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What
is a Web site?
What
is Web hosting?
What is a Web
site?
A Web site is a
way to present a product, service, or
yourself online. Your Web site is a place
anyone can visit, world-wide. Visitors can
find out more about you or your products,
ask you questions, provide feedback, or
buy your products.
What is a Domain
Name?
A Domain Name is
an address on the Web. Similar to a phone
number, your Domain Name allows people to
access your site on the Web. Easy to
remember Domain Names are best for
attracting people to your site and getting
repeat visitors.
Most Domain Names end with
".com" (yourfavorite.com), but
other "top level" domain
extensions are available like
".net", ".org" ".biz",
".info", and ".co.uk".
Domains Names can also be used with your
e-mail accounts allowing you to send and
receive e-mail with addresses such as
"support@yourcompany.com"
or any name you can think of.
Why do I need a
Web site?
Good domain names
are going quickly. Everyone, including
your competition is on the Internet.
If you already own a business, going
online can instantly increase sales, even
if you don't sell anything online.
When people are
trying to find you, the first place they
look is on the Web - and if they don't
find you, they will probably find someone
else!
What can a Web
site do for me?
Use a site for the
following:
- Making
announcements
- Communication /
email
- Providing
customer support - cut your call
volume
- Receiving
visitor feedback
- Sharing/distributing
files and images [upload / download]
- Selling
products
- Receiving
donations
- Data storage /
customer management
How does a Web
site work?
A Web site is a
collection of files on a computer
connected to the Internet. Very similar to
the files on your own computer, except
anyone with the address can access them.
When someone
visits your site, they are actually
contacting a computer called a Web server,
and viewing the document they type in.
Much like you look for C:\My
Documents\something.doc on your local
machine, you can call up http://domainname.com/something.htm.
The http:// tells your browser to go to a
webdrive, just like C:\ on your local
machine. The domain name is similar
to the folder, like My Documents on your
local machine. Lastly, the document
it calls, something.htm, is just like the
document on your local machine,
something.doc or .txt.
The web server is
a very fast, reliable machine connected
directly to the Internet so when anyone
calls up a document, it is delivered right
away.
**********
What is a Web
Host?
To have a Web site
on the Internet you need to have a Web
server. Owning a Web server can be very
costly and requires technical knowledge
that most businesses do not have. A web
hosting company can provide the equipment
and other technical resources that you
need without the headache and expense of
doing it in-house.
Think of your Host
as the landlord of your store. A landlord
rents out stores to various merchants and
each decorates and runs their store
differently, and doesn't worry about the maintenance
of the building. Similarly a Web Host
rents out space on a Web server, like a
storefront in a building, to various
businesses. Each business builds their own
Web site and never has to worry about
maintaining their Web server.
*****
Domain name FAQ:
Domain Name
Registration
What is a
Domain Name?
Your Domain Name is your identity on the
Internet. It is like having your own phone
number. Essentially, Domain Names serve as
routing addresses on the Internet. Each
Domain Name corresponds to its IP address
- for example, the Domain Name associated
with http://64.225.100.31
is yourfavorite.com..
The Domain Name is like a vanity
address. If you have an 800 number,
the 800 number works much like a domain
name. On the Internet, your
"ring down" number is your IP
and your 800 number is your domain name.
What characters
are allowed in a Domain Name?
The only characters allowed in a Domain
Name are the 26 letters of the English
alphabet, numbers 0-9, and hyphens (-). A
domain cannot begin or end with a hyphen,
but it may contain one or more
hyphens.
You may use up to 63 characters plus the
gTLD (generic Top Level Domain: .com,
.net, and .org,) as part of the Domain
Name. Each ccTLD (country code TLD)
Registry has its own restrictions on the
length and format. Domain Names are not
case sensitive and are usually displayed
in all lowercase. You may, however, use
capital letters to emphasis words in your
Domain Name, like: DavysKitchen.com
Who owns my
domain name?
The Registrant or person or organization
listed in "WHOIS" owns the
Domain Name for the time their
registration fees are paid. WHOIS is the
name of the database required of all
Registrars that contains information about
the Domain Name, nameservers, and
registration and sometimes the expiration
dates.
