my friends and i started a small hosting company and now the programmer dude that handles the server wants to quit. i am wondering, what should i ask from him (ftp? u/n, p/w, etc) and are there anything out there that could help me run the VPS on our own without him?

thanks in advance!

The most important and difficult decision one has to make while starting an online business is to opt for the host plan, which meets the requirements and is within one’s budget. One can take the help of the search engines for searching the best plan. There are number of web hosting providers offering great packages. It is very difficult to choose best one among them

It is good to write down all the requirements by the customers and then choosing the package suiting one’s requirements and then only the chosen package will have its worth.

Following are the few aspects to be considered when choosing a web host.

Disk Space

It is very important to know how much space will be required and this can be done only after knowing that what kind of business one is running? Is he selling a single product? Showcasing a huge catalogue with lots of pictures? Or, maybe a membership website? Different types of businesses use different amounts of disk space. After he will require knowing all these information one can easily calculate how much space and then he can easily choose the package accordingly. This is very right that no one wants to pay extra for the space he would never use.

Data Transfer

Many hosting plans put a limit on the amount of data one can transfer. Data transfer is the amount of traffic flow from one’s site that includes images, banners, and file downloads, etc. If the user crosses the limit he have to pay extra for it, which results to be very expensive. At this point he will realize the worth of pre study of the requirements. Now he needs to do some homework i.e. to know what is the size of his page? Does he expect to have a lot of visitors? Does it involve transferring many files? If he does, then he surely needs a plan permitting plenty of data transfer.

Email Accounts

Now one should know how many email accounts will he need? One for his personal use and one for support, enquiries, sales etc. One should also have to consider which email package he will need, full Pops access, Web-based email or both?

Up-Time Guarantee

It will be favorable for the user not to accept anything less than 99.5% of uptime. Server downtime is like having a shop without electricity; In this case visitors will not be able to visit one’s site, and thus as a result it would lead to destruction of one’s sale and thereafter-entire business.

Support

User should be very sure while choosing a web host that it will provide excellent support. User can any time face the difficulty, so it is very necessary to choose one that can reply within 48 hours.

Tools and control panel

User should opt the host that provides a good control panel that is user friendly. This is very true that no one wants to waste time sending support tickets asking technical questions and waiting hours for a reply, right? Thus one should look out for tools like traffic monitors, statistics, web mail, file manager, etc.

Testimonials

User should give importance to what others are saying. Email those people to find out about server uptime and other features of the web host he is planning to use. However one needs to be very careful as some people complain more than praising one.

Price

One should always keep in mind that what one pay, is what he gets. If he gets it too cheap, chances are that the cost is cutting somewhere else. This can also happen that they are going to charge for additional services later on. So be careful!

When business sites are being planned, the business owner will try to get the most value from the services that are available for their business. This is especially true if the business is going to be operated online through a website address that the business owner obtained through the domain registration process. Most business owners are pleasantly surprised to get more than a domain name when they register.

Some of the little extras that come with domain registration are available through other means and these domain name sources will cost the business owner a monthly expense that is unnecessary. For the low price of a domain registration though the business owner has the opportunity to shave operating costs by using extras such as email capabilities offered through some domain registrants. The free email addresses could help the owner create an internet presence that seems very established.

The email addresses will also serve as alternate addresses for customers to use when they want to correspond with the business directly. The customer will be able to remember the email address because it will typically be the name that a business owner chooses and lists as the customer service department on his business website. The customer does not ever see that it is an internet address that is tied to a domain registrant and is considered to be one of the little extras that they choose to use to grow their domain registration business.

Most business people think that the domain registration process is complicated. In all actuality, registering a domain name is a very simple process and is one business expense that is very affordable. For a monthly contract fee, this business extra will give the business owner control over the domain name that they want to use for their business and the contract will ensure that they can operate under that domain name for a specific period of time.

The business owner will not have to wait very long to find out if the domain name that they want to use is available. The domain registrant uses specific software that connects to the final authority for domain name registration. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers will do a database check for the requested domain name and if that site relays back that the domain name is available, then the business owner simply has to register it in their name.

