A Beginners Guide to Web Hosting

Basic Understanding
Copyright © Cyber Futuristics India Private Limited.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
06
07
08
Web Hosting: An Overview
Professional vs. Self-Web Hosting
Basic to Advanced Web Hosting Alternatives
Types of Web hosting
VPS Hosting
Dedicated Hosting
Selection Process: Parameters to Count
Network Uptime
Bandwidth
SLA
Storage Capacity
Data Center Architecture
Security
Disaster Recovery
Customer Service
Introduction to Domain Name
Domain Name
Domain Name Registration
Classiﬁcation of Domain Names
Six common characteristics of Domain Names
Finding the right domain name hosting provider
Understanding DNS Servers
Domain Name System (DNS)
Domain Privacy
Beneﬁts of Using Domain Name Privacy
Tools that Can Make Sense for your Business
Windows vs. Linux Web Hosting
Proprietary Control Panels
01
02
03
04
05
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Basic Understanding Page | 1
Web hosting is the technology that helps website creators to make their websites accessible to users worldwide
over the internet. Websites are usually a combination of text, images, videos and other related content. Web
hosting allows website creators to store such content on a data center, popularly termed as web server and make
it available to the users worldwide via theWorld Wide Web. Web serversare data centers provided by internet web
hosting companies. These companies sell space on their personally owned or leased servers to clients. It is sold as
a service to customers wanting to host their websites on the internet. Web hosts are people or organizations that
rent out server space for hosting websites. There are broadly two kinds of web hosts based on their size, scale of
operations and ownership of data centers.
The primary business of web hosting companies is to sell server space. However, in addition to selling server
space, web hosting companies also sell various other allied services such as domain name registration, email
hosting services, internet connectivity, database support, content management platforms, SSL certificates and
application development.
Keep reading!This guide will help you gain an in-depth insight and understanding of the thriving web
hosting business:
Professional vs. Self-Web Hosting
Most businesses opt for professional web hosting service over self-hosting owing to multiple factors. Self-Hosting
suffers from a few dis-advantages which can be negative for a business in the long run. As such, most businesses
prefer professional web hosting to self-hosting.
Availability and scalability can be an intricate
issue including expensive proposition
Self-hosting
Dense peak visitor traffic periods &
unwarranted swings in traffic patterns can
cause downtime
Power sabotage due to lack of redundancy and
power paths ceasing business-productivity
Involves hectic and time-consuming server
management
Provides dynamic IP address that changes over
the time
Reliable, scalable, and performance- drivendata
center architecture to meet needs of most
demanding web applications
Professional web hosts owns infrastructure that
suits IT costs with customer traffic patterns in
real time
Static IP address for your business-critical
website that do not change over the time
Erudite professionals to manage and maintain
web server
Multiple telecommunication networks that
ensures fastest Internet connectivity and page
loading time.
Professional-hosting
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Basic to Advanced Web Hosting Alternatives
Web hosting services are typically categorized into three major sections depending on the following parameters:
Potential to handle
traﬃc spikes
Scalability to match
business demands
Computing
Resources
Reliability PricingSpeed
These Web Hosting Services Are:
Dedicated Server
Hosting
Virtual Private
Server Hosting
Shared Web
Hosting
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Types of Web hosting
Shared Web Hosting
It acts as a stepping-stone for the clients planning to start-oﬀ their online manifestation. Economical in nature,
shared hosting invites companies and individuals to register their presence on the Internet servers without
involving them into long-winded set-ups and management processes. In shared hosting, a physical server hosts
multiple clients' websites onto it, providing common pool of compute resources to each of the shared hosting
client, such as RAM, and processing speed, and storage capacity. Technically, a shared server is based on ASP.NET
or LAMP stack.
A standard
shared server has
the potential to
host – 600 -700
websites of 1GB.
