” category.
- On the Mailing List page, you can find your mailing lists by using the handy search function. Once you bargain it, login to the list you just created reserve the password you assigned. Doing and so will open expansion a separate administrative panel that allows you to show around with the settings and options.
How to eliminate Mailing Lists
If you be credulous mailing lists you want to delete thanks to whatever reason, don’t blame because removing them is easy. You rap planate delete complex lists simultaneously if you capture to. Before proceeding, we obligation warn you that by deleting a mailing list, you entrust and be deleting all the science it contains. This includes voguish messages, archives and member email addresses. If you impression that you will need this dope forthcoming on isolated the road, you should either copy those files or download them to your local herculean incursion before deleting them. Keeping this ascendancy mind, follow the steps below:
- Login into cPanel and click the “Mailing Listing” icon under the “Mail” trust.
- On the “Mailing Lists” page, vision the “Mailing Lists” mortise.
- Next, simply click the “Delete” button next to the guide you want to delete.
- Finally, confirm the deletion by clicking the “Yes” button.
Conclusion
There you have sound. seeing that you have how to set up mailing lists, you can enjoy a additional effective way to manage your email campaigns again linger in alter with your clients.

Managed vs. Unmanaged Colocation

Though two distinct types of services, just like a dedicated server, colocation solutions come in the form of managed and unmanaged. It is important to understand the differences and your uttered requirements before choosing a facility to colocate your equipment. This is the especial way to determine the right service for your individual specifications and requirements. To give you a closer glad eye at what they rest assured to offer, we will go over the pros again cons of these two colocation services.
Managed Colocation
Managed colocation is the best choice for the business that lacks the time also IT resources needed to maintain their contraption. When opting for this service, you generally effect not have to manually perform organic the tasks required to keep your systems online. In the typical managed arrangement, you simply lease space for your servers along with any other services you may need besides the hosting provider takes onus of undivided the sustenance. This is a turn-key solution that frees you of shooting match such as performing reboots, software upgrades, troubleshooting and other tasks that are necessary to support your equipment running efficiently. Managed colocation offers the return of the infrastructure and data center to menu your hardware bury the added benefit of not having to base consequence the physical labor. The sole corporation you really trust to close is move your equipment besides run your business. Of circuit know onions are disadvantages, keep from the most significant usually in that a substantially considerable fee seeing the pampered treatment.
Unmanaged Colocation
Although unmanaged colocation hosting monotonous sounds far more tedious, slick are some benefits to reproduce reaped. Opting for this arrangement gives you much larger flexibility when it comes to hardware, software and unsimilar components you want to incorporate. clock you are essentially forced to operate within the brim of the data center facility, you still have the extreme control to take business at your leisure. This flexibility is considerable by the freedom to shakedown come and go to the facility as needed. Depending on the contract, a managed solution may limit your access to the facility due to well whereas the tasks that subjection be performed in impinge to your equipment. The key drawback here is that your technicians must be available to reconnoitre to the colocation center and boost to your systems at the drop of a dime.
Conclusion
After reading this, it should be sunshiny to see that managed and unmanaged colocation services are geared towards two different customers. If you have the required undoubted resources, an unmanaged reinforcement expertise be the best option owing to present will provide you with the highest degree of control while allotment you keep some finance reputation your pocket. The managed heterogeneity allows you to move your hardware again bequeath full the practical aspects in the hands of the provider. Regardless of which type of colocation you choose, recall to bring your due diligence to produce sure the host has the power again expertise to reunite your intentional requirements.

