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You know what a Web site is, but what is a Web Host?
What part does Online Access play in your Web presence?
Chapters
- What is a Web
site?
- What is Web hosting?
- What is the procedure
for building a Web presence?
- What is e-commerce?
- Which hosting
plan fits my needs?
What is a Web Host?
To have a Web site on the Internet you first need to
have a Web server. Unfortunately, owning a Web server
can be very costly and requires technical expertise that
most businesses don't have. This is where Web Hosts come
in. Web hosting companies provide the equipment and other
technical resources that you need without the headaches
that come when you have to do it yourself.
Think of a Web Host as the landlord of building. A landlord
rents out storefronts to various businesses. Each business
decorates and runs their store differently, and doesn't
worry about the maintenence of the building. In a similar
way a Web Host rents out space on a Web server, (or entire
Web servers), to various businesses. Each business builds
their own Web site and never has to worry about the maintenence
of their Web server.
In other words, the Web Host provides the place on the
Internet where your Web site lives. It's a lot cheaper
than buying you own server, and you don't have to hire
the technical staff to take care of it.
What kind of server should I choose?
Shared Server: Shared servers offer clients
the ability to host their Web site on a powerful, professionally
managed server, at a low monthly cost. Shared servers
provide individual Web sites with redundant connectivity,
99 percent uptime and 24/7 monitoring for a fraction
of the cost of a dedicated server.
- Intended Clients and Uses
Shared servers are an excellent solution for entry-level
hosting needs. Designed to host small scale e-commerce
sites and static Web pages, shared servers offer first-time
Webmasters a reliable Web presence without advanced
technical skills.
- Server Response Time
The activity of other sites and the number of other
sites on the server can affect shared server performance.
- Flexibility and Scalability
As you are restricted to the server box space, upgrade
capacity is primarily focused on disk size and throughput.
- Software
Shared Servers are limited to the software that is
installed by hosting provider.
- No technical skills required to use a shared
server.
Shared server hosting provides a cost-effective way
for entry-level Webmasters to maintain a reliable Web
presence without extensive technical resources.
Virtual Private (VPS) Server:
Virtual Private Servers (VPS) combine the flexibility
of a dedicated server with the economical prices of
shared server hosting. VPS Web sites reside in private
and protected areas on a shared server and maintain
an independent set of applications, allowing the client
to share the expenses of hardware and network connections
while maintaining a secure allocation of RAM and CPU.
- Intended Clients and Uses
Virtual Private Servers are intended to meet entry-
to mid-level hosting needs. The potential functions
of a VPS are wide and varied. It can be used as a
simple FrontPage¬ server or as an advanced, database-driven
commerce server.
- Server Response Time
Virtual environments are not affected by the activity
of other sites on the server, but their allocated
resources limit site performance.
- Flexibility and Scalability
Upgrade capacity is primarily focused on disk size,
number of processors and throughput.
- Software
As you maintain your private section of the server,
you are able to incorporate many software options.
- Moderate technical skill level is requred. UNIX
administration, basic programming, and database capabilities
are needed to operate a VPS.
Virtual Private Servers provide customers with an independent
set of Web applications to handle more advanced Web-based
applications, without the costs associated with a dedicated
server.
Dedicated Server: Dedicated
servers are a single computer fully devoted to the needs
of one customer. They allow for faster access to information
and provide the customer with greater flexibility to
add advanced database and e-commerce applications. As
the customer does not share RAM, disk space or a connection
to the router, dedicated servers provide customers with
the most advanced Web hosting solutions.
- Intended Clients and Uses
Dedicated servers are designed for mid to advanced-level
hosting needs such as "mission critical" and high-traffic
sites. The servers can handle heavy data-driven sites,
advanced e-commerce programs, video streaming, and
multimedia programs.
- Server Response Time
Dedicated server response time depends solely on the
volume of activity on the customer's Web site.
- Flexibility and Scalability
All aspects of the platform (disk space, memory, etc.)
are upgradeable since dedicated servers are single
client machines.
- Software
Unlimited ability to download software programs to
your server.
- Advanced technical knowledge is recommended-experienced
programming and database capabilities.
Dedicated servers provide high levels of security,
connectivity and scalability, to support high volume
and mission critical Web-based applications.
Why should I choose Online Access
as my Web Host?
Because we're the best. Here are a few reasons why:
Experience – Online Access hosts Web sites
that cover every type of industry. More businesses trust
their Web sites to us than any other company.
Service – We strive to provide our customers
everything they need, ranging from exclusive products
and features that you won't find anywhere else to Customer
Service representatives that are there to help you 24
hours a day, 7 days a week (Just call us at 1-877-874-6265!).
Capacity – From high-speed Cisco®-powered
Tier-1 Internet backbones to e-commerce solutions, security
services, and Virtual Private Networks, we have the
infrastructure, resources, and expertise to give businesses
of any size a clear competitive advantage in the emerging
Net economy.
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