FAQ's
What is Web Hosting?
Answer: Web hosting is the act of renting space and bandwidth through a company so that you may publish your web site online.You can either opt for free hosting that is usually supported with banners and pop ups, or may opt to get paid web hosting, which gives you complete control over your site contents.
What is Virtual Hosting?
Answer: Also known as shared hosting, this form of web hosting should suffice for most everyone.
Virtual hosting simple refers to the fact that your site is on one server, and that this server hosts mulitple sites. You are virtually shared - your site will not be the only one on this specific server.Very few sites would actually need the power of a dedicated server, so this option provides to be a reliable and cheap solution.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is a unique tag that identifies you to other computers connected to the Internet. Every domain name represents a set of numbers called an IP address. For example, turbovps.com IP address is 1.1.1.1 So, you could type that number into your web browser’s address bar, or simply type turbovps.com. Either entry will take you to our website.
How Do I Register a Domain Name?
Answer: Registering a domain name is very easy.
First you will have to make sure that the domain you want is available - using something called a WHOIS lookup at datmansystem.com or Whois Source you can make sure the domain you want is available for registration.
My host offers unlimited bandwidth/space/transfer
Answer:It is not possible for a web host to offer 'unlimited' bandwidth or diskspace. Such hosting plans always come with clauses that restrict how much bandwidth you can transfer at a given moment, how much CPU usage you can use (which is arbitrarily decided), and so forth.
What exactly is space and bandwidth/data transfer?
Answer: Diskspace is the size your website can be. Every single letter on your website has to be stored somewhere on your web host's server. Each letter is one byte, and a megabyte is roughly one million bytes. HTML pages are usually very small, but it is the extra images, scripts, and even databases that can take up large amounts of disk space.
Bandwidth/Transfer is the amount of data the server will allow your site to send in a month. Transfer is usually measured in gigabytes - billions of bytes. Once you go over your monthly limit, a host may either shut your site down for the remainder of the month or it can charge you 'overage.' This overcharge is usually about $1.00-$5.00 per extra gigabyte of transfer.
What do I need to do to put Flash on my website?
Answer: Flash is a client side feature - it runs on the user's computer, not on your web host. As long as the user's browser has the correct plugin installed, it will run on their computer.
How do I track how many hits my website gets?
Answer: There are a few things that need to be cleared in terms of terminology:
Hits - this simply refers to the number of 'elements' loaded on your site. If one page has five images in it, viewing that page once adds 6 hits (one page + five images).Impressions - the number of times all the pages on your site are seen (also simply called pageviews). Impressions are sometimes referred to as 'hits' which can cause confusionUniques - the number of people that visited your site
So to clarify, if I visit your website, look at two pages, and each page has 5 images on it, then your stats increase by one unique, two page views, and 12 hits.
Tracking on your site can be either done server-side or remotely. With server-side statistics, log files are used to generate visitor information. This is usually much more accurate than remotely hosted solutions. In such cases, you usually have to add some javascript to your site. This javascript is then used to track visitor data.If your host provides it (and many do), server-side statistics are a good solution. Otherwise, companies like Site Meter can be used to remotely track your visitors.
What are PHP, ASP, perl, etc?
Answer: These are all programming languages which are referred to by their acronyms.
PHP - PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor
ASP - Active Server Pages
Perl - not an acronym
Each programming language has its own benefits and uses. It is best that you research on your own to find one that best fits your needs.
What is MySQL, MS SQL, etc?
Answer: MySQL and MS SQL are database systems. Depending on what your host provides, you can use a database to organize your data.
To help you out, we have lists on hosts that provide MySQL and hosts that provide MS SQL.
Do I have to change my domain if I get a new host?
Answer: No. Provided that the domain is registered in your name (as it should be), you can simply update your namservers (from where you manage your domain names) to that of your new host.
Will there be forced advertising on my site - things like banner ads or popup ads?
Answer: Not at all. You are paying for webspace that is only yours - no one may put ads on your site except you.
What is Domain Parking?
Answer: Domain parking lets you buy a domain and then have a 'coming soon' page on it. This is not needed if a domain is not parked it will simply be inaccessible to anyone.
Most domain registrars provide this by default.
How can I pay for web hosting?
Answer: This depends on which host you decide to go with. Most web hosts will accept credit cards, and some will accept PayPal and/or a Money Order / Check.
What are subdomains?