Economical and easy-to setup No Root Access
No Server Management Headaches Limited resources at your disposal
Limited resources at your disposal Single Apache server, MySQL server, and Mail Server
Requires minimum technical expertise Restrictions to install modules and programs on the server
Unlimited Bandwidth (T&C applied) Performance Issues
Easy to use admin panel like cPanel Spamming Attacks
Poor Customization Flexibility
PROS CONS
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Ratings
Customization
Simplicity
Scalability
Aﬀordability
Security
Server Control
Performance
VPS Hosting
In the vigilant landscape of online businesses, it is an ideal
alternative for all range of SME's to opt for VPS hosting with
enhanced control and power. Economical in characteristics
and capabilities, it is built with a shared kernel technology,
mostly Open VZ/ Vituazzo. Additionally, Virtual Private
Server is an isolated, virtualized server environment in which
a physical server is partitioned into multiple server instances
on which a user can run an individual copy of operating
system. Equipped with easy-to-use control panel and set up
wizards, it provides a graphical interface and automation
tools to streamline the process of hosting web applications.
In context to this, it facilitates web masters to reboot,
rebuild, set root password, and customize software without
any restriction of a web host.
WINDOWS 2012 HYPER-V
SERVER ENVIRONMENT
PROVIDES MATCHLESS
HOSTING PERFORMANCE
WITH DEDICATED
AMOUNT OF RESOURCES
A standard VPS Hosting has the potential to
HOST 200 WEBSITES
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Economical Option- Hosting owners can
increase the resource capabilities on demand
Risk of shared resources- Disk I/O is often shared and the host
network connection is also shared between the multiple virtual
instances.
Instant upgrades and often no reboot required
Full control over software along with web
based Control panel
During traﬃc spike, it may cause downtime
Migration is Easy
Unlimited Bandwidth
Easy to use admin panel like cPanel
PROS CONS
Round the clock 24/7 technical assistance
Ratings
Customization
Simplicity
Scalability
Aﬀordability
Security
Server Control
Performance
Dedicated Server Hosting
Businesses with high-end CPU-intensive applications and strict security requirements can cherry-pick this web
hosting alternative. Allocated to one client, the server fully addresses the stringent performance, scalability and
agility demands of the businesses.DedicatedServers can be customized by CPU, storage capacity, capability, cores,
RAM, and clustering capabilities.
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Full Root Access Expensive Cost & Maintenance
Dedicated hardware & compute capacitys
Best-suited option for the websites with moderate - high
traffic levels
Requires technical expertise
Freedom to install requisite modules and programs on the server
Unlimited Bandwidth & Disk Space Complex Server Management
Flexibility to select desired OS (Windows, Linux, and Solaris) &
hardware platform (HP, Dell, and Xeon).
Diagnostics & problem resolution is more difficult
PROS CONS
100% Network Uptime SLA
Faster speed, connectivity and upload time
24/7/365 Professional Support
Ratings
Customization
Simplicity
Scalability
Affordability
Security
Server Control
Performance
Full Root Access Expensive Cost & Maintenance
Dedicated hardware & compute capacitys
Best-suited option for the websites with moderate - high
traffic levels
Requires technical expertise
Freedom to install requisite modules and programs on the server
Unlimited Bandwidth & Disk Space Complex Server Management
Flexibility to select desired OS (Windows, Linux, and Solaris) &
hardware platform (HP, Dell, and Xeon).
Diagnostics & problem resolution is more difficult
PROS CONS
100% Network Uptime SLA
Faster speed, connectivity and upload time
24/7/365 Professional Support
Have got fair idea about the three web hosting solutions? Now, here's the opportunity to
contemplateabout the technical terms afore you plunge to a decisionin order to unlock the momentous
business benefits
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Selection Process: Parameters to Count
Network Uptime
Efficiency, reliability and improved performance are the key metrics to align success across all industry verticals.
Network uptime is an undeniable term that makes a huge difference in empowering the business growth. It
ensures high availability of a server, site or networking device to gear up the website performance, efficiency and
ROI (return on investment). In context to this, considering a single hour of site network downtime can cost an
enterprise dearly in customer impact, staff time, repair costs, damage to equipment and systems, and more
importantly lost revenue and credibility.
