Internet Domain Hosting

Internet domain hosting is an important part of the internet since it allows individuals with a low budget to setup and run their own website, without the need for large expensive servers that have to be hosted in a costly data centre rack. Internet domain hosting has been around since the beginning of the internet because people have needed a place where they are able to host their websites with ease, and in every case at least one domain is in use meaning that web hosting providers have to factor in the management of domains as well with their internet domain hosting packages. Internet domain hosting providers can now be found in large numbers, mainly down to the fact that the cost of setting up an internet domain hosting business, or in other words a ‘web hosting business’, are very low if you start out on a standard reseller web hosting package. When considering an web hosting provider that sells internet domain hosting packages, there are several factors that you need to consider; the main factor that you need to consider when looking for a web hosting package is your requirements - having a web hosting plan that doesn’t meet youe requirements is just going to be a waste of money. Although a majority of internet domain hosting providers are reputable and can provide good service, there are still some that are out there to scam users.

For those that don’t know, web hosting providers use powerful computers called servers to host their internet domain hosting clients on. Because servers are complicated machines, there are many terms that you may come across when searching for an internet domain hosting package which you may not know the exact meaning to, but in most cases are very important terms. These terms can include:

• bandwidth - this is the amount of data that can be transferred between your website and visitors’ computers in a set amount of time, which is normally a month, and is measured in gigabytes (GB)
• disk space - this is the amount of physical space that you can use on your web hosting account, and is normally the fixed limit that you can use on the hosting server’s hard drive
• RAID - this is a form of server backup which means that the hosting server has multiple hard drives to increase server reliability, thus ensuring that your internet domain hosting package will receive the highest amount of server uptime that is available.

Web hosting providers that don’t use high specification servers to host their internet domain hosting packages will most likely be a poor web hosting service, meaning that you should check out web hosting reviews and the specifications of the servers being used by a web hosting provider before committing to anything.

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What Is DNS Propagation Process And Why It Takes So Long To Initially See My Website Live?

You may wonder why your new website is taking more than 72 hours and not immediately to be seen “live” and “in stable form” on the internet. May be, sometimes, a little less than 72 hours! Definitely, the website does not immediately become “live” on the internet even after you have purchased the domain name, the hosting account with your WHP (Web Hosting Provider) for the domain name to reside, and the website uploaded with the domain name in the hosting account. The domain name takes some time to become live because of the following reasons that are necessary.

The most important reason is the DNS propagation. So, what is DNS propagation and what has it got to do with your domain name?

DNS stands for Domain Name System. DNS servers translates the domain name that is understood by the computers into domain names that is understood by human beings. All the internet service providers, most of the large businesses like the Microsoft, Dell, etc. also have their own web servers, and most of web hosting services have at least two DNS servers. People who use the web use DNS system all the time when they are browsing. Let us see the complete unseen process by outsiders, people who have no knowledge of what DNS is, of how websites actually are being seen by most of the web surfers.

There are top-level 13 master DNS servers which knows which DNS server authorises which domains. When the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) do not know which domain you are looking for, it (the ISP’s DNS server) checks the master-level DNS servers to find that domain, gets the information about that domain, and then passes you that domain. All this happens very fast.

Changing your website to another hosting company will require the changes made to the DNS information about your domain too. This is a very critical process that needs complete knowledge of how to do it, so either learn it even if you are going to change the site only once, or get help from your existing or the new hosting company.

Again, the changes can take another three days to broadcast to all other DNS servers all over the world (and complete the DNS propagation process) that you have moved your site to another hosting company. During this period of DNS propagation process, now called “redelegation”, some surfers find your domain with the old DNS information if they use “whois” service, some will find your domain with the new DNS information. Some surfers will automatically go to the new web server and some to the old.

If you posses a static IP and not a dynamic IP, and use the same ISP throughout your domain’s life-cycle, that is, till you no longer need the domain, you can have your own DNS server. This will need you to be an expert in the related processes. The 2 or more DNS servers for every domain are needed because if one DNS server fails, the other DNS server takes over instantly to keep your domain online.

All the computers communicate with each other on the internet using IP addresses, also called the numerical web addresses. An IP (internet protocol) address looks similar to 72.200.40.20 (this is an fictitious IP address). This works similar to any unique telephone number or the residential postal address. Everything in the process is quite complicated to understand by the common person who knows nothing about the technicalities of how things work on the internet.

We shall learn more about the IP Addresses, the Service Providers, the Domain Names, and the Domain Name Registrars in a separate article. To understand why your website is not seen immediately while the DNS propagation process is going on, we will concentrate only on the DNS and the DNS propagation process here. So what are they?