Other registrants might offer little extras like internet chat capabilities that allow business owners to install virtual assistants on their site. Any question a customer has about products or policies on a business website can be answered quickly and efficiently and will most likely entice the customer into transacting some level of business on the site. These little extras are provided at no charge to the owner of the business which makes operating a business less costly each month.

Does someone else own your perfect domain name that, quite frankly, would look better on your website? Is that dream domain name about to expire? Should you try to buy the expired domain name?

It all depends on how much you’re willing to pay. Expired domain names are usually sold by auction because there’s usually more than one person bidding on the name.

If you want to get in the game and try to buy that perfect expired domain name, then you need to know where the auctions are. There are two spots when they might happen.

Here’s how a domain name moves through the internet:

Someone registers a domain name.The owner doesn’t want the domain name any more so they let the domain name pass the official expiry date.

Opportunity #1

When the domain name expires, it goes into a Renewal Grace Period (0-45 days). The original domain owner can buy back the expired domain name at the regular renewal price.Next, the expired domain name enters a Redemption Grace Period (30 days). The original domain owner can buy back the expired domain name at a penalty ($80-$150)Finally, the expired domain name becomes Pending Delete (5 days). After this point, the expired domain name is deleted from the ICANN database and released back into the world.

Opportunity #1: Buy the expired domain name from the registrar that currently controls the domain name (i.e. GoDaddy, NetWork Solutions, etc). On one hand, the registrar is giving the old domain owner a chance to buy back the domain name. On the other hand, the registrar may be auctioning the expired domain name to the highest bidder on their aftermarket. Check to see who the registrar is and watch to see if they are auctioning off your dream domain name.
Opportunity #2

About 75 days after the domain name officially expired, it becomes publicly available again.Professional companies that specialize in grabbing newly released expired domain names will snatch up the expired domain name literally the second it becomes available.Whichever company gets the expired domain name will now auction it off to the highest bidder.

Opportunity #2: Hire 3 or 4 professional companies that specialize in grabbing expired domain names when they get released into the wild (Pool, NameJet, Enom, etc…) One of these companies will grab your dream domain name and then you can fight in the auction to win the expired domain name.
Bottom Line: If you’re after a specific domain name that is expiring soon, then you need to do your homework and figure out where your auction will take place in.

If you’re ready to register domain names, we’re here to help at http://domainnames.webdiggin.com where you’ll find this information and everything else you need to know in order to find information about absolutely free domain names.

If you have a high traffic website with dynamic features, then switching to a dedicated server is probably the best choice for you. The major advantages are faster load time, increased security, and total control over your website.

This dedicated server is a single web server, devoted solely to the use of one organization, unlike shared servers that host a number of other users and websites. Particularly suitable for larger corporations that process and store high quantities of secure data, dedicated servers often require a higher capital investment yet have a number of key advantages:

1. Higher speed and performance levels

By switching to a dedicated server, the entire host is devoted to running one organization’s software and website. With a shared server, the actions and usage of other websites can impact upon the response times of a website and can even cause a time-out, especially if one website has a promotion and experiences a sudden surge in traffic.

2. Increased capacity

Because a dedicated server is created for just one organization, capacity is only limited by the size of the server rather than the number of users present on that host. Dedicated servers provide a more reliable website which can run full-time with less server jamming. Websites can feature more complex functions and there are fewer limitations on the number of email accounts and attached databases.

3. Increased security

By sharing the server with other sites and users, there is a possibility that other customers may be able to view secure files and in some cases overwrite certain files. This can be extremely risky if a company stores and processes highly sensitive data. If any website on the host is attacked by a hacker or virus, this also makes the rest of the sites on the server vulnerable.

4. Increased site control

With complete server dedication, it is possible to have more control over data access and over what happens on that server, such as which scripts can be run and which online activities can occur.

