Web Hosting FAQ

What is an ISP?
An ISP (Internet Service Provider) is a company that provides various Internet services, such as a dial up connection to the Internet, e-mail, and possibly web hosting.

What is web hosting?
Web hosting simply means that the files that make up your web site reside on the hosting company's server. That server provides the rest of the world with access to your web site through fast, dedicated Internet connections.

In order to have a website on the Internet, you first need to have a web server. Unfortunately, owning a web server can be very costly and requires technical expertise that most businesses don't have. This is where web hosts come in. Web hosting companies provide the equipment and other technical resources that you need without the headaches that come when you have to do it yourself.

Think of a web host as the landlord of building. A landlord rents out storefronts to various businesses. Each business decorates and runs their store differently, and doesn't worry about the maintenence of the building. In a similar way a web host rents out space on a web server to various businesses. Each business builds their own website and never has to worry about the maintenence of their web server.

In other words, the web host provides the place on the Internet where your website lives. It's a lot cheaper than buying you own server, and you don't have to hire the technical staff to take care of it.

What is domain name hosting?
Domain name hosting means that the domain name you have purchased points to the web site that is being hosted by your IPP, so that your site can be accessed by typing your domain name into a web browser. If you want to set up and use e-mail at your domain name before your web site is up, this requires set up of your web hosting account. At that point, web hosting is in effect (as well as the charges that go along with it) regardless of the status of your web site.

What is a Registrar?
A registrar is the company that your domain name is registered with, such as Network Solutions (previously the only option) or INWW/Melbourne IT, or Tucows.com. They keep a record of the registered owner, the Organizational, Administrative, Technical and Billing contacts for your domain name, as well as a record of what server your domain name/web site is hosted on. Even if your web hosting company or web design company buys your domain name for you, you should make sure that YOUR COMPANY or YOUR NAME is listed as the owner of your domain name, not the web hosting company or the web design company! It's usually easy to change contact information associated with your domain name, but it a hassle to change the registered owner, and usually involved a fee of some kind. You should also make sure that you renew your domain name only with the company that it is already registered with, as many registrars now engage int he practice of sending out "renewal notices" for domain names that are not even registered with their company.

If you want to purchase a domain name, please contact Digital West Networks, Inc. (DWNI).

What is "Catch-all" or "Wildcard" E-mail?
Catch-all E-mail means that e-mail that is sent to anyword@yourdomain.com will go to your mailbox. So even if someone makes a mistake typing your user name, the message will still get to you as long as they get the spelling of the domain name right. Many clients request that catch-all e-mail be disabled if they are receiving too much spam.

What is "Unlimited E-mail Forwarding?"
Unlimited E-mail Forwarding means that for each e-mail address you use, you can choose anything@yourdomain.com, and the e-mail will go to the mailbox of your choice. This allows you to forward e-mail to another e-mail address, or organize your e-mail by the address that it's sent to. For example, sales@yourdomain.com can go to your sales team's mailbox, and techhelp@yourdomain.com can go to your technician's mailbox. Or you can have it all go to the same mailbox if one person handles all the e-mail for your company.

Is there a way to eliminate Spam?
Although there is no sure way to eliminate spam completelty, there are ways to drastically cut down on the amount of spam you receive. If you want more information on spam filtering, please contact Digital West Networks, Inc. (DWNI).

What is "Secure Socket Layer (SSL)?"
Secure Socket Layer, or SSL, is what makes your web site's ordering process secure. Once SSL is enabled, all orders placed on your site are encrypted until they get to you.

What is a secure certificate?
A secure certificate from a certifying authority such as GeoTrust, Thawte, or Verisign, verifies, or authenticates the security of a web site.

If you want to purchase a secure certificate for your web site, please contact your web hosting provider.

Why do I need a secure certificate if I already have SSL enabled?
Enabling SSL encrypts the data from an online transacion, but without a secure certificate installed, your customers will get warning messages saying that there is not a valid certificate for the site, or that the certificate does not match the site name. Once a secure certificate is purchased and installed, a logo for the secure certificate with a link to more information can be added to your web site at your request.

What is a sub-domain?
A sub-domain is a separate doblack that can be created off a virtual domain name. An example would be (http://subdomain.domain.com). Some web hosting companies offer sub-domains that are created using wildcards in their DNS. We offer true Apache sub-domains on all of our plans.

What is Search Engine?
Search engines utilize indexing software agents often called robots or spiders. These agents are programmed to constantly "crawl" the Web in search of new or updated pages. They will essentially go from URL to URL until they have visited every Web site on the Internet. Search engines read a web site's 'meta tags' and content in order to determine their ranking.

What is the difference between search engines and directories?
The main difference between a search engine and a general directory is that a directory will not list your URL if you do not first register it with them. They do not make use of indexing software agents and so have no way of knowing it's out there. As a result, their registration form will be considerably longer than just your URL. Directories are usually subdivided into categories and you have to submit your URL under the most appropriate heading.

What is domain propagation?
When a visitor types your domain name into their Web browser, their request is referred to a nameserver that indicates the physical location (the IP address) of your domain on the Internet. When your site location changes to a new IP address, or when a new domain name is added, nameservers around the world must be notified of the change. This process is referred to as propagation.

Propagation normally requires 24-48 hours. During this period, if you are transferring your domain, some nameservers will refer to the old location of your site and some to the new location. Therefore, a visitor accessing your site may be directed to either the old or new location. It is usually best to keep your previous hosting company until your transfer is verified as having taken place.

What is a parked domain?
Parked domains are not separate accounts, they are merely pointers to an existing web site rental account. Parked domains do not have their own IP address, SEPERATE EMAIL ADDRESSES or their own control panel.