FAQ's About Low Cost Website Hosting

Bandwidth (Data Transfer): How much do I need?

Example: Every time one of your web pages is viewed by someone on the internet, the size of that page goes towards your bandwidth usage. Below is an example of how many times (approx.) a page would have to be viewed to reach just 10GB of transfer in one month:

Page size 30kb = 333,000 views
Page size 40kb = 250,000 views
 

This is sufficient for most websites as the majority of websites never reach that amount of data transfer. However, most hosts offer around 50GB of data transfer.
 

FrontPage: Do I need Windows hosting to use FrontPage?

What are the operating systems (OS) used in hosting?

Linux
A Unix-like OS that usually uses Apache for its web server. While Linux does not offer some of the features of a windows system, they tend to be more secure and faster.

Windows
Windows 2000 tends to be the most fully featured website hosting OS. Windows 2000 features ASP, Microsoft SQL, FrontPage extensions, and ColdFusion, unlike UNIX and Linux.
 

Windows vs. Unix / Linix: Which hosting operating system is better?

Your hosting platform will be determined by the specific functions you want it to perform, the programming languages you use and the type of database you have. So, choose your applications and then choose your platform.

Advantages of Unix / Linux Hosting
For comparison with the Windows hosting platform, Unix and Linux are essentially the same since Linux is actually a Unix derivative.

The Unix platform offers stability and speed for operating web server applications. Unix and Linux have been the operating systems of choice for most advanced users because of their reputation as being very flexible and capable. In other words Unix servers will crash less often than Windows servers, meaning a greater amount of uptime.

Unix hosting also offers many server applications and programs that have been written for use with Unix. Since Unix is an open source platform, many developers have already created a wide variety of CGI and PHP scripts, and MySQL applications that will work on nearly any Unix / Linux system. If you choose Windows hosting, many of the scripts you want to use won't work since they were not designed for Windows.

Advantages of Windows Hosting
Windows is the only credible alternative to Unix/Linux. Windows 2000 Server is the newer hosting platform, and it has all but completely replaced Windows NT. If you see a host using NT servers, avoid them as their systems are probably outdated.

The advantage of Windows servers is that they are configured to be compatible with Microsoft applications, such as FrontPage, Access and MS SQL. Windows servers also offers developers the use of Active Server Pages (ASP), Visual Basic Scripts, MS Index Server and ColdFusion and are typically seen as easier to use then Unix/Linux.

Note: Windows hosting typically costs more then Unix/Linix hosting as Microsoft's applications are proprietary and usually require a larger technical staff to maintain.

Summary
If you have dynamic content on your site using PHP/MySQL applications, CGI scripts or Java Server Pages (JSP), then you should choose Unix/Linux for the compatibility with these applications.

If you use ASP/Access scripting combinations, ColdFusion, VB scripts or a MS SQL Server database, then choose Windows.
 

How do I transfer my domain name without experiencing any downtime?

To avoid downtime, sign up for a new web hosting account. Once your account is setup, you should receive an email with your FTP login information. Next, upload all of your files to your new server.

After you've uploaded your files, contact your domain name registrar and have your domain name pointed to your new DNS numbers provided by your new host (usually in the setup email). It takes about 48-72 hours for your registrar to update their DNS (actual time varies by registrar). Once it's updated, your domain name will point to your new website/host. If you use e-mail associated with the domain name, check mail at both locations (with your previous hosting company and on your new mail server). Once you confirm that all e-mail settings and your website are properly pointed to your new host, you can cancel your account with your previous hosting company.
 

What should I consider when choosing a domain name?

A domain name is the label used to identify your website, for example 1-hosting-solutions.com. It usually describes some aspect of your site. In order for visitors to access your site you must select a unique domain name and register it with an accredited domain name registrar.

Your domain name will represent you and/or your business. Make sure that the name you choose is memorable, descriptive and that it instills confidence, particularly if you plan on selling goods and services on your site.

Your domain name can be up to 67 characters long and can include any combination of letters, numbers and dashes (it cannot start or end with a dash). A domain name must end with a domain extension, such as .com, .net, or .org.