Flizard Technologies Web Hosting Solutions and Future Technologies

Overwhelmed by hosting options? No need to worry! Even if you have web hosting experience, you still may wonder about the advantages and disadvantages of certain hosting options. For instance, it used to be common for every web site address to have its own, dedicated IP address. With the plethora of web sites being produced, dedicated IP addresses are no longer the norm and now hosting providers not only offer the option, but usually charge more for this option.

IP Address Basics: Each computer has its own numeric address. You may have noticed this, but dismissed it as computer "mumbo-jumbo." The IP address looks somewhat like a social security number, but with dots separating the number sets, for example 201.167.0.142. Before deciding to choose a dedicated or shared IP address for your website, it’s important to understand the difference.

Shared IP Address: When you sign-up with a web host, your website will most likely be hosted on a shared IP address. Multiple websites can be hosted on one IP address and it costs hosting companies less to run business this way. But just because it is cost effective for hosting companies does not mean that it is disadvantageous for the customer.

Dedicated IP Address: The dedicated IP address is also called a static IP. What this means is that a website domain is hosted on its own IP address, no sharing. There are advantages to having an IP address for each domain that you have, but these advantages are not necessarily a requirement for everyone.

If you are planning to host a large or a secure e-commerce web site you will want a dedicated IP address. But what if this doesn’t describe you? How do you decide?

Benefits of a Dedicated IP Address: If you want your own SSL certificate, you will need a dedicated IP address. A SSL certificate will let you accept credit cards online. Some hosting providers offer an SSL certificate that is shared with other IP addresses, which will allow you to accept credit cards online. If you choose to use the provided SSL certificate, there is no need to have a dedicated IP address. Now, whether you decide to have your own SSL certificate or use one provided by the hosting company is a decision you will need to make.

If you plan to use Anonymous FTP, it may be required to have a dedicated IP address. Anonymous FTP is when a computer allows anyone using the FTP software permission to access a designated directory for files. It is called Anonymous FTP since the user signs in under the name "anonymous" You will need to check with your hosting company if you plan to use this service since some providers require a dedicated IP address in order to run the software.

All hosting companies have a domain name server. But, if you are considering becoming a hosting reseller or wish to have your own name server, you will need a dedicated IP address.

If you are realizing that you need a dedicated IP address and already have your site hosted on a shared IP address, you are not necessarily "stuck." Many hosting companies offer the option to upgrade or move to a dedicated IP. Most companies will charge extra for this service, but not necessarily all. Your site may be down and unavailable while the changes take place, but this will vary by hosting company and should not be too inconvenient.

If you have yet to contract with a hosting provider, it may be best to look not just at what services you need now, but will need for the future. Hopefully your business or service will become tremendously successful! But with success, comes the need to expand and upgrade. When you first started your site, a shared IP address may have been ample, but now that the visitors are coming in droves, you may need to upgrade to a dedicated IP.

There are criteria to consider before you decide to whether to choose a shared or dedicated IP address. For most web masters, a shared IP address is good enough. But, if you plan to host an e-commerce site or want your own SSL certificate and more hosting control, it is worth looking into a dedicated IP.

You would think that, with the countless web hosting providers available, choosing the best would be a snap. Not so. It’s hard to know who to trust with your business. After all, you’ve spent time and money developing a quality website that is sure to please your visitors. A miss-step, like choosing the wrong hosting company, could cost you money and your reputation. But do not fear. There are many good hosting providers. After you calculate the specifics, such as needed bandwidth, disk space allowance and price comparison, you’re almost ready to sign with a hosting provider. The last and, maybe the first, key element is who will provide reliable customer service and the much needed technical support to meet your needs?

What is reliable hosting? Well, in a nutshell, a reliable host is a company that offers easily accessible customer service and always accessible technical support. It isn’t good enough for a hosting provider to have "customer service" stated on their list of benefits. There are specific criteria that, when met, make for excellent and reliable customer service.

How responsive is their customer service staff?