Studies and research conducted by the Ponemon Institute's "National Survey on Data Center Outages," 95
percent of companies have experienced an unplanned downtime concern within the past two years. Therefore, to
address this most critical aspect (network uptime) in this competitive rage, it is important to cross-check this
attribute, and opt for a web hosting service provider that offers guaranteed network uptime between 99.95 to
100 % .
Data center classification and availability of uptimeData center classification and availability of uptime
Tier1 Non-redundant capacity components (single uplink and servers)
Tier2
Tier3
Tier4 Tier 1 + Tier 2 + Tier 3 +fully redundant subsystems bequeathed
with cooling, power, network links, storage, chillers, HVAC systems,
servers etc.
DATA CENTER
Tier 1 + Redundant capacity components.
Tier 1 + Tier 2 + Dual-powered equipment and multiple uplinks.
99.671% availability
FEATURES UPTIME
Bandwidth
Simple Formula to Determine Bandwidth Requirement for Your Website:
Daily visitors X Daily Page Reviews
X Page SizeX31
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Service Level Agreement (SLA)
There is no second opinion that in today's cable
environments, new generation of digital youths expects rich
media experiences across more devices and screens than
ever before.Wide adoption of powerful multi-core-processor
servers, higher-bandwidth interfaces, and blade servers
areimmensely escalating connection densities and
intensifying bandwidth requirements. The
bandwidth-intensive content and data services guzzle
enormous amount of bandwidth in most broadband
networks. Paucity of bandwidth can curtail your overall
website performance, restricting your end-users to
download or transfer data from your website, forums or
blogs. Measured in bits per second, a balanced amount of
bandwidth helps in improvising user's experience.
Apparently, it becomes of dire importance to calculate the
minimum bandwidth your website will need to handle traffic
spikes prior to signing up for a hosting plan.
GREATER BANDWIDTH IS
ESSENTIAL TO HANDLE
TRAFFIC PEAKS,
ENSURING HOW FAST
YOUR WEBSITE WILL
LOAD ON THE BROWSER.
LESSER BANDWIDTH
IMPACTS WEBSITE
SPEED.
Performance driven and well-established organizations define its success by incubating the SLA (Service Level
Agreement). Bequeathed with the capability to ensure long term success, SLAshelp gaining competitive
achievements through commitments. Effective SLAs plays a major role across all delineations of industry. This
agreement between a service provider and a client ensures the stringent level of transparency as well as the bond
of productive relationship.
In the context of managed IT services, fundamental to any contract of provision in the IT globe, the SLA covers all
the aspects like terms of commitment, technical support, service-level goals, and detailed contractual deadlines
in order to eliminate the event of corruption, downtime, data loss, and service-breach, underlying the agreement.
Data center classification and availability of uptime
Document
1
Communicate
2
Enforce
3
Meet
4
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Record
5
Publish
6
Maintain
7
Storage Capacity
In lines with the bandwidth, storage capacity determines the availability and performance of your website. Sooner
or later, your business-critical applications will appeal for greater space to run at its peak. In order to store and
manage exploding data/applications growth, businesses need to choose a failsafe hard drive solution, so that
their applications not only stay backed up and remain secure.
Right from the ﬂash memory to network-area storage includingSATA, SAS, and SSD - multitude of options is
available forenhanced capacity and high-availability clustering.
Data Center Architecture
In lines with the bandwidth, storage capacity determines the availability and performance of your website. Sooner
or later, your business-critical applications will appeal for greater space to run at its peak. In order to store and
manage exploding data/applications growth, businesses need to choose a failsafe hard drive solution, so that
their applications not only stay backed up and remain secure.
Right from the ﬂash memory to network-area storage includingSATA, SAS, and SSD - multitude of options is
available forenhanced capacity and high-availability clustering.