Where will my
Domain Name reside?
finitesite.com / yourfavorite.com provides
name servers upon registration of new
domain names. A Domain Name server is a
machine connected to the Internet that
identifies unique Domain Names (Web
addresses) or Internet sites. Domain Name
registration requires both a primary and a
secondary nameserver. Each consists of a
host name and a unique IP address. These
house the Domain Name System information
about the Domain Names hosted by the
nameservers. These nameservers must be
registered with the Domain Name Registry.
Once you have
registered your Domain Name with
finitesite.com / yourfavoirte.com, you can
change the name servers for your Domain
Name from your control panel at http://yourname.com/stats/
. You will always need two separate name
servers. This change can be made as soon
as the registration is confirmed.
***************************
Web
Hosting Related Questions
Domain
Name Related Questions
Microsoft
FrontPage Related Questions
What
is virtual Web hosting?
We
specialize in virtual Web
hosting, which means that you
can find a home for your Web
site on our high performance Web
servers and establish your
presence on the Internet with
your own unique domain name.
This is a very intelligent and
cost effective alternative to
hosting your own web site
internally. Our shared hosting
environment gives you the
benefits of high performance
servers, high bandwidth
connectivity that can seamlessly
grow with your needs,
pre-installed software,
guaranteed reliability and
around-the-clock support, all at
a small fraction of the cost of
doing it yourself.
Back
to the top.
How
do I transfer files to my Web
site ?
Files can
be transferred to the Web server
via File Transport Protocol
(FTP). If you have a PPP
Internet account and need FTP
software, you can download a
program for either the PC or Mac
from our site. Internet
providers such as AOL,
Compuserve, and Prodigy may have
a built-in FTP interface. An FTP
tutorial is available for
first-time users.
Microsoft
FrontPage users can 'publish'
their sites to our server and
should not use FTP.
Back
to the top.
How
long does it take to set up a
new account ?
Most
accounts are set up and active
within 24 hours! Once an account
is set up an activation notice
will be sent you via e-mail
including a userID, password,
and FTP hostname. You can begin
uploading files to your new web
site immediately thereafter.
Domain account users will be
given a temporary URL to access
their site via the Web prior to
the completion of either domain
registration or
transfer.
Back
to the top.
Domain
Name Related Questions
Will
I be able to access my domain
name with or without the 'www.'?
Yes, you
will be able to access the
domain name with or without the
'www.' in front. For example,
you can access the domain name
"mydomain.com" by
going to "www.mydomain.com"
as well as "mydomain.com".
Back
to the top.
Can
I transfer an existing domain
name?
Yes.
Whether you place an order by
telephone or via our online
order form, be sure to specify
that you are requesting a transfer
and NOT a new domain. You should
keep the service at your present
site while waiting for your
domain name to transfer. We will
provide you with a temporary IP
address so you can mirror your
site on our server. All e-mail
and Web pages will still be
accessed from your current site.
When InterNIC receives the
template, they will generate an
acknowledgment request (Ack/Nak)
and send it to the current
administrative contact of the
domain. Once the administrative
contact acknowledges the
transfer, InterNIC will update
their records.
It is very
important that you use the same
company name and address on the
template as that which is on
file at InterNIC. If the company
name differs from that which is
on file, InterNIC will treat the
transfer as a delete/new and
will not allow the transfer to
be completed.
If the
contact information for the
domain is no longer current, you
will need to prepare a fax on
company letterhead, as follows:
- Include
company name, address and
phone number in the header
- Reference
the domain name and NIC
tracking number
- Request
the domain name modification
in accordance with the NIC
number to the new Name
Servers
- Have
the President or
Vice-President of your
company sign the request
- Print
the name and title below
signature
- Fax
this letter to us, ATTN:
DOMREG department with 'InterNIC'
as the subject.
Back
to the top.
I
have purchased my domain name
from another company. How can I
update the information at
InterNIC?
In order
to transfer a domain name from
one organization to another,
InterNIC requires that the
original owner file a
"delete/new" template.
This template consists of two
domain registration templates,
combined into one e-mail. The
first template deletes the
registration of the original
domain name, and the second
re-registers the domain name
using the new owner’s
information. This request must
be initiated by the original
owner, as the owner is the only
one authorized to make such a
modification.
Back
to the top.
How
long does it take before my
domain name is active?