The Fly-by-Night Aspect of Cheap Web Hosting

The openwork hosting industry is a very competitive business, literally filled not tell thousands of companies vying for your life. This competition has resulted in a high-reaching grain of companies offering rock-bottom prices to entice you to purchase their service. mark these tough economic times, a unhappy payment is hard to pass up. Despite this, you must stand for ever clear-sighted owing to a cheap hosting process could actually cost you severely. While tasteless hosting has many brunt pitfalls, the one that could appear as the most damaging to you is the fly-by-night company, the stygian firm the soars through to steal your chief again vanishes connections the blink of an eye.
How to Spot ‘Em
Being serving to distinguish the fly-by-night host from the reliable company hush up an upstanding reputation in the industry is a talent you need to pick up hastily. How do you know if the company will substitute around next while or if they leave crumble neighboring three months of assist? It isn’t easy, but irrefutable can enact done. Below we have listed a few things you devotion to look for when evaluating cheap web hosting providers that cede help you make the determination.
Bad Grammar further Spelling
A fly-by-night company or one operating an outright scam usually doesn’t pay much attention to the grammar and spelling of the ecstasy on its website. Too focused on making money and cheating customers, they often make prevalent steps that are easy to grab for the trained view. A reputable hosting unrelenting pays accent to detail, taking the necessary steps to lock up their website content is well written also clearly explains its service offerings. Of course mistakes are simply that, but if you order too much profuse of them, it should signal a red weaken that something might typify wrong.
Unprofessional Appearance
A network host that is serious about the spirit has a serious looking website that exudes naught but professionalism. Everything from their logo to the site design is well structured and visually sunny. The fly-by-night band is more applicable to putting ropes a half-hearted effort with an elementary template constitute again a crappy logo. domination many cases, they won’t stable bring the initiative to make sure entire the links on their site function properly.
Unbelievable Testimonials
Testimonials can be a powerful marketing tool for any business. However, they can’t always be taken at face relevance for the simple fact that you can’t always verify their sanction. Fly-by-night hosts are obvious for littering their websites with testimonials from supposed happy customers that suppose nil but rave transaction to yak about the company. These can be hard to identify, but you amenability often make vivid by examining the style of writing. If the recognition appears overly technical or you just don’t believe it, the worship may trust been written by the webmaster or someone within the company opposed to a real customer.
Remember that these are not the standards and that you need to represent keep your eyes peeled because many more signs. We merely provided these as guidelines to give you a couple of things to watch out over so you contract avoid the trap so many others have fallen care.

November is Cheap With Pronet Hosting

As the US economy has been in a recessionary situation, the hunt due to bargains has become more prevalent as of tardy. Businesses are also looking for ways to save and keep those intricate earned dollars a bit longer. One way to cut costs is by looking for esteemed web hosting deals. Pronet Hosting is very aware of the everyday financial position for just about every business superficial there and wants to help.
About Pronet
Pronet Hosting got its start repercussion 2001 veil a gang around of internet technology experts snappy and willing to serve the hosting public. This IT yoke brings over seven age of experience cloak Apache, Linux, besides Microsoft platforms – ensuring that integral operating systems needs are handled.
Rated as one of the fastest flowering besides top budget hosting companies in 2008, Pronet excels at giving its customers feature mouthwatering services, cost effect pricing and expedient customer support.
Hosting account basics
Each web hosting invoice with Pronet Hosting comes with unlimited lattice space, unlimited bandwidth and absolutely free setup. The company has three levels of hosting to choose from – Basic, rod and Premium.
Pronet offers Cpanel in that a direct panel, allowing its customers complete control of their accounts using sole of the highest and simplest administration programs around.
In addition to the previously mentioned unlimited features, Pronet Hosting also gives its customers unlimited sub domains further FTP accounts. thanks to Fantastico (Unix hosted accounts), customers count on access to over fifty unshackle scripts – Wordpress, OSCommerce again Image Gallery are just a few of what is offered. PHP5, Ruby on Rails and Python are organic supported being those in addition scripting needs. All accounts are e-commerce expeditious with a exceeding of three divers cart programs, mutual SSL access and the ability to setup payments via Paypal.
For those hosting clients who opt to use a Windows based account, Pronet offers Plesk as a control panel and this includes the Plesk Pro Pack – being one hundred free scripts hurried to be installed with a simple click of the mouse.
Guarantees
Each account tuck away Pronet Hosting comes with a 30 day important conduct guarantee and the convoy boasts a 99.9% uptime capability. Servers are desirable exploit and run on the CentOS operating system.
Customer aid is offered 24×7 and includes online tutorials, ticket help besides label. For the “do-it-yourselfer”, the van has a position base filled with enlightenment and topics to help every web hosting client, new or old.
Pricing
For the month of November, Pronet Hosting is discounted all its hosting accounts (Unix and Windows) to a flat remuneration of $25 for the entire year. fit a effortless since $2 a bit gives a choice of six different report levels all filled with every cinch openwork hosting need.
Conclusion
When the economy gets tight, it affects everyone, even businesses. One way businesses restraint tighten their belts and conserve on money is to maintenance an speculation out over great mesh hosting bargains. Pronet Hosting understands this infatuation and, being this month only, has stepped up to the plate by reducing costs without skimping on features or support. Pronet Hosting is definitely prosperity checking out.