Data center architecture must help to ensure:
SERVICE
CONTINUTY
Maximum availability
architecture & robust
disaster recovery planning
PERFORMANCE &
FLEXIBILITY
Holistic, end-to-end security
& compliance approach
SECURITY &
CONFORMITY
Architecture features
automation, orchestration,
and lifecycle management
to streamline & simplify
deployment and operation
of IT resources
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Security
Have you ever stubbed with the restricted access to your own web application hosting account?
Keeping up with criminals and security threats looks like a
never ending pursuit. As companies embark on digital
transformation, security and risk leaders must work together
to incite awareness and in depth understanding of the
associated chores and risks at the highest levels of the
organization.
In the age of high profile breaches and intensified concerns
about information privacy, malicious attacks, DDOS attacks
(Distributed Denial of Service) and massive data theft, IT
pioneers are heading towards rigid security practices and
tools to address the latest breed of multifaceted attacks.
Leading security providers in today's increasingly complex
enterprise environments drive innovation and on-demand
data center security solution for servers, applications,
services, and data across the data center. Additionally, to
ensure secure, single-person entry, the controlled access in
the building premises, data floors and individual areas is
done through individually programmed access cards– using
biometrics and visual identification.
SCARY BUT
TRUE FACTS!
As per the Verizon Data
Breach Investigation
report, held in 2011, 92 %
of network threats are
external, which implies that
all originate from the
external sources such as
hackers, organized crime
agents, and government
entities, manifestly
targeted to a specific
enterprise.
According to a recent report, 83% of companies lack required security skills.
Protecting the data center more effectively: security considerations
NETWORK
SECURITY
Protects your network by
implementing firewalls,
enabling predictive, proactive,
policy-based, and extensible
management and control
access.
SERVER AND STORAGE
SECURITY
Comprehensive server and
storage infrastructure
safeguards physical and
virtualized based infrastructure.
DATA
PROTECTION
Monitors network traffic spike
and protect data at rest, and in
motion.
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APPLICATION
SECURITY
Protects applications, software
and services delivered within
your data center.
SECURITY
MANAGEMENT
Equipped with connected
intelligence, it ensures fully
scalable security management
for the data center.
Disaster Recovery
Digital assets, including data, software and applications are
instrumental for smooth functioning of businesses. An
enterprise continuity and disaster recovery planning is a road
map, which a web hosting or data center benefactor
prepares to combat against unwarranted catastrophic
circumstances including tsunamis, hurricanes, and floods.
Undeniably, the temporary downtime has the potential to
debilitate enterprise by disrupting operations, causing
wrecked revenue, dissatisfied customers, and other dreadful
consequences. Exponential data growth is originating
spiraling contingency in the digital world. Given the disaster
recovery plans help companies to cope up with the
geographical hurdles.
SCARY BUT TRUE FACTS!
87% of the companies that lose
access to their corporate data
for more than a week go out of
business within a year.
80% of the companies go into
the liquidation within 18 months
of duration due to major
disasters accompanied by no
contingency planning.
Data recovery strategies should be developed to forecast the loss of one or more of the
following system components:
Computer room environment (secure computer premise with controlled climate, conditioned and
backup power supply, etc.
Hardware (networks, desktop, servers and laptop computers, wireless devices and peripherals)
Connectivity to a service provider (fiber, cable, wireless, etc.)
Software applications ( electronic mail, electronic data interchange, enterprise resource
management, office productivity, etc.)
Data and restoration
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Customer Service
Best-in-class web hosting solution powered by advancing technology and customer service– are the two major
aspects that contribute in business continuity and expansion. Selecting a web host that employs team of
professionalswith adequate domain knowledge to serve their clients (24x7) ensure that important business
applications/websites/databases stay seamlessly functional.
