http://www.whyamirich.com/ Articles at Free Website Content from Whyamirich.com en-us http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/home-servers-and-you.html http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/home-servers-and-you.html Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:44:41 -0600
Whether you require file storage management, a web site host, or the ability to handle email for an internal network, servers can provide many different solutions. They can prove very versatile and utile where needed.

In web hosting, servers can generally be found in three different offerings: shared, virtual, and dedicated. What does that mean? A shared webhosting server basically splits and shares all the systems resources between each website, including the fact that they all share the same IP address. Furthermore, virtual servers create separate "virtual" entities on the system that act as their own individual servers. Dedicated servers, on the other hand, use the entire server box for whatever purpose; they have access to all the system's resources.

Average users, students and professionals in particular, will discover many benefits from setting up their servers. You can learn quite a bit about the internet, web hosting, and computers in general by setting up your own personal server. The process can take technical troubleshooting and patience to get things working right, but ultimately you control everything. You configure things the way you want.

Any computer can essentially be setup as a server, but not all systems are designed specifically for that purpose. Your average computer will support the needed software, however if you want a system that will run all the time some things should be taken into consideration: sufficient cooling, storage location, power requirements, sufficient memory and resources, and processing power, among other things.

In order to setup a web server you will also need the right server software. You can find a wide range of free, open-sourced server software available online, and commercial solutions are also available. There are a huge number of server solutions but home users may want to consider the following: Ubuntu Server Edition, FreeBSD, Red Hat Linux, FreeNas, Debian, and Windows Home Server. All but Windows Server can be found for free.

Configuring a home computer as a web server is one thing but setting it up as a file server as well? With so many people requiring more and more memory, hard drive space, it only makes sense to setup a file storage solution within your own home.

Why setup your own home server? Everyone has their own reasons. You may just have an old computer lying around that could be put to better use. Also, with online web hosting so readily available for cheap, sometimes it may not be worth all the money and effort to setup your own server. A virtual or personal dedicated server may make sense for small businesses and some people who need more control over everything. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/what-s-the-big-difference-between-windows-hosting-and-linux-hosting.html http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/what-s-the-big-difference-between-windows-hosting-and-linux-hosting.html Sat, 22 Aug 2009 03:35:01 -0600
Linux hosting has, for some time now, been the most popular choice for hosting websites. It is traditionally viewed as the most stable, reliable and efficient operating system for servers, though Windows hosting has begun to make a lot of progress in this area. Both systems have specific advantages and drawbacks that should help determine which server OS you eventually choose.

The most obvious benefit of Linux hosting is the price. Because it is an open source operating system, it is free to the public which makes it the more affordable option. Many of the most popular applications used in web development are also open source, such as PHP, MySQL, and Python, and these programs run especially well on a Linux machine.

Windows hosting, on the other hand, costs more because of its proprietary nature, but it allows you to host any kind of application on the same server. You could use an ASP.Net application backed up by an MS-SQL database behind it, and simultaneously host a PHP blog with a MySQL database to power it on the same server.

Linux development is an ongoing process by a huge community of users. Some people have been hesitant in the past to use an open source operating system because of a perceived lack of support, but now, thanks to the growing community of Linux developers, a user can quickly and easily find the help and support they need, or an application for almost any situation.

Because Windows hosting has been less popular in the past, it started with a smaller user base, but today it is continually growing in popularity. Even though Windows web hosting is more expensive, more users are starting to migrate over the a Windows server due to the ability to integrate easily with other Microsoft products.

In the end, that is the largest difference between the operating systems: what they are going to be used for. If you are planning a traditional website (graphics, text, ecommerce functions, etc) then you are probably okay using a Linux hosting platform. If, on the other hand, you are using a few more complex, interactive features, then Windows just might be the way to go.

Linux development is an ongoing process by a huge community of users. Some people have been hesitant in the past to use an open source operating system because of a perceived lack of support, but now, thanks to the growing community of Linux developers, a user can quickly and easily find the help and support they need, or an application for almost any situation. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/launching-an-online-business-is-easy-with-these-5-insider-tips.html http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/launching-an-online-business-is-easy-with-these-5-insider-tips.html Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:24:11 -0600
1: Start thinking of yourself as an entrepreneur rather than an employee. Everyone has to start somewhere, and some simple planning will go a long way. Employees are task oriented, entrepreneurs focus on results. It is important that you have a complete knowledge of your revenue source, target market, break-even duration and other strategic details before you begin.