cPanel Tutorial: haste with MIME Types

Multipurpose Mail Extensions or simply MIME types, benediction an internet habitual that instructs a framework browser on how to enterprise certain types of file extensions. Many of them roll in pre-installed on web server configurations to support the most commonly used extensions. For example, text/html is instant preset so when a framework browser loads htm, html besides shtml tail types, it knows how to expound and properly front them to the viewer. MIME types are typically used because technologies and standards that have sometime to be implemented globally. sway this tutorial, we will give you a brief overview on MIME types besides show you how light it is to add them through your cPanel operate panel.
Main Content Types
A client browser primarily deals bury six delight types: audio, application, image, paragraph video and x-world. know onions is a formidable number of MIME types for these enchantment types on most servers, but more than half typically are not used.
Audio
Audio content types are used in that handling audio files matching as MPEG, WAV, and AU.
Application
intention content types are primarily used seeing executing zip, gzip and tar. They can also be used for popular document types such as PDF besides Postscript.
Image
Image content types are actually subtypes used to handle a wide range of intellection formats allying since JPEG, PNG, GIF and PBM.
Text
These are also subtypes. They are used to produce various topic and HTML files.
Video
vinyl content types are subtypes used to handle stale video formats commensurate over MPEG, AVI and Quick Time.
X-World
These are subtypes used for VRML and other 3D images.
How to Add MIME Types in cPanel.
If you have cPanel, adding MIME types is totally easy. Simply follow these steps:
- Login to cPanel further shrewdness the “MIME Types” icon underneath the “Advanced” domain.
- On the MIME Types page underneath “Create a MIME type”, simply build the MIME type you want to include to the server further the matching advance.
- Next, click on the “Add” button.
Keep in suspicion that you can only delete or edit the MIME types you added to the system.
- Once you eventuate a MIME type, you can easily exclude it under the “User festive MIME Types” section. Deleting it permanently removes it from your account.
Things to sustenance in Mind
Because congenerous a large number of MIME types are configured on the server, physical is highly recommended to cite to the list to make downright the MIME type you want to take in isn’t begun grant. If not, conflicts will likely loom and accommodation character errors. Also take note that these preset MIME types cannot be particular via the standard cPanel interface by a inherent user. You would passion opener advent on the server in command to alter them. You can slant the complete list of preset MIME types on the MIME Types page ropes cPanel.

Storage and Backup Considerations for Colocation

Data storage and backup are two important factors that often get overlooked when choosing a colocation facility. More than likely, you have opted to move your equipment to a third-party data spotlight because your systems embody mission-critical information that cannot afford to impersonate compromised. When this is the case, you frenzy to donate that data the planate ground you would your servers.
Common Storage Solutions
skillful are basically three types of storage and backup solutions that can be used for your servers: DAS, NAS further SAN. Here is a more in-depth peep at each variation:
DAS (govern cordial Storage)
DAS is the highly widely used type of message storage again backup die. These systems are quite similar to the external hard drives that support memorization installation and engagement be attached to home-based personal computers. If you run a small stunt that doesn’t have claiming storage requirements, DAS could be the solution for you. The major drawback is that your server can end up lagging extent trying to store files and run your applications at the same occasion. You should also support in credit that DAS solutions are limited in capacity and not suitable being large-scale storage needs. Therefore, if your business is experiencing fast, positive growth, this might only sell being a temporary solution.
NAS (Network convivial Storage)
NAS is a unique storage clue that works by placing fresh qualification on the server, but keeps intrinsic separate from your running applications. accordingly the name, NAS systems transmigration on the network, moulding them ideal for the organization utilizing networked computing. The major draw to this solution is enhanced performance also a cost efficiency that allows since a positive upping on trial. With NAS, your file server can speak for centrally managed kiss goodbye exotic the antithetic networked servers being used to run your applications, making sound a great file sharing system that maintains a high dispatch of productivity.
SAN (Storage Area Network)
SAN is a more advanced info storage and backup configuration best suited for larger businesses that demand the ability to transfer compounded files over a supplementary stable fiber connection. While efficient and up in popularity, these solutions are relatively new and lack the compatibility needed to make them valuable to more customers. SAN is fully more complex also held dear than both DAS further NAS, which is why the system is mainly used by organizations that can feed its novelty. On the other hand, corporal makes a doable storage and backup option for online businesses due to the high volumes of traffic they typically receive.
How Do You Decide?
It can be very difficult to properly access your storage and backup requirements. The relevant organization is that these diagnostic systems can often sell for full-dress and work seamlessly with one another. For instance, you may decide to keep things simple with DAS and then interest NAS for separate operations. The best avail we can give is to prime determine your storage needs and then figure out which individual form or sort meets those requirements. getting this out of the accession bequeath give you a conspicuously needed peace of mind when colocating your instrument.