Reliable customer service is easy to contact and available 24 hours a day. After all, your site is in a market where time stands still. If you’re having problems with your site, you’ve having problems period. The Internet doesn’t care if it’s 2 am or 2 pm. Even if 24 hour phone support isn’t available, there must be other means of contact. Through phone, email and support tickets, a reliable web host provider will offer 24 hours of customer service.

How large is their knowledge base?.

The ability to search through an index of common questions and answers may solve your problem without the need of contacting customer support. This will save you time and get your site working properly in record speed. The addition of an article base is an added bonus. You don’t have to find a hosting company that offers a searchable article base, but if they do, it increases confidence that the company continues to provide quality and helpful information to their clients.

Great customer service is a must in your search for a reliable web host. But just as important is reliable technical service. Every hosting company you come across will promise great technical support. But what does this mean?

How easy is it to reach technical support?

Reliable technical support will start with easy access. If the means to reach technical support is somewhat muffled, run away! You will need technical support sooner or later, probably sooner and when you do you’re going to want to reach someone A.S.A.P. There should be a toll-free number to contact technical support directly and a means to contact technical support 24 hours a day. The ability to contact "someone" 24 hours a day is not enough. In order to be considered reliable technical support they must be available 24 hours a day.

How do they protect you, the customer?

Does the web host provider continually take care of their own server? If they have technical support to watch out for themselves, they are in turn looking out for you. Because if your web host goes down, everyone goes down. Also look at how often they perform backups. The peace of mind you will have by knowing that your web site is protected and backed-up regularly by your hosting provider is invaluable.

These key elements will help your search for a reliable web hosting company and help alleviate your anxiety about "picking the right one." Along with the above pointers you may want to consider if you need any other support functions. Are you interested in web site management? Are you looking to have a professional design your site for a reasonable fee? If so, wouldn’t it be nice to have all your needs met by one company? When one provider offers web site design solutions, reliable customer service and readily available technical support your problems are solved much sooner than if different companies handled each need separately. Remember your needs and you are certain to find a web hosting company that will fit you perfectly.

About The Author
Fei Lim is the manager of Flizard Technologies which provides web hosting services, sells domain names,  and designs websites for personal and businesses. Fei Lim has also been a cable network technician for Aerotek Tek Systems as a cable contractor in 1999. Fei Lim has the knowledge in category 5 stp data and voice cables, bix cross connections, fibre optics, cable splicing, as well as computer hardware knowledge. Fei Lim can troubleshoot any computer problems and also network problems. Fei Lim may be contacted at http://www.flizard.com and toll free number 1-888-623-8880.

It seems that about everyone either has their own website or is on their way to getting one online. If you�re still contemplating how to get your website online, all the free web hosting options may send your head swimming! "Absolutely free web hosting," "No strings attached � ever," "Get your site online today!" These promises abound on the World Wide Web. What’s a person to do? How do you choose? Not to worry, with a little information you will understand the good, the bad and the myths that surround free web hosting.

First of all, let’s look at a few myths surrounding free web hosting.

Myth Number 1: You will not have 24 hour support available with free web hosting. Not necessarily true! Yes, some hosting providers will not offer 24 hour technical support. But, with a little digging, you will find a provider that offers around the clock support.

Myth Number 2: Your website will have much more down time and crash often with free web hosting. Maybe. But again, this depends on who you decide upon as your provider. Find a provider that prides themselves with offering excellent service to all their clients and it will serve you well.

Myth Number 3: Free Web hosting providers will inundate your site with ads. Now this one has the most merit. Until just recently a free web hosting account basically guaranteed an attack of ads on your site. But, with the increasing number of providers offering free hosting, you can now find a provider that promises to keep his or her ads to a minimum.

Before we get into the bad, let’s cover the good about free web hosting.

For starters, it’s free! If you are developing a personal page with relatively few images, free may just suit you well. Using a free web hosting provider gives you the option to put a site up that you normal would opt not to. An increasingly popular item to host online is a resume. You could also publish a wedding or baby site. Some providers also offer the use of an online web site builder. For a basic site, free hosting is a very good price.

Now for the ugly side of free web hosting. Unless you do your homework, you could very easily end up with sub-par service. Your site may be frequently down. Security measures may be lax, which could allow others to hack into your site. The provider may not offer back-up services and you more than likely won�t have access to the root menu.

