MS SQL SERVER 2005 POWERS DATA DRIVEN SITES

Case Study of Two Web Hosting Companies Read the rest of this entry »

1) Where can I find a decent Intranet Application? 2) What about a good Groupware application? 3) What about a custom search engine for our intranet pages? Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve decided to automate your web site. Now what? Here are some ideas to help you choose how to automate your site. Read the rest of this entry »

The process of Web application development is critical to the success of web-based projects. The proper processes can not be enforced unless technical environments are properly setup. Technical environments are required for development, test and production. Read the rest of this entry »

Load balancing is the even distribution of computer processing and communication activities so that a server is not overwhelmed. Load balancing is especially important for networks where it is difficult to predict the number of requests that will be issued to a server.

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Operating a Web presence can become very involved once a company’s hosting requirements progress beyond simply needing a dedicated server. Managed services are therefore geared toward organizations that don’t have the time or capital to invest in server administration.

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Our days computers and Internet have evolved to the point when software tools ( such as standalone programs or web scripts ) can perform automated task on the web, such as navigating from website to website ( spiders ) filling and submitting web forms. Read the rest of this entry »

There are many tools of the trade in the world of Web site development, but very few have as many good uses as your .htaccess file. Read the rest of this entry »

A Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) is a group of hosts that feature a like set of requirements and can communicate as though they were all connected via the same wires. However, unlike a traditional LAN, a VLAN is not necessarily all in the same place, and the hosts involved in the network can be located practically anywhere. All VLANs have the exact same attributes as a traditional physical local area network, though they can be configured via software instead of having to actually relocate the hosts. Read the rest of this entry »

Web hosting is a difficult and confusing business to get yourself into, but sooner or later just about everybody thinks about starting a Web site for themselves. No mater if you are starting up a Web site for your child’s baseball team or for your own corporate business, the things you need to look for to succeed are them same for all. Here are a few things to consider asking any Web hosting company you feel is worthy of having you as a client.

What is the Web hosting support like?

Depending on the force behind the company, your support could be anything from great to horrible. Get a good feeling for how quickly they can get to you by sending them a few pre-sales questions. How in depth are they with the answers they give you? A good support team will give you enough information so that you know what the answer is and give it to you in a way that even the dullest could understand. How quickly did you get answered?

Most Web hosting companies will get you answered within twenty-four hours. If you have to wait longer than that, then it is time to worry.

What services do they promise to provide?

Receiving a boat load of services, promises and gimmicks are not a rare thing in the world of Web hosting. Often you will receive several pre-installed scripts, control panels, and other things that could be helpful to your Web hosting experience. The two things you want to pay the most attention to though would be bandwidth and space. If your Web site does not have enough bandwidth then you might loose your Web site till the limits are reset the next month.

You also need to make sure you have enough space. If you don’t have enough space, then you will not have the option of expanding your Web site or growing it any larger. It is always good to buy a little more than you think you might need in both areas, just to stay on the safe side.

How many customers are they serving per server?

Depending on the Web hosting plan or the Web hosting company the server that your hosted on might be a little more packed than you might think. A responsible Web hosting company will not overstuff the servers they own or collocate.

Most of the time, sharing a server with several different companies is not a bad thing though. However, you do need to ask your Web hosting company about the numbers. If you are shopping around for Web hosting, you need to ask each company about the client per server ratio. Go with the company that fits your other needs, and has the least amount of clients per Web hosting server.

How are the servers systems run?

What type of operating system is your Web hosting company using? Depending if they are using a Linux or Windows based server, you could or could not be able to install some scripts. Not all scripts have versions for both server types. Have a good idea what type of scripts you might need for the server you are on.

What other questions should I ask?

There are obviously more questions you can and you should ask a Web hosting company before you sign on with them. The thing to remember is to not be intimidated, and that if they do not answer your questions, they do not deserve your business.

Mitch Keeler

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