Answer: Consider subdomains as an extension of your domain. For example, your site is www.example.com. A subdomain would be test.example.com, and another would be webhosting.example.com.
Subdomains are usually treated as separate sites from the main domain site.
How do I upload my site online?
Answer: Uploading your site can be done in many ways, but the most popular is FTP.
When your hosting account was created, you should have been provided with an FTP account. Using software such as CuteFTP or WS_FTP, you can log into your host. Then, using the program like a normal windows program, you can drag and drop files onto your web host. These files become live online instantaneously.There are other ways to upload your site such as using SSH or uploading files through your browser
What is uptime?
Answer: Uptime is literally what it means - it is the amount of time your site is online throughout the entire month.The best uptime would be 100%, but because things can break, many hosts offer 99.9% uptime guarantees. This means that if your site is not accessible for more than 43 minutes in a single month, they will reimburse you, depending on their terms of service
What is the difference between UNIX hosting and Windows hosting?
Answer: Depending on which operating system to go with depends on your needs.
If you need to support Microsoft products such as ASP, MS Access, or VBScript, then Windows hosting would be better. Furthermore, if you are comfortable with IIS and do not have the time to understand how UNIX works, Windows hosting would again be a better choice.
There are some things to remember.
First of all, just because you use Windows at home does not mean you should use Windows hosting. The two are completely different, and having a Windows system at home will not affect your ability to communicate with a UNIX server.
Secondly, Linux is much more common with web hosts due to its superior stability and because it is free. Since it is free, Linux hosting is usually cheaper than Windows. Just because it’s free does not mean it’s not as good - Linux is an excellent product too.
I have a fast internet connection (DSL/cable) - can I just host my own site?
Answer: You could, but that’s definitely not recommended.
First of all, most ISPs have clauses that do not let you use your internet connection for web hosting - doing so will result in termination of your account.
Second of all, think of the headaches it can provide: making sure your system is secure so that no one can hack into it, having your computer on 24/7, and other such problems.
Third of all, think of the performance. Most good web hosts use powerful servers with lots of RAM and high performance hard disks. Furthermore, they have multiple internet connections at speeds far higher than what residential DSL or cable service can provide.
Lastly there are all the issues of support. If something goes wrong, it will be your job to fix it - you will not have a professional to correct the problem.
Why would I need a dedicated IP?
Answer:For most people, a dedicated IP is not required. But for people that want to provide anonymous FTP or a website using SSL, a dedicated IP can make that easier.
Why don't I just go with the cheapest hosting?
Answer: A host has to make a profit to continue operating. Some hosts do not properly understand the market, and may be pricing themselves too cheap.
I am using too much bandwidth! Is there anyway for me to make it less?
Answer: In most cases, yes.
You should first try to optimize the graphics on your website. Many GIFs look just as good with fewer colors, and many JPEGs look just as good with a higher compression level. NetMechanic offers an image optimizer program online.
You should also analyze the HTML of your site. Make sure you use relative paths, so that images are not downloaded more than one time. Remove any extra spacing and when linking to other pages, use relative paths and not absolute links.While many hosts already have it, you could also see if your host has mod_gzip installed. This can save you a lot of bandwidth. Best of all, optimizing your page like this makes the user experience better as your site will load faster for them!
What are POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts?
POP3 (Post Office Protocol) and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) are methods used by your computer to access e-mail messages from a remote server. datamansytem e-mail accounts are compatible with POP3, smtp and IMAP.
E-mail stored on an IMAP server can be manipulated using an e-mail client (such as Microsoft Outlook) from different computers without the need to transfer messages or files back and forth between the computers. This is possible because the messages are stored on the server, unlike POP3, where messages must be downloaded to a local system.
A strong advantage of IMAP is that it allows users to set up IMAP folders on the server. Incoming mail can then be organized into the correct folder. This is especially helpful if the IMAP e-mail account is shared by more than one user. E-mail accounts included with the free Professional Preview Package are compatible with POP3 only.
Please note: it is not possible to set up automatic filter rules on the server. This means the sorting of the e-mail still has to be done manually using your client e-mail program.
What is WebMail?
WebMail lets you access your e-mail wherever and whenever you choose. There is no additional software to install.
What is e-mail forwarding / aliases?
With e-mail forwarding, you can easily divert all e-mails received under your domain addresses to any other external e-mail address.
For example, if you set up the e-mail address -email-, you can set e-mail forwarding to -email- . E-mails sent to -email- will automatically be redirected to your Yahoo account.
