This document provides information about domain names, editing HTML, and accessing the control panel.  It serves as a basic introduction to web hosting and is intended for beginners.  Experienced users may skip this document, except for the section entitled Accessing the Control Panel for the First Time.

Registering a Domain

Domains are a unique way to identify yourself on the Internet.  There are two parts to a domain: the name and the extension.  The name is the description of yourself or your site (for example, the name "dogfood" in dogfood.com).  The extension represents the domain category.  For example, the .com extension means "commercial," .net means "network," and so on.  There are many extensions available today: .biz (business), .info (resource sites), .us (American sites), .ca (Canadian sites), to name a few.  The "www" is automatically inserted by the web server that hosts your site and is not part of the domain name.

You cannot use a domain name until you register it.  In addition, you cannot register a domain name that is owned by someone else.  The registration process is fairly simple:

1. Decide on a domain name and extension.

2. Select a registrar and register your domain name.

3. Find a host for your domain name.

Deciding on a domain name and extension is difficult because most names are already taken, especially with the .com extension.  We highly recommend nameboy.com, a free service that finds not-yet-taken domain names based on one or two words describing your site.

There are many registrars on the Internet.  A simple search engine query for "domain name registration" will return hundreds, if not thousands of results.  Be sure to choose a registrar that supports the extension you want (for example, not all registrars will sell the .cc extension).  Comparison shopping is wise because registration fees can vary greatly between registrars.  Domain names are leased, and the registration fee usually represents the cost for one year of ownership.

Once you have purchased a domain name you will need somewhere to host it.  The domain name is just an address; that is, it points to files on a web server.  Hosting companies provide web servers and this is where your web site is stored.  A search engine query for "web hosting" will return thousands of results.  To help you select a web host, we suggest reading the article entitled Choosing the Right Web Host for Your Site.

Your web hosting company is the best resource if you are still confused about domain names.  Many hosts will assist you in the domain registration process and ensure that everything is configured properly.

Transferring a Domain

Transferring a domain can mean two things: switching the domain name to another registrar, or altering the domain record to make the domain point to a new host.  We are concerned with the second definition.  A domain has to be told which web host to direct visitors to, and this is done by changing the domain’s name server records.

For example, say you purchased a hosting account at indovps.com.  They tell you to put their name servers in your domain record.  These name servers might look like:

nsXX.anyoneserver.com (192.168.0.1)

nsXX.anyoneserver.com (192.168.0.2)

You will then visit your domain registrar’s home page, sign in, and edit your domain record.  Each registrar is different, but there will be fields in your domain record called "name severs," "primary/secondary name servers," etc.  The registrar may or may not ask for the IP address of the name servers (192.168.0.1 and 192.168.0.2 in this example).  It takes 12-48 hours for the change to take effect.

Editing HTML

HTML, or hypertext markup language, is the language that tells web browsers how to display a page.  For example, to <b>bold</b> text in HTML, you would start with the <b> tag and end with </b>.  Anything between these tags will appear bold (visitors will not see the <b></b>).  When someone visits www.yourdomain.com, they are actually accessing the index.html file in your main web site directory.

Editing HTML requires software specifically designed for the task.  Examples include Microsoft FrontPage, HotDog Professional, and Macromedia Dreamweaver.  There is also shareware and freeware HTML editors available from popular download sites such as download.com. 

Even the best HTML editing software can be confusing for beginners.  If you fall into this category, we suggest using an online site builder / HTML generator.  No knowledge of HTML is required — online site builders ask you questions and then form a web site based on that information.  Some site builders allow you to control the look of the site, insert graphics, scripts, etc.  Most site builders are free but the more advanced ones charge an access fee.  Some free site builders include:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/generator/basic.php

http://www.3zweb.com/free/index2.htm

http://www.searchbliss.com/free_web_tools_html.htm

http://www.applelinks.com/tools/webpage.shtml

Accessing the Control Panel for the First Time

There are several ways to access the control panel:

http://www.yourdomain.com:2222  You can access the control panel through any domain or subdomain by putting :2222 after the address.

http://www.yourdomain.com/config  You can access the control panel by adding /config to your domain or subdomain address.

http://192.168.0.1:2222 or http://192.168.0.1/config  You can access the control panel through any IP address allocated to the server.  This is useful when your domain transfer has not yet propagated.

A window (similar to the one pictured on the right) will appear.  Enter your username and password.  Once signed into the control panel you should do two things. 

First, click on the "Message System" link at the top-right of the page. Important messages about your account may come through the message system, so we recommend that you enter your e-mail address at the bottom of the screen and check the checkbox.  If you do this, the control panel will e-mail you when a message comes in.

Second, return to the main menu and click on the "Statistics / Logs" icon.  About halfway down the screen there will be a box to enter your e-mail address.  Confirm that the e-mail address in the box is accurate.  If not, change it and click on the "Save" button.  It is important to have a valid e-mail address in this box because the control panel will e-mail you whenever your account is close to going over its bandwidth limit.

