TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANCY Innovative. Reliable. Efficient. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WEB HOSTING SERVICES What you need to know about Web Hosting
Q&A - WEBHOSTING 1. What is web hosting? Web Hosting is a service that provides internet users with online computer systems for storing information, images, video, or any content accessible via the internet or web for Internet users to view online information, the web hosting company places the website pages (html, php, etc files) on a web server which is stored inside a data center. Data centers are connected to the internet with extremely reliable high speed connections so that the world has access to the web files 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Web users access the web pages through the website's IP address or the website's domain name. What is a web host? A web host provider (or web host) is the company that host's and maintains the web server that stores the website's pages. Does the web host own my site? No, the content that is within your site is yours and yours alone! How much does web hosting cost? Web hosting costs vary dramatically depending on what type of website you plan on running, how many visitors the site receives, and any additional features you may require. For a simple site with html, cgi, and php web pages, the pricing can range from $4.2.00 per month to upward of $30.00 per month for a virtual web hosting account. If the website gets millions of visitors a day, you may require a dedicated server which can cost anywhere between $100.00 per month to $500.00 per month. This fee is to maintain a reliable high speed connection and enough bandwidth or data transfer per month for the website users to effective navigate through the website. What factors determine the costs of different web hosting packages? We charge different prices because of the different Service-Levels required by the client. The cost reflects the amount of server resources the client requires. Page 2 Innovative. Reliable. Efficient
The primary factors that determines cost of webhosting includes: a. Disk space b. Bandwidth c. Number of mail boxes required d. Software support (Asp, PHP, MySql) e. File transfer (FTP, Web based FTP, Secure Shell) f. Online control panel for managing your website g. Security (HTTPS, SSH, Certificates) h. Number of packed domains, sub domains i. Scripts and automatic web application installation j. A robust database management system, such as MySQL or MS SQL. This is so you can add your own database if required What is the difference between the different web hosting packages? Our different hosting plans are based on the different factors for example SILVER offers up to 1GB of disk space, GOLD offers up to 10GB and DIAMOND offers unlimited disk space. In terms of traffic (bandwidth) Silver is suitable for simple static websites, Gold is suitable for medium level websites and Diamond is good for large organizations/companies. All the above levels of services are rationed appropriately under the above packages. We advise a client about the appropriate plan for them after listening to the scope of their web projects. Can I host my website myself? Yes. It's preferable to have a high speed connection to the internet (DSL, Cable, or T1) and you can dedicate one computer to be a web server. Also, the internet provider may incur an extra charge for hosting. However, this is the least efficient web hosting method since it puts heavy additional requirements on your home or office internet connection line and exposes you to security risks. It is important to note that the computer dedicated to being a web server must remain on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the website to be online all the time. Page 3 Innovative. Reliable. Efficient
How do I transfer my website files from my local computer to the remote web hosting server? The most common method to upload files from a local computer to your web hosting server is by using an FTP, or File Transfer Protocol, client. An FTP client is a piece of software that allows a user to authenticate and establish a connection to the remote web hosting server to upload files for the website. Some of the popular FTP programs include WS_FTP, and CuteFTP, and certain web page editors like Macromedia Dreamweaver have a built-in FTP client. Also, you can install Addons to specific web browsers like Mozilla Fire Fox. Some browsers have built-in FTP clients. For more information regarding these web page editors or FTP clients please consult with the respective vendors. What is bandwidth or data transfer? Bandwidth or data transfer are terms referring to the amount of data that can be transferred in and out within a given period of time, usually monthly. When a visitor browses a website, he or she has to download the HTML, images, scripts and other files to view the web page. The amount of transfer the visitor uses counts towards your allocated monthly amount of data transfer. For example, if the visitor retrieves an image that is 2KB and one HTML page at 4KB, then the total data transfer for that session is approximately 6KB. However, there are other factors that may influence your data transfer measurements, such as, FTP, SSH and other applications accessing files on your web hosting account. The most common examples of data transfer are: - Files and images being requested by your visitor's web browsers. - Files transferred to and from your domain using an FTP program. - Email messages received and sent from your domain. Bandwidth for starter package is renewed monthly and monitored every 24 hours. Dextra Uganda's hosting accounts provide a very generous amount of bandwidth for our clients domains... more than most web hosts provide for the same size accounts! What is disk space or storage space? Disk space or storage space refers to the amount of space you are allowed to store in your web hosting account. When you upload website files, for example, HTML Page 4 Innovative. Reliable. Efficient
pages, images, graphics, scripts and so forth, it takes up space on the web server's hard drive(s). The size of the files you upload into your web hosting will respectively determine how much storage space you will use up. How much disk space and bandwidth do I need for hosting my web site? There is no definite answer for this question since it is highly dependent on your current and future web hosting needs for the website in question. However, a small personal website with light traffic will require 50-100 MB of storage space (disk space) and 1 GB of monthly data transfer. Dextra Uganda offers a Starter Web Hosting Plan suitable for this type of website. However, if the website offers videos or large resolution images, the Advanced Web Hosting Plan is a possibility. Dextra Uganda offers a Pro Web Hosting Plan appropriate for small to medium sized businesses with databases and shopping carts. This plan has the recommended disk space of 1GB and approximately 10GB data transfer. What is a domain name? A domain name (for instance, "example.com") is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control on the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System (DNS). Any name registered in the DNS is a domain name. Domain names are organized in subordinate levels (subdomains) of the DNS root domain, which is nameless. The first-level set of domain names are the toplevel domains (TLDs), including the generic top-level domains (gtlds), such as the prominent domains com, info, net, edu, and org, and the country code top-level domains (cctlds). What is a Parked Domain? A parked domain is a domain name pointed to one of our web servers and each one you setup in your Control Panel, will point to your homepage of your primary web hosting account. Parked domains have no other functionality. How do I get my own domain name? Page 5 Innovative. Reliable. Efficient
It's important to realize that domain registration is separate from web hosting and these two services can be provided by two different companies. A domain name can be registered with any ICANN-approved domain registrar. Dextra Uganda partner with established domain registrars to offer domain registration service for client with the different domain registrars for a period of 1 yr or above at different rates as charged by registrars. We include certain top-level domain names for free with specific web hosting plans. What is web design? Web design encompasses many different skills and disciplines in the production and maintenance of websites. The different areas of web design include web graphic design; interface design; authoring, including standardized code and proprietary software; user experience design; and search engine optimization. The term web design is normally used to describe the design process relating to the front-end (client side) design of a website including writing mark up. What is a Webmail? A webmail is an online service that provides access to send, receive, and review e- mail using only your Web browser. Users can simply enter the Webmail Web site URL in their browser's address or location field, and use their Webmail account by typing in a username and password. Webmail provides an easy access and storage of e-mail messages for users who are not connected to the Internet from their usual location. Dextra Uganda provides customized webmail such as: yourname@yourcompany.com If you need our web hosting services, get in touch with us: E-mail: info@dextrauganda.com support@dextrauganda.com sales@dextrauganda.com Website: http://www.dextrauganda.com Phone: +256 776 742742 +256 702 248686 Page 6 Innovative. Reliable. Efficient