What is an auto-responder?
An auto-responder is a feature that allows you to automatically generate customized responses whenever a specific e-mail address receives a message. If you are on vacation, unavailable, or just want to let your customers know that you have received their e-mail, you can set up an auto-responder for this purpose. You can set up an individual responder for each e-mail address with an appropriate message of up to 1000 characters
What is a catch-all account?
With catch-all function, incoming e-mails with misspelled or incorrect names will go to a special account rather than being returned as undeliverable. E-mails to you will always be delivered, even if they have the wrong address! A catch-all account will look something like this:*@turbovps.com
What is MySQL Database?
MySQL is an open-source RDBMS (Relational Database Management System) that relies on SQL for processing the data in the database. MySQL provides APIs for the languages C, C++, Eiffel, Java, Perl, PHP and Python. Commonly used for web and embedded applications, MySQL has become a popular alternative to proprietary database systems because of its speed and reliability. MySQL is available with all hosting packages, as well as all Root Servers.
What is PHP?
Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) is a server-side, HTML embedded scripting language used to create dynamic web pages. In an HTML document, PHP script is enclosed within special PHP tags, which allow the author to jump between HTML and PHP instead of having to rely on heavyamounts of code to output HTML. PHP is executed on the server. PHP's strength lies in its compatibility with many types of databases. PHP can talk acrossnetworks using IMAP, SNMP, NNTP, POP3, or HTTP.PHP is available with hosting packages, as well asall Root and Managed Servers.
What is Perl?
Practical Extraction and Report Language (Perl) is a programming language designed for processing text, making it one of the most popular languages for writing CGI scripts. Perl is an interpretive language, which makes it easy to build and test simple programs. The path to Perl is #! /usr/bin/perl
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is a programming language developed by Netscape that writes commands to your browser when an HTML page is loaded.
JavaScript is embedded as a small program in a web page that is interpreted and executed by the web browser. JavaScript functions can be called from within a web document, often executed by mouse functions, buttons, or other actions from the user. JavaScript can be used to fully control Netscape and Microsoft web browsers, including all the familiar browser attributes.
What is phpMyAdmin?
phpMyAdmin is a tool written in PHP intended to handle the administration of MySQL over the web. It can create/drop/alter tables, delete/edit/add fields, execute any SQL statement, manage keys on fields, manage privileges, export data into various formats and is available in 47 languages.
What is a subdomain?
Subdomains allow you to divide your website content into multiple sections using a prefix to your existing domain name. Each subdomain is created under the primary domain account and functions as a fully operating site. It's the perfect way to guide frequent visitors directly to their destination.
For example, turbovps.com has various subdomains to separate different parts of the website, such as domains.turbovps.com and billing.turbovps.com
What is SSH (Secure Shell Access)?
SSH (Secure Shell) is a program used to log into another system over a network, to execute commands in a remote machine, and to move files from one machine to another. It provides strong authentication and secure communications services over unsecure channels. It is intended as a replacement for rlogin, rsh, telnet and rcp.
What is PuTTY?
PuTTY is a client program for the SSH, Telnet and Rlogin network protocols used to run a remote session over a network. PuTTY implements the client end of that session.For example, you could run PuTTY on a Windows machine and tell it to connect to a Linux machine. PuTTY opens a window. Anything typed into that window is sent straight to the Linux machine, and everything the Linux machine sends back is displayed in the window. So you can work on the Linux machine as if you were sitting at its console, while actually sitting somewhere else.
You can download PuTTY from your Control Panel by clicking Administration >Downloads.
What is DNS?
DNS (Domain Name Server) is used to map domain names to IP addresses and vice versa. Domain Name Servers maintain central lists of domain name/IP addresses and map the domain names in your Internet requests (Internet Explorer Address bar) to other servers on the Internet until the specified website is found
What is 1&1 WebStatistics?
1&1 WebStatistics provide a detailed analysis of your website, so you can answer questions like these:
How many users come to the homepage?
How often are the pages called up?
How many pages does the individual user view?
Which pages do the users go to and when?
Which pages are seen most often?
What link or information brought guests to your homepage?
What browser version is the visitor using?
What operating system is the visitor using?
Which countries are the users from?
Which pages did not load successfully or are missing?
1&1 WebStatistics is included with select Shared Hosting packages as well as Managed Servers.
What is traffic/ bandwidth/ data transfer?