Quick
Resolution
Minimum
TAT
No
waiting
Seamless
Availability
Introduction to Domain Name
Next thing, which is very important to learn from this E-book, is Domain Name that reflects your identity on the
World Wide Web. Knowing about a Domain Name is not as techie as it may sound. It can be understood in the
simplest manner. Let's start with the introduction and then take a fleet to other aspects which are must for a
thriving online venture
What is a Domain Name?
A Domain Name is a right mix of characters that delivers your website an identity. All the websites need to be
given a name, so that people around the corner of world can reach the website address easily. That specific site
address can be termed as Domain Name.
Whether you are an individual or a business professional, you should opt for a name that resembles your identity
across the web. Put simply, it is a unique address on the internet.
Domain Name Registration Process
Registering a domain name can be interpreted like acquiring a small slice of internet real estate, just like obtaining
a land in real estate market. The guidelines about Domain registration are not set on a pre-registrar basis; instead,
it can be determined by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN. This governing
organization is a global regulator of standard practices for Domain Name registrars, Domain Name registrants/
web hosts, and the clients who interact with them. To put simply, a domain name registration is the process of
registering a domain name, which identifies one or more IP addresses with a unique name that is easier to
remember and use in URL's to outline particular website address.
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First, check availability for the desired domain name.
Review the domain naming conventions/guidelines to ensure that the desired domain name
complies with the conventions
Review the policy of the domain name registration
Classification of Domain Names
Every website name has a suffix which reflects the domain name it belongs to. Finding the right domain name is
undeniably a very significant step in launching your new online venture.
Generic Top Level Domain Names are often recognized as GTLDs or international Domain Names. These are used
to indicate an organization/ enterprise or a company, without specifying the country or origin. Examples are .com,
.org, .net, .biz… and so on.
Country Code Top Level Domain Names can be called as CCTLDs, which is a combination of two characters
representing individual countries. It defines more versatility in the domain name structure. Examples are .ac .ad
.ae, .uk, .in and so on.
When it comes to choosing a domain, there are two main strategies that you should keep in mind:
Brand Domain Name- To mark your indelible presence in the market, it is vital to select a domain name that strictly
complements your business entity. For example, let's say you were making a website about great professional
papers you designed. Here, a great brand name can be Propapers.com. This name has the advantage of being
short, it resembles professional attribute and most likely available for registration.
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Six common characteristics of Domain Names
Relevant Unique Memorable Credible
Brief User-friendly
Discoverable Domain- After brandable domain names, the next vital strategy is "discoverable" domain. Basically,
it is a keyword-rich domain name that is quite generic and costly. Such types of domains are easy to remember and
discoverable on the internet. Consider the previous example of professional papers, a great discoverable domain
name would be professionaldocs.com. Such kind of domain names are easy to remember, rank well in the search
engines and also blend an instant idea about the content of the site.
The registration process starts with selecting a domain name registrar that is accredited by ICANN
(International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).
It is a non-profit private organization, responsible for coordinating with the global internet system
of unique identifiers and managing TLD's spaces.
There are domain lookup tools available at the domain registrar's website that facilitates Domain
Name search procedure.
It is usually a wise decision to look around the customer reviews of the selected registrars prior
registering a domain name.
The web host should be well established, have expertise skills and a large number of satisfied
customers.
Make sure that the registrant you are dealing with is customer friendly and would help you round
the clock i.e. in a 24/7 environment.
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Understanding DNS Servers
Domain Name System (DNS)
DNS has always been one of the most vital and ubiquitous attributes of the Internet. The Domain Name System is
a spinal cord of Active Directory and the primary name resolution mechanism of Windows Servers and clients. It
helps in mapping host names by converting user-friendly domain names into IP address. For example – It converts
www.yahoo.com to 66.94.234.13.
Remembering IP addresses is quite diﬃcult, isn't it?
Here, DNS takes the front seat by converting user made queries into computer understanding language that is IP
addresses.
Alike Unix or DOS ﬁle system, DNS also starts with a root wherein branches (labels) are attached to the root in
order to create multiple paths. Furthermore, DNS database is segregated into sections called zones. The name
server in each zone handles and responds to the queries for their zones.