The silver lining: since there are many providers offering free web hosting you can find one that more than likely offers what you need. If developing a small site, feel free to give free web hosting a try. If it doesn’t work out, fire your provider. Either move on to another free provider or pay the small fee for monthly web hosting service.

About The Author
Fei Lim is the manager of Flizard Technologies which provides web hosting services, sells domain names,  and designs websites for personal and businesses. Fei Lim has also been a cable network technician for Aerotek Tek Systems as a cable contractor in 1999. Fei Lim has the knowledge in category 5 stp data and voice cables, bix cross connections, fibre optics, cable splicing, as well as computer hardware knowledge. Fei Lim can troubleshoot any computer problems and also network problems. Fei Lim may be contacted at http://www.flizard.com and toll free number 1-888-623-8880.

When choosing what registrar to use when acquisitioning a domain name there are many options. Domain names are hostnames that provide interchanging connections for various internet addresses between each other. They allow for movement from one hostname to another. Corresponding letters make up each domain name and are arranged in accordance with the user’s wants and needs.

The first decision to make is do you need a domain name? Knowing what purpose it serves will better enhance your ability to choose what server to use. Will this domain name be for personal use or business? If personal, use your internet service provider for a free page if available. If business, be careful of who you use because in advertising being visible and memorable is very important. So which domain name registrars are good and what services can each provide in comparison to the others? Let’s take two examples and compare them.

1stDomain.Net is an international domain registration service. Based in Hawaii it allows super fast connections between the US and Asia. It is also accredited with ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. 1stDomain.Net is multinational and multilingual.

They were one of the first companies to register people online. They are also one of the founding members of CORE, the Internet Council of Registrars. So they were there at the very beginning. This is an accredited, seasoned domain name company.

These registrars are necessary for activation of the domain name or web address. They are responsible for any modifications to the site. This is essential to have when becoming an online entity. Working for yourself is hard enough without having to do more work than is necessary. Streamline your options by choosing the right domain registrar that will provide all of the support and tools necessary to do business.

A very important factor to consider when looking for an online registrar is something called real time processing. With 1stDomain.Net it is error free and corrects any problems before the host name is completed. How difficult is it when building your site you have to constantly go back to make corrections? This will not happen with 1stDomain.Net. They fix the problem before it ever happens. This saves time and frustration. They also do any modifications or transfers at no additional cost.

Another newer, smaller company can be found at YellowSart.com. This is an alternative to the bigger, larger, more corporate-based 1stDomain.Net. Each costs around the same amount, depending on what features are chosen.

Some of the many features this site offers include over eight hundred design templates to choose from, a web page editor, unlimited updates, web hosting and spam/virus free e-mail. This is a more streamlined version of registrars. YellowStart.com is a do-it-yourself at its best. Picking and choosing the features you want can be very invigorating and fun.

One newer feature for running your own website is chatting with visitors and tracking their actions on your site. Seeing what visitors are looking at on your business website is important when determining what people use most and what should change to better accommodate customer needs and wants.

YellowStart.com offers unlimited chat. Multiple agents can chat with and assist returning customers. There is also bilingual chatting available. They also provide e-mail that is spam free and comes equipped to handle the potential demand of a website business. All of these features come with a thirty day money back guarantee.

Most registrars are similar in design and versatility. Domain names can cost between five dollars and twelve dollars without any upgrades. Basic plans can range from four dollars a month to fifteen dollars a month. Online tech support systems are in place to assist the user in developmental problems that come up in daily usage.

Security can be an issue for any online vendor. For any potential employees there are background checks. For day to day issues there are periodic security scans done by the agency in charge of monitoring the site. Also, for any system wide disasters, weekly server backups are done to protect the information stored on the site.

Thanks to the remarkable technology available, anything is possible with the correct domain name and servicing company behind it.

