Linux Community Magazine

Before you start searching for a web host, you must familiarize yourself with the terminology used in this field. The following terms are also considered key factors in deciding the suitable hosting plan that meets your requirements. You can start learning what does each term mean and how does it affect your selection.

Web Host

A web host, also known as web server, is a computer connected to the internet. This computer is more powerful than normal PCs and is set up to serve up websites. Your website content will reside on this computer, which will give people who surf the internet a way to access your website.

Web hosts can be categorized into three main categories based on the price range and common features for each category:

1. Free Hosts: limited in space, bandwidth and other features. Suitable for personal websites or for temporary usage. Usually enforce pop-up, text or banner ads. They do not provide the best performance and/or reliability. They provide minimum or no customer support. If you register for a free host, your domain will be something like yourname.freehost.com or [/yourname].

2. Shared Hosts: most websites are using this type of hosting. Suitable for personal, small and medium businesses. Prices range from $1 to about $25 a month. Features also range from very limited space/bandwidth to semi-dedicated servers. Your website has its own top level domain (e.g. []) The number of websites on a server affects its performance and availability, more websites usually means less performance. Servers hosting less number of shared websites are more expensive, but more reliable. Some companies allow customers to host multiple websites with different domains under a single account.

3. Dedicated Hosts: A full server dedicated to a single customer. Usually used by large businesses and very active websites with thousands of daily visitors. The customer will have full control over the server, and can create as many websites as he likes. Customer can have his own hosting company run on a rented dedicated server. Prices depend on the specifications and services provided with the server, starting from about $100 up to about $800 dollars a month.

4. Colocated Hosts: very similar to dedicated hosts, but the customer owns the server hardware instead of renting it. The server will be housed in provider's data center. Prices are a bit higher than dedicated servers.

5. Reseller Hosts: providers offer web server storage to customers, who then resell the web server storage to their customers. Providers usually offer resellers a discount price.

6. Other Hosts: there are few other types of hosts such as email hosts, media hosts, data hosts, etc but these are out of the scope of this article.

Domain Name

[] is an example of a domain name. It's a name that points to where your website is physically located. The actual address of your website is a set of numbers that looks like (70.86.135.242). This address is unique for every web server. Domain names are just pointers to the real addresses. It's easier to remember the domain names than the IP addresses.

Space / Storage

The amount of web server's disk space available for customer's website files, images and databases. It can be as small as 5MB in some free hosts and as big as 300GB for some dedicated servers. Space prices reduced significantly during the last few years. Customer can find hosting plans offering 3GB of space for less than $10 a month.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the amount of data transferred from web server to clients' internet browsers. Each time a person view a page data is transmitted from the server to that person's PC. Audio, video and images contents consume much more bandwidth than text. Bandwidth can be as low as 100MB a month in some free web hosts and as high as 2000GB a month in some dedicated servers. Customer can find hosting plans offering 75GB of monthly data transfer for less than $10.

Server Type

Usually means the operating system than runs the web server. Common types are Windows, Linux and UNIX. Server type determines the server side scripting and database types. Windows usually runs ASP and ASP.NET with Access or SQL Server databases. Linux/UNIX servers usually runs CGI, PHP or JSP with mySQL or Oracle databases. Windows servers are usually more expensive than Linux/UNIX servers.

Databases

As you have seen in server types, there are different types of databases. The most commonly used is mySQL because its an open source GPL (free) software and can serve a lot of online applications' requirements such as forums, content management, mailing lists, etc. MySQL, however, has some limitations in its features. Complicated large business sites will need more powerful databases such as Oracle or SQL Server.

Server Side Scripting

Most new users prefer to use PHP as server side scripting. The reason is that there are hundreds of open source (GPL) PHP scripts that can meet a lot of webmaster's requirements. Similar to mySQL, PHP has some limitations in features required by advanced websites, which makes some senior web developers prefer to use ASP.NET or JSP. Other developers still prefer to use Cold Fusion, CGI, ASP or PERL.

Email

Most hosting plans include the feature of having some email accounts with customer's domain (e.g. ). The number and size of email accounts depends on the hosting plan. Free plans do not usually have this feature, small plans give about 10 accounts where big plans do not limited the number. Those email accounts are usually web based and accessible through POP3 clients as well.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

A standard way of transferring files across the Internet. Most webmasters upload and download their websites contents using FTP. The upload or download processes are usually performed using FTP client software. To access their web servers, webmasters need FTP username and password. Some hosts give more than one FTP account to their customers. FTP can by anonymous as well, but its not recommended for security reasons.

Control Panel

Most web hosting companies provide their customers with a control panel, a web based application that helps in managing websites. Common functions in control panels are: managing email accounts, providing statistics, managing FTP accounts, managing domains and subdomains and managing databases. The most commonly used control panel application is cPanel. Some companies develop their own control panel application.

