Web Hosting Basics:
At first, these tutorials will appear to cover basic information
that all internet users know. This is not the case; much of the
information in these tutorials is of the type that is otherwise
only learned through painful experience. If this is your first web
site or you are new to hosting, it is highly recommended that you
not skip over any area.
You will see the occasional link on purchasing a service here;
if you use one, it will open in a new window so you don't lose your
place.
We are actively developing these tutorial right now (July 2004).
New things will be appearing every few days.
The Basics:
A web site is composed of three different parts. With very few exceptions,
these three parts must be purchased separately. They are: the domain
name, the web server space and the web site content. It is important
to understand how these fit together and what they are composed
of in order to host a web site.
The Domain Name:
The address that a visitor types into a web browser to visit a site
on the internet is know as the uniform resource locator (URL). This
URL usually looks something like http://www.gem3.com.
The portion of this URL that follows the www. is known as the domain
name, in this case the domain name is gem3.com. Ever since its creation
in 1998 the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN) has been responsible for leasing (Registering) these names
to internet users. Each name is unique and the internet user that
registers a domain (the Registrant) has complete control of that
domain during the period of time it is registered. To facilitate
the process, ICANN has permitted other companies to charge for domain
registration services. Domain names are always registered for at
least one year and no more than ten years into the future. A domain
name can be chosen and registered
here.
The Web Server Space:
When someone enters your domain name or URL into a web browser,
they are directed to the web server at the web hosting company (hopefully
us!) where your web site content is located. Web hosting is sold
in many different forms. It is usually available in monthly increments
with discount rates for purchasing multiple months in advance. This
is our primary business; our standard hosting plans start at $3
per month and can be chosen here.
We also provide customized plans upon request.
The Web Site Content:
The actual web site content consists of a few HTML files and images
sitting on your web server. This content can be created by almost
anyone and can be very simple or incredibly complex. Depending upon
your desire and budget, you may choose to create this content yourself
or pay someone to create it. A nice beginner's guide to creating
HTML content is available here.
We do not create content here, but we may be able to recommend a
web designer.
|