About The Author
Fei Lim is the manager of Flizard Technologies which provides web hosting services, sells domain names,  and designs websites for personal and businesses. Fei Lim has also been a cable network technician for Aerotek Tek Systems as a cable contractor in 1999. Fei Lim has the knowledge in category 5 stp data and voice cables, bix cross connections, fibre optics, cable splicing, as well as computer hardware knowledge. Fei Lim can troubleshoot any computer problems and also network problems. Fei Lim may be contacted at http://www.flizard.com and toll free number 1-888-623-8880.

What? You want me to share my web hosting? You may wonder what this is all about since you’re the one paying for hosting services every month. Actually, most web sites utilize the service of shared web hosting. When it comes to hosting your site, sharing can be quite economical.

How shared web hosting works is that a group of clients share virtual space on the web server. How many accounts share this virtual space varies by host. Some host providers have a few hundred shared accounts on the same server, where as others have a few thousand. Also know as virtual hosting, shared web hosting shares much more than just virtual web space on a server.

If you have a shared web hosting account, you may not realize it, but you also share the cost of server maintenance with other clients. This is a big reason why a shared account is reasonably priced. Also, your provider is expected to be responsible for security updates, installation of server software and any other server responsibilities.

If you have web hosting knowledge or just want to have ultimate control over every aspect of your web site at the drop of a hat, shared web hosting may not be for you. There are many hosts that provide wonderful customer service, but they must have administrative control since the server holds multiple accounts, not just yours. If maintaining your server and having supreme control does not interest you, then shared web hosting is most likely your best bet.

A good web host is not too hard to find. But it’s smart to know what you’re looking for before committing yourself to a provider. First off, a good shared web hosting plan will offer reliable service. If you opt to sign up with the first provider that comes along, you may just shoot yourself in the foot. Technical difficulties are one of the most frustrating and common experiences with hosting providers. When setting up a new account, expect to need technical support a few times. But once your site is up and running, you should have relatively few technical problems with your hosting provider.

After you feel comfortable with the level of support a provider offers, consider what features are available. A basic understanding of what you know (and what you don’t) will help direct your choice. If creating a site from scratch is intimidating, look for a provider that offers free website building software. This will save you from knowing html. You will also need a domain name to get your site up and some shared web hosting providers even offer these for free. A free domain name should not be the main selling point for which provider you choose. After all, you can purchase a domain name from anyone from $2.99 - $12.99/year.

Available disk space and bandwidth availability are key points when choosing a host. If you know the exact requirements for your site then you’re a head of the game. Most people don’t know exactly what their site will require. Disk space and bandwidth needs significantly vary depending on what type of site you are planning to launch. If a large e-commerce site is your goal you will need more disk space and bandwidth than someone looking to publish a personal site. However, don’t think that just because you’re launching a large site that shared web hosting is not for you. If you’re not launching a large professional site generally 5GB of disk space and 75GB of bandwidth with Cpanel access will be sufficient. One other option that will serve you well is daily backups. If your computer crashes, and you haven’t performed a daily backup, all is not lost. Obviously you won’t be able to get all your computer data back, but in regards to your web site all is well. Your hosting provider can easily walk you through restoring your site.

As you can see shared web hosting offers a myriad of options with minimal costs. A precursory search will provide ample hosts that offer reasonable prices for reliable service.

About The Author
Fei Lim is the manager of Flizard Technologies which provides web hosting services, sells domain names,  and designs websites for personal and businesses. Fei Lim may be contacted at http://www.flizard.com

We all have our preferences when it comes to operating systems some people prefer one of the many flavors of Windows, while others prefer one of the several distributions of Linux. It is all the matter of what works best for you. Another aspect that should be taken into consideration when determining which type of hosting you should use Windows or Linux/Unix, is what you intend to do on your website.

There are many differences between the two operating systems. However, when it comes to hosting there are just as many differences. Some people with Windows operating systems choose to use Linux/Unix hosting. On the other side of the coin, some people who use Linux/Unix operating systems choose to use Windows hosting. Do you find this confusing? If so, you are not alone. You may be wondering how this would work.

Well essentially, when you acquire hosting for your website, you are basically paying someone else to host your website on their computer. These computers also have operating systems. Therefore, when you choose Windows or Linux hosting, this will mean that the computer your website is run from is using that chosen operating system.

