Web Hosting and You - Let's go over a few of the basic principles behind web hosting. A broad understanding of what is behind a web hosting account will help you to get the most out of your web site.

Before You Start -There are a few basics that you should understand before signing up for hosting. The links below will help you to make an educated decision.

What is a Web Host?

A web host is simply a computer, much like the one you are using right now, that is connected to the internet and has it's DNS record (that again?) registered with a DNS server. It is running specific software which allows it to process requests and 'serve' information (oh - that's what they mean by server!) - in this case web pages and email messages.

OK - I've got a domain name and a host. Now what?

You're almost there. Now you have to notify your registrar to 'point' your domain name to your host's nameservers. You can usually do this through the registrar's web site. Your web host will provide you with the information on the primary and secondary nameservers.

Changes to the nameserver information at your registrar will only take a few minutes to take effect. However, for those changes to propagate through the entire Internet's 'authoritative' servers could take several hours. This will give you time to publish your pages.

How do I get my files onto my server?

Most web hosting companies have a 'control panel' which will allow you to upload files through your web browser. However, the old fashioned, tried-and-true method is using what is called the 'File Transfer Protocol' (FTP). FTP is most likely a little faster than using your browser connection. There are many free or inexpensive FTP applications available. We recommend WSFTP from the nice folks at Ipswitch.