DNS

DNS means Domain Name System. The dedicated web server that uses the DNS software is called the DNS server. There are literally thousands of such DNS servers, spread all over the world. They act like the internet’s Yellow Pages that keeps track of all the information about all the websites, including your own registered website.

A single such DNS server will keep the information of only those websites that it is responsible for and will have a lot of pointers to find other websites. So, there are no DNS servers that store all the information of all the websites.

The DNS server has 2 main functions to follow:

1) The IP addresses are translated into domain names.

For example, a domain name, say mydomainname.com, is actually assigned digit numbers like 72.200.40.20 (this is a fictitious number). It is hard to recall such digit numbers and easy to use its alphanumeric name, in the above example, the mydomainname.com. The DNS server easily translates this domain name into the IP address of mydomainname.com in the example. This translation is done very fast by the DNS server.

2) The DNS server is the authority for the domain names assigned to it.

The network where your website resides has its own domain name system (DNS). The network, in fact, must have at least two such DNS servers as this is the industry-wide standard. These DNS servers are the authority for your website’s name, or in other words, your domain name. Your network provider service inserts the information of your domain name in its DNS server. Hence, the DNS server that has your domain name’s information has the authority over your domain name.

The DNS server stores some critical information about your domain name which is called your DNS Record.

Now, having seen what a DNS server is, and what it does, we shall look into more information about the Domain Name System (DNS) propagation process that is causing you to wait for almost 3 days to see your website live on the net.

The DNS Propagation Process

The domain registrar publishes the domain name at the first DNS level in the DNS propagation process. Hereafter, the domain name is broadcasted to the DNS servers all over the world.

This process is called the DNS propagation process which takes almost 3 days to complete. This DNS propagation process takes place if new registration of a website, in this case, your new domain name is formed and must be broadcasted to all the DNS servers in the world. Another case is that if a domain name is changed, and the third case is if the authority assigned to the domain name is changed.

There are so many DNS servers all over the world that it takes so long to broadcast your domain name to all of them. All these DNS servers constantly update themselves, called the DNS propagation process, and will recognize your new domain name in due time. When it will completely do so cannot be guaranteed though!

Only after the complete DNS propagation process is completed then everyone can see and access you website. Sometimes, other people can see your website live, but you cannot! This is because the DNS server that is the authority of those people’s website has completed the DNS propagation process, but your own ISP’s DNS server has not! This is, therefore, you will not be able to see your website and domain name stabilized for about 3 whole days due to the DNS propagation process, ideally.

To be continued…

DOMAIN NAME

A domain name is what you enter into your web browser’s address bar in order to visit an internet website. A domain name is usually mapped to a specific IP address with the use of DNS servers to make sure that you are routed to the correct server. Domain names can be purchased under different TLDs, each country having its own TLD along side the international TLDs that you may be more familiar with such as .com and .net. Domain names are normally purchased from web hosting providers for example when you purchase a web hosting package, or alternatively directly from a domain registrar whose speciality it is to supply domain names to those who need them. Domain names can only be alphanumeric with the exception of a few symbols, but are better than the often confusing and numeric only format of IP addresses which domain names are designed to mask. Domain names can often be anything you like, just as long as your desired domain name hasn’t already been purchased by someone else; this means that you can take your business or brand online using the same name which can give you an extra source of income when it comes to selling your products or services to your target audience.

Although websites can be access using an IP address if they have their own dedicated IP address, a domain name is the best way to bring in more visitors to your website from the web in general as well as through other methods such as word of mouth. A domain name provides you with a name that you can customize to your liking, for example if you are wanting to setup a business website then you can easily use your business’s name as your domain; if you are an individual wanting a domain name then you can choose one of your liking, but in both cases it does depend on whether your desired domain is available for registration. Domain names should be simple but still to the point since in the end you will want to be able to give your domain out to people both face to face and via internet means of communications such as forums and blogs. The length of a domain can also play a large role in how memorable it is for those who may be returning visitors to your website.

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Domain

A domain name is what you enter into your web browser’s address bar when you want to visit a website if you are not entering the web server’s IP address. Domain names can be alphanumerical meaning that they can contain both letters and numbers as well as a few very limited symbols. Domain names are seen as an easy to allow people to visit websites since in most cases they are easily remembered when compared to their alternative, IP addresses. Those wishing to start their own websites can purchase a domain of their choice from a domain registrar for a fee, and can then move on to purchase web hosting services from a web hosting provider if they are unable to source their own method of website hosting. Domain names can normally be anything that you want them to be since there is no governing body to say that you aren’t able to have any specific domain; however, you may find that the governing body of the TLD that you want to purchase your domain name under may have specific restrictions in place on what you can name domains.