Windows Hosting

Windows is perhaps one of the most well-known and popular forms of operating systems. There are many advantages to using Windows hosting. Because millions of users have Windows and use the many Microsoft products such, using Windows hosting would allow you to easily integrate any of these products into your website. Windows hosting would also allow you to run ASP (Active Server Pages) on your website, which is placing dynamic content on your website using computer scripts.

What is great about Windows is that it boasts an easy to use interface perfect for beginners. There are usually many options such as ASP mail, Access Database, ASP.NET, and SQL Database, IIS, and PHP. Windows hosting also allows for publishing websites with FrontPage,

As with almost anything in this world, Windows hosting does have its disadvantages. One of the main disadvantages is the costs. One Microsoft server, if buying your own, will cost you a couple of thousand dollars, if you were running the software yourself. You have many choices when it comes to software such as Windows 2003, Advanced, and Windows 2000 server. However, with the competitiveness of the hosting industry, you will find the Windows hosting is extremely affordable when using a remote server.

Linux/Unix Hosting

Linux and UNIX hosting are two different types of operating system that are extremely similar to one another. In essence, the two are closely related something like cousins; therefore, they are generally combined in hosting. Now what is great about Linux/Unix is that you have the ability to integrate unmatched security into your website. There are also many other benefits of the duo that make it the choice for many people.

One such benefit is the fact that Linux/Unix is extremely compatible with PHP, which is the latest craze in programming languages. Cost is another very attractive benefit of the duo. In many cases, the operating system is free. Some distributors have begun to charge for the system, but many are still available for no costs. For little to no cost, additional software can be obtained for Linux/Unix such as BIND, Sendmail, Apache, and APF Firewall.

Security is probably the most popular benefit of using Linux/Unix hosting. The level of security offered by this duo is unmatched by Windows hosting. To add to the benefits, statistics show that this operating system offers more overall stability and control in operation as well.

With Linux/Unix hosting, you have the ability to integrate Chmod permission, Mod Rewrite, Apache Web server, as well as MySQL and PHP.

Of course, as with Windows hosting there are some disadvantages to using Linux/Unix hosting. The main disadvantage being ease of use. Unlike Windows hosting, Linux/Unix hosting does not contain an easy to use, user-friendly interface. Basically, it requires a large list of commands to use and is not recommended for the beginner. This type of hosting requires a great deal of technical knowledge and familiarity to install and control.

Which one is for you?

Well, in short, it depends on what you need. If you need intense security, PHP compatibility, have technical knowledge, and you do not need to have all the latest website features, Linux/Unix hosting may be the right choice for you.

However, if you need a website that offers ASP, an easy to use interface, and the ability to integrate Microsoft products, then Windows hosting is the best decision for you.

As you can see choosing between Windows hosting and Linux/Unix hosting, all depends on what you need on your website, your level of experience, and of course, your overall budget.

About The Author
Fei Lim is the manager of Flizard Technologies which provides web hosting services, sells domain names,  and designs websites for personal and businesses. Fei Lim may be contacted at http://www.flizard.com

If you have never owned, operated or set up a website, then it can be confusing when it is time to choose a hosting firm or a hosting plan for your new website. The best way to deal with this confusion is to learn as much as you can about web hosting and then ask questions to your prospective web hosting firm about any points that are still not clear for you. To help you out, here are six factors to consider when choosing a hosting plan:

1. Disc Space - This is the amount of space on the server that you will have for your website files. In recent years the cost of disc space has fallen, and most web hosting plans allow you ample space, especially if you are only hosting one website. The files for a normal website should not take up more than 50 mb. However if you plan to host mp3 files or an extensive image collection then it could be much higher. In any case many web hosting plans now allow you several gigabytes of storage.

2. Bandwidth - How much data transfer does your web hosting plan allow you to make in a month?  Whenever someone views one of your web pages she is in effect downloading the html file to her computer along with all the image files. If you have a lot of traffic and if your site has large files for downloading or streaming, then you will need a good quota of data transfer every month. It is hard to generalize about bandwidth needs, but many websites hardly use more than one gigabyte of data transfers per month. Once again, as with disc space, many web hosting plans now allow several gigabytes of transfer per month.

