Web hosting begins with a website. A website is
a collection of web pages that can be viewed over
the internet with the help of a software called
a browser. There are many kinds of browsers such
as Internet explorer and Netscape Navigator.
Before the page can be viewed over the network,
it must be first stored on an identifiable machine
called a server. The name server is derived from
the behaviour of that computer – it serves
internet pages to visitors.
After a website is created, the owner seeks and
registers a domain name. A domain name is also called
URL (Universal Resource Locator or Uniform resource
Locator). The URL is a unique address of the website
so that no matter where you type the address from,
you are sent to one place. URLS are mutually exclusive,
meaning there are no two instances of the same domain
name to avoid confusion.
To register a domain name, you will have to approach
an accredited registrar. There are accredited registrars
for .com names , .org names etc. After registration,
your website address is matched to a string of numbers
called an IP address and the records stored in a
database. Actually, when you access a website you
are calling a record from a database.
So there are two machines here – One machine
has the IP Address or the domain name and the other
has the website itself – I mean the text,
the photos, etc.
If a visitor types the website address, a search
is made at the point of registration to determine
if that domain is really registered and is available
in the registrar’s records. If the name is
available, then a request is made to the server
on which you have the website to release the page
being sought for, usually the home page. If you
don’t have an index page, then the list of
pages in the directory might be displayed in the
browser.
A web server is a powerful computer in terms of
speed, storage capacity and security. It can host
a single website, dedicated hosting, or multiple
websites, shared hosting.
When you request a website to be placed on a web
server, you are actually renting the space. So you
pay according to space, extra security features
you want and the like.
Web hosts provide clients with an interface though
which they can update or maintain their sites. Common
gateways are cpanel. Vdeck or ftp. These tools are
all browser based, meaning they can be operated
from any internet connection.
There are specialized hosting services: we have
email hosting, ecommerce hosting, database hosting,
etc .
Web hosting comes with its own headaches. Owners
have to provide a back up of all the files on your
machines against attacks from viruses and system
failures. In this regard, they will have to install
anti-virus or other data protection facilities.
They will also have to provide all-year air conditioning
and dust control equipment.
They are also responsible for keeping up to date
with the latest tools in internet technologies so
that your clients are able to match new developments
that technologies brings to the web. They also maintain
24 hour tech support to answer or clarify issues
emanating from your clients. Above all, they are
to maintain administrative records of expiring hosting
services and be sending out notices and reminders.
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