A domain is normally used in conjunction with a website hosting package so that you can use your domain to host a proper website under your account, and not just be stuck using the basic tools such as holding pages that accompany many basic domain registrations. A web hosting package is needed for the web hosting of websites small and large, meaning that if you purchase a domain with the intent of hosting any form of website then a web hosting package is a necessary add-on. Most web hosting providers double up as domain registrars and vice versa which is the main reason for many professional web hosting companies offering a free domain with their website hosting packages. On the other hand, there are companies that are solely domain registrars who in most cases are able to offer you a more dedicated domain support service when compare to a web hosting provider selling domains who solely focuses on its web hosting packages and customers.

Domain hosting customers are normally provided with access to a web hosting control panel so that they are able to manage the web hosting package that they have purchased for their new domain that has just been registered. For example, if you choose a Linux domain hosting package then you will probably find that you are provided with access to the cPanel control panel to enable you to manage your domain hosting package with ease. If you have decided to purchase a Windows domain hosting package then you will probably be provided with access to the Plesk control panel so that you are able to manage the different aspects of your domain hosting package. Hosting control panels are important for those with a domain since they want to be able to control the different aspects of their web hosting account using a web based interface that they are able to access as they need. At the end of the day, a domain is more or less useless if you don’t have a website prepared or hosted for it since there won’t be any content for you to show off to your domain visitors.

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Domain Name Web Hosting

A domain name is the name you use when you enter a web address so that you can visit a website; a typical example of a domain name would be ‘example.com’. In order for any domain to work, web hosting is needed so that the DNS for the domain is able to resolve and so that there is a server where the domain owner can upload web pages for their domain. In basic terms, domain name web hosting allows you to host your website and all other services needed to ensure that your domain functions correctly under one easily managed domain name web hosting account.
Domain name web hosting comes with a control panel in most cases, which allows you to manage any part of your domain name web hosting account with ease. The two main control panels in the market for domain name web hosting are cPanel for Linux hosting, and Plesk for Windows hosting; however, your web hosting provider may use their own control panel system on their servers which may be different from Plesk or cPanel. If you are after domain specific hosting, then both allow you to manage just the core services of your account such as DNS hosting and mail forwarding, if it is part of your account.

If you want physical web hosting for your domain name, then hosting can come in two forms, dependent on the web host of course: Linux and Windows. Windows and Linux are two different operating systems, and Linux itself has many subsidiaries meaning that it can come in many different forms; each different form of Linux is known as a ‘distribution’, the most popular of which in the web hosting world are CentOS and Ubuntu. Other examples of Linux distribution include Gentoo, Slackware and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Microsoft Window domain name web hosting mostly comes hosted on Windows 2003 Servers, although some hosts have started offering Windows Server 2008 web hosting.

Basic domain name web hosting normally just consists of an account that allows you basic DNS hosting, and in some case to setup email forwarders if you are just using the domain concerned temporarily. The main DNS server used in basic domain name web hosting and web hosting in general is called ‘Bind’ (Berkeley Internet Name Domain), which also better known as ‘named’ in some cases. Web hosts using Microsoft Windows might use the Microsoft equivalent in some cases, Microsoft Windows DNS Server, although there is a Windows version of Bind/named available for general use.

More advanced domain name web hosting accounts that actually allow the physical hosting of web pages normally allow the hosting of web pages and scripts developed using server side scripting languages with databases. This is where the choice of Linux and Windows domain name web hosting comes into play. If you have developed a website using PHP and MySQL, then you are normally able to choose between Windows and Linux web hosting, since both technologies are support by both hosting platforms. If you have developed your website using either classic ASP or ASP.NET with a Microsoft SQL Server database, then you can only choose Windows domain name web hosting because all are Microsoft technologies.

As with any type of web hosting, domain name web hosting accounts are hosted on a physical server to ensure reliability of your website and the other accounts that are hosted on the same server as you. If your website is very popular, then you may need to consider a VPS server or a dedicated server for your domain name hosting needs so that you don’t affect the performance of the hosting server, and in turn the other websites hosted alongside you.

A VPS hosting server is a cheaper solution than a dedicated server, and provides you with guaranteed resources and a dedicated environment for your use only. However, you are still sharing the main physical hosting servers with other users which means that you can be affected by their actions, and vice versa.