In addition to this, it can also be utilized to store and fetch data about a host, for instance which services it
provides. Apparently, it is essential to ensure how your web host enters and maintains these DNS records.
Keep Reading…Next is DNS Privacy:
After registering a Domain Name, now things come to
privacy which is very essential to protect your personal
information. Every domain name has a publicly accessible
record which is called a WhoIs record that comprised of the
owner's personal information like owner name, mailing
address, contact number and domain registration date as
well as expiry date. As per the ICANN standard, the domain
name owners must maintain this information on the WhoIs
database. In the event of privacy breaches, spammers and
marketers use the WHOIS directories to obtain the
information and send out spam message to the domain
owners. Hackers can move your domain name from one
registrar to another. Therefore, it is vital to buy privacy for
that domain name.
According to the World
Intellectual property
organization (WIPO) in 2012, it
has been revealed that a record
of 2,884 cybersquatting cases
involving 5, 084 domain names,
which is around 4.5 % higher
than the previous year.
Domain Privacy
SCARY BUT
TRUE FACTS!
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Page | 15

The Anti- cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA), provides for damages from
$1000 to $100,000 if a party registers a domain in bad faith with the intent to profit
from a brand's goodwill.
DID YOU KNOW?
WhoIs ID protection to shield your identity
Your domain record in the WhoIs database may also be used in the ways which are not legitimate. ID protect
prevents spammers acquiring your email and contact information for violation and theft purposes.
Now let's take a quick glance at some of the benefits of using
Domain Name Privacy…
The registration process starts with selecting a domain name registrar that is accredited by ICANN
(International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).
Helps eliminate fraud and scams
Keeps competitors from finding your information
ISpammers and other hacking agents won't be able to find and resell your information to others
Basic Understanding
Selecting a perfect domain name for your offered products/services that connotes the essence of your
organization is often considered as a tricky task.
Google AdWords Keyword Planner & WordStream can help you perform keyword analysis. It allows you to search
for the particular keyword, historical statistics, and market competition, so that you can opt for competitive bids
and navigate your business to new heights.
Moving ahead, there are a host of domain name generator tools that can aid you with relevant ideas for your
search:
go
Page | 16

Domain Type Domain Namestation DomainsBot
Bulktopia
Windows vs. Linux Web Hosting
Linux and Windows are the two most popular operating systems offered by web hosting companies. Each
operating system has its own strengths and weaknesses, therefore, demanding astute business analysis prior
making a move.Both the OS provides FTP access, however Linux includes Telnet and SSH access as well. Telnet &
SSH helps clients to directly open a window on the server and manage files using simple UNIX commands.
Windows Web Hosting
Developed and marketed by Microsoft, Windows is one of the oldest and the widely accepted operating systems
run by companies/individuals across different geographies. It is an apt platform for the clients looking forward to
create dynamic website using ASP.NET framework. Apart from this Access database is exceptionally compatible
with Windows operating systems only.
Linux Web Hosting
It is an open source operating system that is available free of cost. It offers low cost of ownership when compared
to expensive windows operating system.Linux uses a cPanel or WHM, and best works withPHP, Perl or MySQL
programs.
Options to Count Upon…
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Proprietary Control Panels
Web hosting service vendors provide user-friendly control panels and a set of custom-built tools to make intricate
activities pertaining to business-critical websites/databases swift. Webmasters can efficiently manage; streamline
all their hosted services in a single place. Today, almost all the web hosts provide the two most preferred and
widely opted control panels – cPanel & Parallel Plesk. These two control panels perform similar functionality to a
greater extent; however, they slightly differ in terms of technology and security model.
It completely depends on the priority and the nature of the business whether to opt for cPanel or Plesk.
Now you have gained enough knowledge about the web hosting world, impending
opportunities, and different alternatives that can help you put a right step forward in
the world of web for continued success and impressive ROIs.
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A Beginners Guide to Web Hosting

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