The Ticket Support System

The control panel features a built in message system.  Clicking the "Message System" link at the top of the screen will bring you to the message system menu.  "N messages waiting" will always be displayed next to the link.  Messages may contain important information, so read them as soon as possible.

The message system has two components: a ticket support system and a private message system.  If you needed assistance, you would click the "Create a Ticket" link.  Your hosting company’s support staff would respond to this ticket and you would click on the ticket name to read it.  Private messages are shown in the same table.  Private messages are different because they are not responses to a support ticket.  Private messages can include scheduled downtime alerts, system-wide announcements, and warnings that your account is reaching its limits.  To read a private message, click on its title.

Creating a Ticket

1. Click the "Create a Ticket" link.

2. Select message priority:

Low:  Problem is not causing immediate difficulty.

Medium:  Problem is causing immediate difficulty.

High:  Problem needs to be addressed right away.

3.  Enter a subject that describes the problem in a 

few words.

4.  Explain the problem in full detail.

5.  Click "Save."

The support staff may respond to your ticket and close it.  A ticket will be closed when the problem is resolved; that is, there is no need for the ticket any more.  If you have new messages waiting and don’t see them in in the ticket listing, click on the "View Closed Tickets" link.  If you feel that your problem has not been resolved then you may reply to the closed ticket.

Important note:  Your hosting company may disable your ability to send tickets.  This typically occurs when they have a different support system in place.  If you can’t create a ticket, visit your host’s web site for support information.

Changing Your Password

To change your password, click on the button located at the top-right corner of the screen.  You will be asked to enter your current password and then your new password twice.  Click the "Submit" button to confirm and save.  The control panel will reject your password if it is too short or contains inappropriate characters.

Important note:  This feature only changes the password for your username.  Other e-mail accounts, databases, FTP accounts, etc. will not be affected by the password change.

Signing Out

To sign out of the control panel, click on the button.  You will be taken to a screen confirming that you have signed out successfully.  Click the the link to sign back in.

Important note:  Many browsers keep your control panel session in memory even after you sign out.  If you are not the only one that uses your computer, then be sure to close all running copies of your browser before leaving your workstation.  This will clear the browser’s memory and make it impossible to sign into the control panel without the correct password.

About Managed Web Hosting

You new computer (Desktop or Laptop) is ready. You have obtained high speed internet access and loaded essential software on your computer to help you develop web applications. Your web application could be a simple personal website or a sophisticated e-commerce store front. Now you want your website to be visible to others on the internet. Visibility of a website on the World Wide Web (WWW) is provided via an Internet Hosting Service. The most popular web hosting solution is managed Web Hosting.

Managed Web Hosting Plans are provided by the best web hosting companies today. Managed Web Hosting solutions are the ideal option for most commercial web hosting. Web hosting for small businesses also mostly use the services of Managed Web Hosting companies.

What is Internet Hosting Service?

In simple terms, an internet hosting service allows your website to be accessible on the internet by others. It is a service (made up of several complex computer programs, or software) that runs on a server (a powerful computer) connected to the internet. A website owner copies (usually via a utility called ftp) his website to this web server. This makes his website visible on the internet. The website owner interacts with the web server to configure his website via a control panel.
Types of Web Hosting Solutions

Which is the best web hosting package for you? This depends on your requirements. There are many inexpensive web hosting services. Some web hosting services are not only very cheap but completely free! If you have a few personal web pages that you want to host on a web server then you can use one of these free, cheap or inexpensive web hosting services. However, if your website uses databases, or SSL (most e-commerce websites processing financial transactions use SSL for secure transaction processing) then you need a plan such as a Dedicated Server Web Hosting or Secure Web Hosting plan.
What is Dedicated Server Hosting?

Under the Dedicated Server Hosting plan, the user has full administrative rights on the server without actually owning the server. He is responsible for maintenance and security of the data on the server. However, the company that is the real owner of the server is responsible for protecting the physical server from disasters such as theft, fire, floods and so on. It also provides all the software required to manage the server. Some high powered users also use Virtual Dedicated Server plan.
What is Virtual Dedicated Server Hosting?

A single web server is divided into several virtual servers. To each user of a Virtual Dedicated Server it appears that he is using a single server for himself although in reality many users are sharing a common server.

Some large enterprises require 100% availability of their websites. They also want their customers to have high speed access. Moreover they want a scalable solution, which means that if their websites expand in terms of additional webpages, or increased number of customers, the performance of their websites should not suffer. Such companies make use of clustered web hosting (multiple servers hosting the same website), Grid hosting, Server farms and so on.

Some other popular usage of web hosting is :

Reseller Web Hosting : Here the person who buys web hosting can sell the same hosting to other people.
Home Servers : Here a home user, typically with broadband access uses an ordinary computer to host his personal websites.

Many ISPs (Internet Service Providers) also provide web hosting services. So if you have an internet connection you can ask your ISP for a web hosting solution.

To conclude, it can be said that Shared Web Hosting or Managed Web Hosting is the most popular web hosting option today. In shared web hosting websites belonging to several different people are placed and run from one common server.