Once the
InterNIC announces that your
domain name has been registered
(or transferred, if applicable),
it usually takes about 72 hours
before it visible to all users
of the Internet. All Internet
providers must update their
records (DNS tables) to reflect
new site locations. This process
is called propagation.
Back
to the top.
Microsoft
FrontPage Related Questions
Answers to
questions you may have about
using Microsoft's FrontPage on
our UNIX Servers.
NOTE:
For specific information on how
to use the FrontPage
software, please consult the
program's documentation or Microsoft
Technical Support.
FrontPage
extensions are CGI programs that
provide the server side
implementation of FrontPage.
FrontPage communicates with the
extensions via HTTP using a
Remote Procedure Call (RPC).
When the server sees the
"POST" request
addressed to the FrontPage
server extensions it simply
directs the request to the
appropriate CGI program. The
extensions implement authoring
(uploading/downloading
documents, ToDo lists),
administration (setting
end-user, author, and
administrator privileges), and
dynamic content (browse-time
WebBot components).
Without the FrontPage server
extensions you will not be able
to take advantage of the WebBots
that are available through
FrontPage. Also, without the
extensions you cannot author and
administer your web using the
tools provided as part of the
FrontPage Editor/Explorer
package.
New
Accounts
Check the
box on the order form indicating
that you want the FrontPage
extensions. New domains that
request the FrontPage extensions
when the order is placed will
have the extensions installed
within two days of activation.
Existing
Accounts
To have
the FrontPage server extensions
installed on your existing site,
send an e-mail request to
support with the following
information:
- Your
domain name
- Your
userID
- Your
request for FrontPage
extensions.
- Confirmation
that you have back-up of any
Web pages currently on the
site.
(In most cases it is not
necessary to delete files
currently on the site to
install the extensions.
However, if there are
directories or files with
special permissions (.htaccess)
these will have to be
removed. You can then
re-establish permissions and
password protection via the
FrontPage Explorer.)
On
existing sites, the installation
will generally be done within 24
hours.
There is
no charge for installing the
server extensions. We will also
reinstall corrupted extensions
free of charge*.
*Note:
There are certain precautions
that MUST be taken when
publishing and maintaining your
site with FrontPage.
There are
some issues that potential
FrontPage users should consider:
- Web
size -- This
seems to be most critical
when a "searchable
event" is present in
the web (Search, Discussion
Forum and Table of
Contents). The lengthy
process of updating the
indices for these functions
can lead to the connection
timing-out (HTTP 500 Error
or 'Server has timed-out').
- Disk
Usage -- You may
create and publish as
many child webs as your disk
storage space allows.
However, for each child web
you publish, FrontPage
duplicates certain
information into indices and
hidden files. This adds
'overhead,' increasing the
storage space required for
your files. Microsoft's
documentation notes,
"FrontPage's optional
full-text search indexes can
take up to the same amount
of disk space as your
textual content."
- PRECAUTIONS
There are several
precautions which need to be
taken to protect the
FrontPage extensions on
your site if it is
housed on our UNIX servers:
a) Do NOT use the Edit
Access or File Manager
features found in your
Control Panel to set
passwords, limit access, set
file permissions or delete
directories or files in a
FrontPage web. This should
only be done through the
options in FrontPage
Explorer.
b) Do NOT use regular FTP
(such as WS_FTP) to upload
files to the server when
FrontPage extensions are
installed. This may corrupt
the extensions, disabling
the interactive features
available with FrontPage.
NOTE: The exception to this
is when loading custom
scripts to the cgi-local
directory on your site.
Instructions for uploading
custom CGI scripts is
included in the notice you
will receive when the
extensions are installed.
Since
FrontPage was created for
developing Web sites in the
Windows environment, some
features are only available when
the site is hosted on an NT
Server.
- Active
Server Pages
- ODBC
and MSSQL Database
connections (Access, FoxPro)
- ActiveX
- VBScript
- SSL
(Secure Socket Layer) Forms
Processing (using the WebBot
Save Results component)*
*FrontPage
sites hosted on the UNIX Servers
may use SSL by sending output
from forms through cgiemail.
Other
Resources
You may
also find answers on many user
issues at Microsoft's
Web site, from newsgroups
and, of course, in books on
FrontPage.
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