3. How many domains can you host? - If you plan to construct more than one website then you should choose a hosting plan that allows you to accommodate more than one domain on your section of the server.  Who knows, you may want to set up a satellite website once your first website is established? If you think you need more than one website then look for a plan that allows multiple domain hosting.

4. Email facilities -   One of the big advantages of having your own website is the ability to set up email addresses, forwarders and auto responders for yourself and for other members of your organization.  Check to see how many email-addresses you can set up, either as POP accounts, which can be read online or downloaded with an email client such as Eudora or Outlook Express, or as aliases that forward to existing email accounts.  Again, as with bandwidth and disc space most hosting plans allow you many more email accounts than you will ever use.

5. Control Panel - Before you buy a hosting plan, ask to look at a demo of the control panel which you will be using to administer your site. The control panel is the place where you can check the visitor statistics, add or delete email accounts, install scripts and make other technical changes for your website.  The control panel should be easy to use and you should take some time to understand what it is all about before purchasing your hosting plan.

6. Are there pre-installed scripts? - The Internet is becoming more interactive, and you will probably want to add elements that will allow your visitors to contact you or even add content.  For example, you may want to install a blog on your site or a bulletin board. It can be quite difficult to install these items if you are not a technical "nerd." However, many hosting firms now provide instant one-click installation of the programs that drive blogs, bulletin boards, guest books and similar interactive elements. If you plan to use any of these interactive features, make sure that the hosting plan that you are getting offers the possibility of easily installing these items.

These are the some of the main things to consider when you are choosing your web hosting plan. But remember one rule of thumb: if you are not sure about any of the features of the hosting plan then ask your web-hosting-firm to explain it to you in plain English.

By Fei Lim
Company Manager
Flizard Technologies
http://www.flizard.com

The storage space and bandwidth are two important things to consider in choosing a web hosting plan. The storage space is the amount of space allotted for the website, while the bandwidth is the amount of data transfer. Website needs the most storage space and bandwidth as much as possible to give room for the website to grow.

As you browse a webpage, you are actually downloading a file. The files are usually an HTML, image, video, or audio. Many web hosting plan limits on how much you can transfer. The optic fiber, cable, or copper wire of the network can only transfer for how much data it holds. Thereby, many Web Hosting Company puts a limit on the bandwidth for each website. In addition, the physical storage can only store up to maximum capacity.

To calculate how much bandwidth you need, you simply sum up the total size of your website, and get the average size of a web page. Then, you estimate how many visitors per day. For example, a home page sums up to 30 kb. And, the home page gets 100 visitors per day. The bandwidth of the home page equals 3,000 kilobyte (30 kilobyte x 100 visitors). In a month, the home page needs 90 megabyte (3,000 kilobyte x 30 days). Most http://www.flizard.com web hosting company gives 20 gigabyte bandwidth.

Many website owners worry on the thought of a slow website due to processors, storage, and wire limitations. The truth is that savvy web host constantly loads balance. Load balance refers to balancing of traffic amongst multiple servers. Load balance keeps the speed at optimal level. More importantly, web host can always add more servers, storage, or wires.

http://www.flizard.com - Unlimited bandwidth brings peace of mind. For many ambitious website owners, the unlimited bandwidth assures ample supply of bandwidth. Think of it as investing for the future. As the website gains in popularity, the website bandwidth requirement also increases.

Notably, the terms and conditions of http://www.flizard.com webhosting plan tell about how the unlimited bandwidth works. There may be a restriction of what type of website. Since the storage hardware and wires have a finite capacity, the mp3, videos, or audio files are restricted. And, the websites are prohibited to use for download distribution point. This happens for website which allows their patrons to download music and files. Lastly, the storage space of the website is not use for a back up of some sort.

Normally, the websites qualifies for unlimited bandwidth. A number of web hosting companies offer unlimited bandwidth to hook clients. In reality, it is just a marketing scheme. To know the best host plan, it is important to read the terms and conditions. Thus, there are a few companies that truly give unlimited bandwidth. So, you must do a thorough research. Choose web hosting company with high integrity, professionalism, and reputation to avoid disappointment.