Web Hosting Rating

Understanding the Domain Game

Domain names serve many benefits to the internet business.   Some use them simply to do away with the unprofessional email domain supplied by their ISP.  Others do so to add more credibility to their website, giving the impression that they are their own brand and independent entity.  There are exceptions, such as when a company wants to present a form of affiliation by showing that they are a part of an existing site, whether its connecting them with a specific organization or region.  Even in this instance, autonomy is more assured when having a domain of your own rather than using a page on a third-party site.

Domain names are classified by extensions.  The most sought after domain extension by commercial organizations is .com with .net being the most popular alternative.  Other endings such as .biz and .edu are generally unfamiliar to web surfers, mainly because they tend to be harder to remember.  Even the webmaster building their site for personal reasons goes after the .com extension as it is usually the way most people refer to a website.  The part of the domain that proceeds the extension is typically based on the company’s name or niche.  There are exceptions such as if the name has already been registered, a factor that is becoming more likely these days.

Registering the Name

After finding a domain that is just right for your site, registering the name is pretty easy.  The actual registration process can be done online with the aid of an ICANN accredited registrar, a web hosting company or even your ISP.  The price on domain names has dropped significantly over the years, costing $5 or less with some services.  In most cases, the more you buy, the cheaper they become.  Many domain registrars will entice you with different variations of your name such as .net, .biz, etc.  After the initial purchase, domain names generally have to be renewed every one to two years.

As mentioned before, if you have come up with something clever, there is a possibility that the domain has already been registered.  You can save yourself the trouble and frustration by doing research on the name in question.  WHOIS is one service that allows you to check the ownership of a particular domain.  Keep in mind that this service and others are usually 48 hours behind the actual registration, which is typically how long it will take for your domain to become active.

Once the domain has been registered, you then have the option of leaving the name parked for use later down the road, or pointing it at the server on which your website resides.  This can be achieved by changing the DNS (Domain Name System) settings so that the domain points to your web host.  Almost all domain registrars provide a free user interface to make adjustments to these settings.

If you are looking for a domain, there are numerous services to choose from.  GoDaddy is the most well known service but names are also provided by a number of web hosting companies and resellers as well.

DNS – The Engine Powering the Internet

DNS (Domain Name System) servers play a tremendous role in modern technology, invisible elements that form one of the largest databases on the internet.  Each machine on the internet is given its own address, more commonly known as an IP address.  An IP address is a 32-bit number expressed in 4 octets, generally appearing something like this: “123.456.789.0.”

When you want to access a particular site, the domain name enables you to enter the URL opposed to the IP address.  The DNS makes this all possible by gathering mappings of the IP address and the name that corresponds to it.

Relating Names and Numbers

DNS servers convert the identity of a machine into an IP address and vice versa. The mapping process from the IP address to machine address is referred to as reverse mapping.  When typing something such as http://mycomputer.com into your browser bar, the browser first refers to the IP address associated with that domain.  The machine utilizes a directory service to find the IP address, a service provided by DNS.  The DNS server may then make contact with other servers on the internet, http://mycomputer.colmthe reason why DNS is known as a global network of servers.  The biggest advantage of DNS is that no one organization is responsible for maintaining it.  This state is referred to as a distributed database.

DNS Structure

While it might seem rather complex, a DNS server is simply a computer equipped with DNS software.  The most widely used DNS program is BIND (Berkeley Internet Name Domain).  DNS is essentially formed in a hierarchical system.  Located at the top is the root of the system while various immediate domain nodes are underneath.  These are extensions many of us are familiar with: .com, .biz., .org, .net, .gov, .mil., .edu, etc.

DNS is made up of two components: a nameserver and a resolver.  As implied, the nameserver is responsible for looking up the domain names.  There is typically one nameserver per cluster of servers.  If the nameserver doesn’t contain or cannot locate the requested data, it might rely on another nameserver.  However, every server is not required to have a means of contacting every other server.  It simply must know how to make contact with the root nameserver, thus allowing it to know the exact location of all legitimate servers for second-level domains.

Equipped with a list of nameservers, the resolver performs on the client side and initiates the DNS search.  It usually contains three different types including a primary nameserver, a secondary nameserver and the caching nameserver.  The secondary nameserver is merely configured for backup purposes.  The caching nameserver resolves name queries but doesn’t maintain any files from the DNS database.  Keep in mind that any changes made to the primary nameserver must also be transferred to the secondary nameserver, a process that occurs by way of the “zone transfer”.  This is the case because the primary nameserver has ownership of the database records.

Conclusion

There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes with your domain.  While learning all the technical aspects isn’t necessarily a must for end-users, this system is literally what makes the internet go-round.

Essential Steps For Changing Web Hosts

On the outside looking in, moving your website to a new server probably seems like no big deal. All you have to do is make backups of your content and transfer it to a new host, right?

Unfortunately, moving your website requires much more than that and can be rather frustrating if things are not carefully planned. In this article we will go over a few steps that need to be taken in order to make this transition as smooth as possible.

Step 1 – Copy your Files

This is actually the easiest step of moving to a new web host. Although your content is securely stored on a web server, it also critical that you backup this content in other locations as well. This could be your hard drive or an optical storage medium. One technology that makes this process much easier is FTP which allows you to download files to your hard drive and make copies as well. This can also be done with the File Manger feature that is offered by many web hosting companies. Backing up your website is something that should be done whether you plan to move your website or not. Although many hosts perform routine backups on their server, it is always best to plan for the worst to assure that your content can be quickly restored.

Step 2 – Check your Internal Links

Checking your internal links is important as you want to assure that they are not still programmed to the old URL. This is made easier by formulating links in manner that simplifies the relocation process. Your links can always be hard-coded later after getting things set up on the new server. If you choose to keep the same domain name, internal links should not be a problem as the URL will not change.

Step 3 – Update Your DNS Records

If you own a domain name and are moving it with your website to a new server, be sure to update the DNS records within the company you registered with. This should be done only when you are completely satisfied with the service of your new provider. If you purchased a new domain, be sure to point the name to the new web host. Pointing the domain to your old one will cause problems and slow done the propagation process.

Step 4 – To Redirect or Not To Redirect

After settling in with your new host, it may be a good idea to keep your old site active for a few days. Some suggest canceling the old account after becoming comfortable with the new service while others are against it. Although some visitors may be able to follow the redirection link to your new provider, others may not. Some people have ISPs who are much slower at updating their name servers. This may result in visitors clicking on the redirection link to your new page, only to be redirected back to the old one, all because the domain is still pointed there according to their ISP. To avoid the loss of potential clients, it is a good idea to deal with inconvenience of maintaining two websites for a a minimum of three days.

Conclusion

Changing web host can be a challenge, but following these tips will help to simplify things for you. While adapting to change always takes a bit of time, you can at least avoid some of the common problems faced by so many people who rush into moving their websites.