Uptime

An important feature of web hosts is their uptime, which is usually measured in percentage. A server that goes down for an average of 30 minutes a day will have an uptime percentage of about 99.98%, which is acceptable for most small to medium business websites. Anything less than this percentage is not suitable for a business website. Mission critical sites cannot tolerate frequent outages, thus they may use web monitoring services to notify web administrators immediately when an outage happens.

Price

With the wide range of options available for customers, the price is also ranges from 0 to $1000 a month. Most personal, small and medium websites shouldn't cost more than $15 a month. It's not recommended for business website owners to go for very cheap plans (less than $5) because this price usually means a compromise in the quality of support and reliability of the server.

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have just got a Reliance Wimax Connection here at Bangalore. My apartment is in Whitefield, Bangalore. As Reliance has a tower near ITPL; I have not encountered any problems with the connection so far and the connection is very fast.

The problem is configuring my Belkin Wireless router to this Wimax connection. I had gone through the other thread and tried to follow the instructions given for configuring the wireless router for D LINK, Linksys and Net Gear routers; but did not get any success. I gave the Dynamic IP address for the WAN connection and hard coded the DNS servers. I found four DNS servers when I gave Ipconfig/all for the connection. However, there was only provision to provide two in the router settings. I gave the first two and later on tried different permutations and combinations but to no avail.

I appreciate if anyone can help me in this regard.lso having a similar issue, I came from the US and got Reliance Wimax installed at my parent's house, I am not able to get the wireless router working. For some reason, reliance internet needs us to enter userid/pwd at and then the internet works on a PC/laptop, but with this I am able to use only one PC at a time, I need PC and wireless router and possibly another laptop to be all on the internet at the same time. How do I get this in order? In the wireless router, the only place it prompts to enter a userid/pwd is when you select a PPoE account, that' didn't work. I selected Dynamic IP address option, but that doesn't have any user id/pwd option in the router.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.Reliance folks are not allowing sharing of the 'Wimax' connection. Pl. note that this applies only to Wimax connections. They allowed it initially and later stopped. And new development is that they are blocking even Linux boxes. I tried to use a Linux box as a Wifi router (I had a spare laptop which I converted into a Wifi router). Now the Linux box too doesn't get DHCP address.. I am planning to modify my Linux DHCP Client to fake that it is a Windows box. Will post you once I am done..

Belkin Wireless Router for Reliance Wimax Connection

In the meantime I begged my neighbor to open his BSNL wifi to me so that I won't lose my job.. You can't depend on Reliance connection for anything serious like connecting to your office VPN etc.. Their customer care told me that they provide internet connection to the consumers for 'entertainment purpose only' :-)

Belkin Wireless Router for Reliance Wimax Connection

Coming to the Login part, in the good old days - i.e. a few months ago - when they were allowing Wifi routers, you could login from any of the workstation behind your wifi router and that's sufficient. There is nothing like router authenticating as in PPPoE with Reliance Wimax setup..

Best solution : Somehow go get an Airtel or BSNL connection so that your parents will be happy forever.. so, go get it by hook or crook - after all "Ends Support Means" !!have just got a Reliance Wimax Connection here at Bangalore. My apartment is in Whitefield, Bangalore. As Reliance has a tower near ITPL; I have not encountered any problems with the connection so far and the connection is very fast.

The problem is configuring my Belkin Wireless router to this Wimax connection. I had gone through the other thread and tried to follow the instructions given for configuring the wireless router for D LINK, Linksys and Net Gear routers; but did not get any success. I gave the Dynamic IP address for the WAN connection and hard coded the DNS servers. I found four DNS servers when I gave Ipconfig/all for the connection. However, there was only provision to provide two in the router settings. I gave the first two and later on tried different permutations and combinations but to no avail.

Belkin Wireless Router for Reliance Wimax Connection

I appreciate if anyone can help me in this regard.lso having a similar issue, I came from the US and got Reliance Wimax installed at my parent's house, I am not able to get the wireless router working. For some reason, reliance internet needs us to enter userid/pwd at and then the internet works on a PC/laptop, but with this I am able to use only one PC at a time, I need PC and wireless router and possibly another laptop to be all on the internet at the same time. How do I get this in order? In the wireless router, the only place it prompts to enter a userid/pwd is when you select a PPoE account, that' didn't work. I selected Dynamic IP address option, but that doesn't have any user id/pwd option in the router.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.Reliance folks are not allowing sharing of the 'Wimax' connection. Pl. note that this applies only to Wimax connections. They allowed it initially and later stopped. And new development is that they are blocking even Linux boxes. I tried to use a Linux box as a Wifi router (I had a spare laptop which I converted into a Wifi router). Now the Linux box too doesn't get DHCP address.. I am planning to modify my Linux DHCP Client to fake that it is a Windows box. Will post you once I am done..