A dedicated server is normally the most expensive type of web hosting that is available to the general consumer. However, unlike any other type of domain name web hosting, it provides you with the best reliability since you are not sharing the server resources with anybody else unless you wish to. Dedicated servers are also physical servers unlike any other forms of web hosting, which on the whole are virtual.

Domain name web hosting is something that can be very basic, up to something that can get very complicated in the terms of a dedicated hosting server. Domain name web hosting is open to everyone, from those who just have the budget to purchase one domain name and want to host off the basic free hosting that may be free with the domain to those who have massive budgets and whole server farms to serve their domains.

Many people want to start a web hosting business in this modern technical age, in most cases because people see it as a cheap and easy way to make a quick bit of money - but for those who want to make a success out of their hosting business in the long term, time, hard work and dedicated are needed to ensure that their business turns out to be the success that they want it to be; however, establishing yourself in the web hosting market these days is becoming ever more difficult since most people have had the same idea and also because the main companies within this market are offering good quality hosting at dirt cheap prices - although this might sound daunting, a more competitive market means that you have the opportunity to make the most of your business by trying to promote it and get it out there in front of the consumer as much as possible. For most people, starting a web hosting business is a process which needn’t require any large amount of money, since most existing web hosts are able to provide cheap reseller package which allow you to resell the web space that you are assigned to your customers; some reseller packages also include useful tools which are there to help you get your web hosting business off the ground - for example your reseller package might include a license for a web hosting billing system so that you are able to bill your customers who have purchased your hosting automatically online without the need for any complicated and frustrating paper work. You should only start a web hosting business if you are dedicated to making your business successful, and are able to provide your customers with the necessary support so that they are satisfied with the experience that they have with you, and not if you are in it purely for the money and plan to just abandon your customers after a certain amount of time; this is because great frustration can be caused to customers if the web host that they have signed up with decides to cease existance after a certain amount of time since in most cases it means that the data they have stored within their shared website hosting space that they have purchased is wiped meaning that they are unlikely to retrieve it - on the other hand, if you want to make your business successful then it is important that you provide your customers with a good level of support since it means that they are then highly likely to refer you to their friends and colleagues who might need hosting, and it is commonly known that ‘word of mouth’ can easily help make a success out of any business. If you are completely new to the world of web hosting and web design, then it is important that you do a good amount of research before embarking on setting up your own web hosting business; this is because you will most likely require server administration skills amongst other skills as your business starts to grow - these skills will most probably not be needed at the establishment of your business since you will probably be using a reseller hosting package, which means that the administration of the server on which you are hosted is taken care of by the trained technicians who are employed by your web host. Website design skills would also be a big bonus for you if you were to start a web hosting business; this is because you will need a website on which you can show case your products, although you can eaily purchase a template to use on your website, these are known to turn customers away from web hosting businesses since they interpret it as saying ‘we can’t be bothered to build our own website, so why should we be bothered with anything else’. In terms of money to start a web hosting business, domains and reseller packages are cheap these days which means that you should be easily able to start a small web hosting business for under $50; although that price only covers the basics such as a domain and a reasonable specification reseller package, free or cheap alternatives of other expensive components of a website hosting business such as a billing system or help desk can be easily picked up.