Traffic, bandwidth, and data transfer refer to the amount of information transmitted to and from your website by you and your visitors. The following are the factors for your traffic usage:
1. The amount of traffic you receive (hits to your website)
2. The size of your site
3. The types of files offered on your site
If your website is 1 MB including pages and images, and 100 people visited your website and viewed all the pages, the traffic generated would be approximately 100 MB.
What is FTP access?
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used to transfer data reliably and efficiently from one computer to another. You can use FTP to upload or move files from your computer to the server that hosts your turbovps.com web space.
There are many tools available for FTP, including WS-FTP, WISE-FTP, CUTE-FTP, Fetch and
Internet Explorer.
WISE-FTP can be downloaded from your 1&1 account for free. Just log in to your Control Panel and click Administration > Downloads. Please read the Clickwrap Agreement and then accept the agreement to gain access to the download area. The software available for download will be displayed.
FTP access is included with all shared hosting plans, Managed Servers and the Developer eShop.
What does "Transfer of Registrar" mean?
A registrar is the company or organization that registers your unique domain name and keeps a record of it in their files. You can transfer your domain to make turbovps.com your registrar.
What are CGIs?
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) is used by computers to define how web pages are displayed. CGI tools or "scripts" are very useful for adding advanced features to your website. With turbovps.com ready-to-run CGIs, you can create and easily integrate interactive forms into your own webpage such as a guestbook, counter and visitor forums. The forms reside on a different server.
The CGI library is included with all Linux Shared Hosting packages and Managed Servers
What is "Perl Syntax Checker"?
You can verify the syntax of Perl scripts using our online "Perl Syntax Checker". It's a quick way to check for any errors.
What is "CGI Output Monitor"?
If you get an "Error 500" while running CGI scripts, you can check for specific errors by using the CGI Output Monitor.
What is SSI (Server Side Include)?
Server-Side Include is a type of HTML comment that directs the web server to dynamically generate data for the web page whenever it is requested.
Server Side Includes applied to an HTML document provide interactive real-time features such as echoing current time, conditional execution based on logical comparisons, querying or updating a database, sending an e-mail, etc., with no programming or CGI scripts.
An SSI consists of a special sequence of characters (tokens) on an HTML page. As the page is sent from the HTTP server to the requesting client, the page is scanned by the server for these special tokens. When a token is found, the server interprets the data in the token and performs an action based on the token data.
What is a cron job?
A cron job is an automated process that operates at predefined time intervals. Cron jobs are useful for setting up tasks that your computer automatically performs at specific times, such as backing up your website every night, updating databases once a week, or sending automated e-mails at specified times.Cron jobs are included with the Linux Business and Developer Shared Hosting packages as well as Managed Servers.
What is SSL (Secure Socket Layer)?
A Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is the first line of defense against online intruders. It is a protocol that transmits your communications over the Internet in an encrypted form. An SSL Certificate ensures that the information sent is unchanged and sends it only to the intended server. E-Commerce sites frequently use SSL technology to safeguard credit card information.
What is a Managed Server?
Managed Servers are the ideal option for busy professionals who want the ease of shared hosting but need the power and space of a dedicated server.
What is a Root Server?
A Root Server is a computer with the following features:
1. You are its only user. You don't have to share it with any other customers.
2. You can log on to the server as "root" (administrator), giving you all the access rights to the computer.
3. The server can only be accessed and administered by a network connection. It is not possible to work directly from a PC using a keyboard and monitor.
What is url masking?
This means that www.yourdomain.com
is still displayed in the web browser address bar even if your site is hosted at another location. This is particularly important when redirecting external domain names to our servers.
What is an A record?
An A Record is part of the zone file. It is used to divert the traffic to an IP address.
For example, if you want turbovps.com to go to IP address 10.0.0.1 you can set an A record for turbovps.com to point to 10.0.0.1
A Records are mostly used for setting up Mail Exchangers
What is a CNAME?
CNAME stands for "canonical name". A CNAME record maps an address to its canonical name. When a nameserver looks up a name and finds a CNAME record, it replaces the name with the canonical name and looks up the new name. These should only be used when absolutely necessary. You have to be very knowledgable in DNS management to be able to set up CNAME records.
One of the times where CNAME records can be useful is when you want a subdomain to point to a mailserver outside of your domain. For example, if you want "mail.example.com" to go to your registrar's mail server, instead of entering the IP address, you could put in "mail.example.com CNAME webmail.domainname.com", so that if the IP address of the mail server is changed, you won't have to make any updates.
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