In the meantime I begged my neighbor to open his BSNL wifi to me so that I won't lose my job.. You can't depend on Reliance connection for anything serious like connecting to your office VPN etc.. Their customer care told me that they provide internet connection to the consumers for 'entertainment purpose only' :-)

Coming to the Login part, in the good old days - i.e. a few months ago - when they were allowing Wifi routers, you could login from any of the workstation behind your wifi router and that's sufficient. There is nothing like router authenticating as in PPPoE with Reliance Wimax setup..

Best solution : Somehow go get an Airtel or BSNL connection so that your parents will be happy forever.. so, go get it by hook or crook - after all "Ends Support Means" !!

iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software

iPods have become a very famous portable media player that is being used worldwide nowadays. It was designed and marketed by Apple Inc. These are new generation devices that have made the conventional world proud. Let us take a look.....................

iPods - A Quick Look:

iPods are nothing but portable media players that are used worldwide today. They store media in a internal hard disk. Other iPods store information in a Micro drive Miniature hard disk. The hard disk based ones include the iPod classic, iPod Touch which involves a touch screen system. iPod nano which is capable of storing videos. Others include iPod shuffle and iPhone. The iPod Shuffle has no screen so it cannot store videos. Also iPod mini and spin-off iPod Photo were used previously.

iPods - Are they Reliable?

However they have been sometimes subject to criticism for their life spans and for their hard disks which are not good enough. Their failure rate too is very high as found in a recent survey. They are mostly due to the reasons of poor durability of the hard disk which is the essential part of the iPod. Also the other reason why iPods are not suggested is their screen which can get affected by rough handling.

iPod Hacks:

If you want more from your iPod, more than music and multimedia, then you can go for hacking. An iPod hack is nothing but changing the inner workings. In broader terms, for hacking an iPod, you need to change its hardware, software, firmware or operating system. Though it is not advisable to do so, but it is still being done to bend the iPod to cater to one's needs. Most of the hacks are carried out by changing the operating system LINUX, which is an open source one. The LINUX user interface called podzilla helps LINUX to be ported in an iPod manually. By this way the iPod is made to play media files like Ogg files.

Also one can download the schemes and modules for the podzilla from the internet. The schemes allow the user to change the appearance of the podzilla. The Modules are important and are used with iPod LINUX operating system. You will feel that with LINUX installed, your iPod will become more like a handheld computer than a good MP3 Player.

This hacking process has been carried out only in the first, second and third generation iPods, but reports also assert say that these are now being carried out in fourth and fifth generation ones as well. To stop this process of hacking, nowadays iPod companies clear state that installing LINUX means "NO WARRANTY". Well as seen earlier, installing LINUX opens a new world of operating an iPod. The possibilities are endless and to make use of these possibilities, hacking is carried out.

Play games:

If you love playing games, then now you can plan in your iPod too. With these LINUX modules, now you can play your favorite games. The LINUX module iDoom allows the users to play a game called as Doom. Besides there are various other modules which allows the users to play games like iGems, Invaders, Magic-8 Ball, iPod MAME, Pod Pod Revolution.

Other Applications:

Looking for something better other than games, you can manually change your iPod's functions and make it look the way you want it to be. The iPodWizard now lets you change the style and icons in your iPod. With it you can also remove some of the error messages that may annoy you.

Also now you can turn your iPod into a virtual Remote Control that can be used anywhere. Just attach an infra red device on to your iPod's headphone part and software too is needed. By recording the Infra Red Pulses from the remote, you can now control your iPod the way you want.

Also if you thought hacking is a crime or something bad, think again as this method can save your data from getting lost. The Module Podsmith unlocks the screen, files and applications in your Macintosh Computer. So rest assured that your data and privacy are safe by carrying out this process and many say it is a very effective one.

Also now with this hacking process, you can make changes to the software options that you have in your iPod. You can now install software that is good to make your iPod rock!! For example you have software like TrailRunner, VoodooPad and Apollo. The TrailRunner software helps you keeping your personal agenda. The VoodooPad software helps in writing like it provides an interface similar to Notepad. The Apollo Software is used as a video converter and it helps in optimizing the video for playing in iPod.

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Who is bothering to get a domain for their website by paying a ransom? Who wants to maintain old procedure of owning the domain for their websites? Besides, there is a new way to make the websites accessible through the internet. Web hosting service is a technique to make the websites available in the internet for lease or under an agreement of ownership for a certain period. It is provided as a general Internet access plan. There are many web hosting service providers who are ready to give you domains at very competitive prices. Make use of this facility and launch your website in an efficient prospect.

The current "use and throw" approach among the people on everything leads to the promotion of the web hosting network. There are many web hosting networks in the market today which help the individual or the organization by providing the domain name for their website, memory space for data, email services and bandwidth as a single package. Some companies offer free web hosting services with limited resources like memory spaces and bandwidth and they may support advertisement supported hosting. Shared web hosting is a technique where a website can be placed in the same server along with many other sites. This service enables shared usage of CPU, memory and other resources.