Domains and Business Names

The first thing you need if you are to start a web hosting business is a domain name, so that people are able to find your business and website easily via the use of a search engine; a domain is used so that people can easily access your website from any web browser, at any internet connected location in the world. When choosing a domain that you are planning to use for your web hosting business, you should make sure that it is one which is linked to the subject, so that prospective customers get an idea of the purpose of the business before they actually reach your website; by using a domain name which is relevant to the subject of the actual website, you ensure that customers are able to easily recall your business’s name and its sole purpose - even if they do forget the purpose of the business, they can easily work it out again through the meaning of the name of the business. You should also make the domain which you want to use for your web hosting business short in length, as well as easy to spell; this means that it is easier both clients current and prospective to remember - for example, the sort length means that the word ordering won’t be forgotten easily, and the fact that it is easy to spell means that your current customers can easily refer their friends and colleagues who need web hosting to your business. As is the case with a domain for any purpose, you should always try and make your domain name as individual as possible; this is because it can help your customers prospective and current to remember your website’s address as well as your business’s name - an individual name also means that you are less likely to end up using the name of an existing company or finding that the domain name which you want has been taken for use by somebody else. It is highly important that the name which you have chosen to use for your business is not being used by another person or company which is already in existance, its for this reason that you should always make the necessary checks within your country to ensure that no one else is using the desired name; if someone does find that you have started to trade under their name, and have owned the name or have been trading longer than you, they have the right to sue you to ensure that you stop using the name in question if a dispute over the name does break out or if you refuse the original owners calls t stop using the name or brand. When purchasing a domain from any good domain regsitrar, they will ask the TLD which you want the domain have - the TLD is the ‘Top Level Domain Name’ which in most cases is relevant to the country which you want to aim the website in question towards, for example the TLD for the United Kingdom is ‘.uk’ with variations being ‘.co.uk’ and ‘.me.uk’; you should always ensure that the TLD which you choose to use for your business is relevant to the country at which you want your hosting to be purchased from, if you have no target country in question then you should use the ‘.com’ domain extension. One thing to note is that you can pick up domains cheaply from any good domain registrar on the internet; it is advise that you buy domains from an American registrar since in most cases they work out cheaper than UK based or other foreign domain registrars. Once you have chosen your business name and domain name, as long as it has not already been done so by someone else who is using the same brand, you should register your company name as a trademark to ensure that no one else is allowed to trade under that name; this means that if someone else does try to setup a business which has the same name as yours, they will not be able to since you will be able to sue them since a registered trademark is basically means that you own the name in question and that no one else is able to use it without your prior permission or consent - this is especially important if you are planning to make your business last and if you want to start earning a good income out of your investment - if you don’t then someone could easily come along and start trading roguely under your name, and even ruin your company’s reputation.

Reseller Package, VPS or Dedicated Server

Before you start taking on customers for your web hosting business, you need to have something on which you can host them; there are three choices for you to choose from when you are starting your web hosting business, these are: reseller hosting packages, virtual private servers or dedicated servers. Reseller hosting packages are packages which you buy from an established web host which allow you to sell on the disk space and bandwidth that it assigned to you to your customers - your customers in turn will have their own client accounts which they can then use to manage the domains and websites which they have chosen to host with you; the good thing with reseller packages is that the server administration is taken care of by your web host, which means although you aren’t allowed direct root or administrator access to the server to install the programs that you want to, you don’t have to have any advanced server administration skills since all that work is carried out by the trained technicians who are employed by your web host. Virtual private servers are not real servers in terms of them being physical, but they still provide you with a dedicated environment similar to that which is provided by a dedicated server when you are using it - this means that you can get the same control as you would have with a dedicated server, but at a fraction of the cost; the thing with virtual private servers that sets them apart from dedicated servers is the fact that you are still sharing a server with other people, since there are normally multiple virtual private servers hosted on one physical node - although you are assigned your own guaranteed bandwidth, disk space and RAM, the CPU of the physical node is normally shared between all the VPS hosted on a single node but not equally, but in some cases web hosts will split the CPU between the VPS so that each gets a fair share. Dedicated servers are the most expensive solution for any web host who is starting out in the industry; this is because what you are paying for is a physical server which is not shared with anyone else in any way what-so-ever. Dedicated servers, like virtual private servers provide you with a dedicated environment in which you are able to install any program of your choice, which in turn means that you are able to customize the server to work in the way that you want it to; this means that if you want to focus on a specific type of web hosting which requires for a special program to be installed on the hosting server, then you can - an example of this would be if you wanted to provide ShoutCast radio hosting for your customers via the cPanel control panel, in this case you would have to install ShoutCast and the necessary cPanel add-on which is required to allow your customers to manage their ShoutCast accounts through the cPanel control panel. Your choice of package should reflect which stage you are with your web hosting business; this means that if you are just starting out with your business then you should consider a reseller hosting package since they are fairly cheap and give you lots of room to allow you to expand over time - once you have outgrown your reseller hosting account you can then decide to move up to a virtual private server if you feel the need to and if your funds allow you to, if you have been running your business for a while and have built up a small customer base then you should consider a virtual private server - the same is applicable if you have a large customer base or if you want to provide your customers with a different type of hosting which means that you will need a certain program installed on the server which wouldn’t be available if you had a standard shared or reseller hosting package. If you have a relatively large customer base, but don’t have the funds to purchase either a virtual private server or a dedicated server then you could easily go with a higher end reseller package; this means that as your business starts to grow you can then upgrade through the various reseller plans that are provided by your web host, and as time and money allows you can then upgrade to either a virtual private server or dedicated server as you see fit. If you are starting out with a dedicated server of a virtual private server, then you should consider the resources that have been assigned to you; this is because you might have a server with a large amount of disk space which will allow you to host many websites, but you might not have a high enough specification processor or enough bandwidth to match the amount of disk space that you have been provided with.