5. Ability to customise hardware set-up

Dedicated hardware is provided for the server which can only be used by one customer. This allows the customer to have control over the hardware and make any alterations or upgrades.

6. Customised software

Many shared sites have limited features and software availability due to security and stability issues. For example, JSP support on shared servers is still rare. With a dedicated server, there is greater freedom of choice as to which programmes run, allowing a customer’s individual needs to be catered for.

7. Creation of more than one domain

Companies that have multiple divisions or chains benefit greatly from a dedicated server in that they can create several domains on one server. This is more cost effective and efficient than each outlet renting space on a different host and creates a uniform sales platform with a simplified administration and support system.

8. Increased reliability

It only requires one rogue website in a shared server to cause a search engine to ban the entire server, due to the shared IP address. With a dedicated server, reliability is no longer compromised by other customers’ poorly written scripts or security problems.

9. Effective large website maintenance

A dedicated server provides the ability to run a large website, which can be remotely controlled and operated, without the need to employ large numbers of staff. There is no requirement to purchase or maintain server equipment and server upgrades are more cost effective.

10. Technical support

Many dedicated server providers offer additional administrative, trouble-shooting and management support.

If your website does not have any of these qualities, then you know that it is time to move your site to a dedicated server. You’ve put a lot of work into your website, so you deserve to have the best service possible.

Windows VPS Hosting plans offer an ideal solution for webmasters whose inclination is to achieve the best in cost, convenience and control of installed applications. These power-hungry users have been switching to a VPS-type of hosting for these very reasons. It can also be noted that having a virtual private server is also cheaper than the cost of having a dedicated server aside from enjoying easygoing conveniences, such as having complete access to their Plesk control panel and the use of power-packed tools. This article will attempt to discuss why webmasters opt for Windows VPS Hosting accounts.

Webmasters Find Cost of Windows VPS Hosting Plans Affordable

The cost requirement for virtual servers is less expensive than that of dedicated servers yet the former can perform the same benefits as the latter. Instead of purchasing a physical system to run their applications, software developers realize considerable savings by choosing to have a VPS account. Since Windows VPS Hosting plans are designed to tap existing computer resources, it is possible for webmasters to make customization.

The Convenience Factor Of Running Windows VPS Hosting Plans

With guaranteed resources and burstable RAM, software developers can separate tasks into simpler assignments. For instance, you can separate images and text contents. With this type of account, hosting resource management is maximized compared to the setup of a shared account. Even if you find yourself reaching the limit of your guaranteed resources, the burstable RAM can compensate for any extra space.

Useful Applications To Enjoy By Webmasters With Windows VPS

Preferred programs can be configured and installed. Many software developers utilize a number of programs to complete their daily tasks. It also gives the opportunity to have unlimited combinations of applications. For instance the application ASP.NET which is a web application framework can be installed and help webmasters and developers in their web related tasks. The same hosting account can also accommodate seamlessly world’s second most popular web server, Microsoft’s Internet Information Services (IIS). Cold Fusion can likewise be installed which is useful for webmasters who are into development of dynamic and database driven websites.

In addition, users can configure and install free and open source applications in lieu of expensive proprietary applications. Kexi, an integrated management application can be a good alternative for spreadsheet and database management. Open Workbench is a project management software that allows users to schedule important projects for increased productivity. OpenLaszlo is a good tool for developing internet based applications. With a VPS account, webmasters can install all these applications and similar softwares without spending much.

I am looking to open a small volunteer tourism website and need a company with reasonable prices and good service to register to my domain name and provide web design and hosting with some e-commerce as well.

**By ‘design news website’ i mean a website that has latest news about products/graphics/architecture in terms of design.

For our community website, we have ‘Todays Top Stories’ spot
on the Home page where we need to display daily new stories – sourcing from public domain news servers (or other sites ) that will allow us daily postings without infringing any copyright. We are willing to take necessary permission to post and to abide by their Terms & Conditions.

Does anyone know of a domain service or auction house that might have something like this?
Many thanks in advance for your help.