Ajax hosting is the practice which allows faster development and healthy applications. Some of the shared Ajax web hosting services is only enabled in windows platforms as they mainly require Windows servers. Almost all the Ajax web hosting companies provide money back guarantee. In competition with the Ajax hosting companies are the linux hosting service providers. Linux web hosting services are appropriate for websites which use linux hosting features like MySQL database, PHP programs and Perl programming. Linux web site hosting is powerful and reliable and also, it is open source software. Hence, cheap linux hosting services with better quality and reliability are available in the market. Another concept of Virtual dedicated servers or virtual Private servers use divided server resources into virtual servers. The resources are allocated in such a way that it does not directly reflect the underlying hardware. Dedicated hosting service provides the user the full control o ver the web server. The user is responsible for security and maintenance issues. Self managed service is a classification of dedicated service which is more accepted due to its less expensive schemes. Cluster hosting, as the name suggests, has several servers hosting the same content in order to utilize the resources in a better method.

Another new technique called cloud hosting permits reliable, scalable and powerful hosting and is clustered and balanced servers and follows utility billing system. So, if you have to avail for internet access for your website, then choose the web hosting service that best suits your budget and the website requirements. For a personal web page it is recommended to go for single page hosting services. For a website representing an organization, the complete package including database support, bandwidth, and email services and other resources is a wise option.

iAutoblog the premier autoblogger software

Linux Hosting Vs Windows Hosting

Linux hosting traces its birth from 'Linux', an open-source computer operating system based upon the concept of free software available to anyone to freely use, improve, modify and even redistribute. Windows hosting, on the other hand, relates to Windows operating system wherein the software is proprietary item of Microsoft.

Since being an open-source operating system, Linux hosting tends to be cheaper than Windows hosting. Besides, Linux hosting is considered as one of the main pillars of the LAMP server-software combination - Linux, Apache, MySQL and Php/Perl/Python. Popularity of Linux hosting among web developers can be judged from the fact that a great many open-source software have been created and are being continuously created for free use among discerning web enthusiasts.

Whether one chooses Linux hosting or Windows hosting will to a great extent depend on what the webmaster proposes to do with his website. Here is a quick rundown of both Linux hosting and Windows hosting.

Linux Hosting

Linux hosting is a good choice if you consider that you have perpetual options of using open-source software for your hosting needs. Linux hosting would mean that the operating system is fully compatible with PHP, which is steadily becoming the most popular programming language.

It is important to remember that Linux is a breeding ground of practicing programmers all over the globe and innumerable applications are being authored, re-written and tested all the time. What this means in simple terms is Linux hosting will always keep the door open to let in fresh air of new discoveries. For an avid user, nothing beats Linux hosting in this aspect.

The other advantage with Linux hosting is that it is cheap. Why? Since most application software are free to install and use, the hosting cost is reduced to only maintenance of servers. Since proprietary software are not installed, many overhead expenses are avoided in case of Linux hosting. This enables hosting providers to pass on the cost-advantage to its customers of Linux hosting.

Here are some examples of popular open-source application software, mostly in PHP, that can be easily used in Linux hosting.

Ecommerce Shopping Cart : OS Commerce, Zen-CartContent Management System : Drupal, PHP-Nuke, MamboBlog : Wordpress, Nucleus CMSPhoto Gallery : 4Images, Coppermine

Windows Hosting

Windows hosting makes use of Microsoft's proprietary Windows software for the host server. In contrast with Linux hosting, Windows hosting allows integration primarily with Microsoft's own products and services. For example, if you plan dynamic web content, you have to use ASP (Active Server Pages) or the advanced ASP.NET as your programming language, both created by Microsoft to be linked to SQL databases.

Interestingly, if you choose MySQL as your database, you may opt for either Linux hosting or Windows hosting, but in case your choice for database is MS Access, your option is only Windows hosting.

Windows hosting has limited support for CGI / Perl, so if your favorite scripts are in Perl, it has to be Linux hosting for you. On the other hand, good news for FrontPage users is that though it is essentially a proprietary Microsoft-owned software application, many Linux hosting do support FrontPage extensions.

There is an argument that the user interface for Windows hosting is much simpler between the two. However, of late Linux hosting too has improved on this score.

Coming to cost analysis, Windows hosting is costly not only because of proprietary software, but also due to the fact that Windows servers as such are costly, compared to servers used for Linux hosting.

Summing Up

Glossing over, what emerges is that it is the purpose of your website and its future plan that are the determining factors between choosing Linux hosting and Windows hosting. To be sure, all serious hosting providers will, in varying combination, offer a choice of both Windows hosting and Linux hosting.

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