2. Innovate. The internet has more than enough companies selling computer hardware, for example, and in fields where there is heavy competition, sellers are forced to cut their margins razor-thin and rely on volume sales to make a profit. Try to find a niche that is open, enter it, and become the internet's leading authority in it.

3: By education, I don't mean you need to go to school before you start up (even though this would be helpful). I mean you should do your research. Do it thoroughly! Don't just glance around at a few tip articles like this and decide you are ready to go. You should know very well what you are getting into and what it takes. This will keep your head above water should something unexpected arise. If you learn everything you need to know, you wont be taken off-guard.

4: You should know what product or service you want to sell before starting. The best thing to do is figure out what you would think would go over well for the demographics in your area. Then expand from there. If it will work well demographically for you, then will it work well in larger areas? Is this product something that people will want or need? If so, will they want or need more than one? Will they need to buy the product several times from you? Write all these things down, and make an educated decision.

5: If you have any doubt in your mind about starting this at all after doing your research, then don't proceed. You will end up losing money and determination. It could alter your self-confidence in the event of failure, resulting in a loss of interest in business. In no way do you want that to happen.

With the right strategy and the right tools, taking your business online can increase profits and change the face of your business drastically. It is crucial that planning and forethought be behind ever decision you make regarding your online business and every decision should be backed by solid forethought. Creating your e-business has never been easier and more accessible. Dont let advances in technology render your business obsolete. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/managed-dedicated-hosting-for-your-business.html http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/managed-dedicated-hosting-for-your-business.html Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:30:43 -0600
You will need some technical experience with web servers or you may struggle to perform your own server management and admin tasks. If your company doesn't possess the in house technical experience, you could consider hiring a system administrator to carry out these tasks if you feel your your company requires a dedicated server. There are many freelancing sites such as elance where you could advertise for additional help and many business allow you to outsource your server administration work.

With Managed dedicated hosting the hosting provider gives very basic technical support and basic system help. They will have technicians on site on a 24 hour basis in order to carry out a reboot of your server if neccessary. Increasing numbers of dedicated server providers give access to a "reboot switch" or offline management. In most instance you still have complete technical control thee server, and additionally you will also have access to optional managed services such as an upgrading service, security hardening, firewalls, and online backup services

Dedicated hosting providers usually offer a choice of operating systems which are usually Windows 2003 and Linux (Centos, Ubuntu, Fedora etc). This will be installed by the web host when the server is first commissioned. To assist in the management of the server the managed hosting provider will often install a control panel. The most popular control panels are Cpanel (Web Host Manager) Plesk, Helm and H-Sphere. This makes managing your server and carrying out routine tasks much easier and is a time saver. If this is a Linux server this will often require command line expertise. A server without a control panel or graphical interface is sometimes known as a "root server."

There are a wide variety of dedicated server providers. Whether you decide to rent an unmanaged or a managed server, carry out thorough research before coming to a decision. Online review sites and forums are helpful to research the various hosting companies and find out what each offers, as are customer testimonials. If they claim 24/7/365 support, make sure they can actually provide it. As with most things in life, always go for quality of service rather than price, because with dedicated server hosting, you usually get what you pay for! ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/lunarpages-review.html http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/lunarpages-review.html Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:54:10 -0600 lunarpages review business. If you have been on the internet for any length of time and know anything about the web hosting business, then chances are that you have come across a number of different websites purporting to be able to give out reviews of the different web hosting programs currently available over the internet. Lunarpages is quite large, review thousands of different web hosting reviews. You will find that these websites have a support staff, real customer service and update their links and reviews on a nearly constant basis. To them, image is everything and they make sure that they have everything in place to be able to ensure that their image remains untarnished.

Nowhere is this more pertinent than in the lunarpages review business. If you have been on the internet for any length of time and know anything about the web hosting business, then chances are that you have come across a number of different websites purporting to be able to give out reviews of the different web hosting programs currently available over the internet. Lunarpages is quite large, review thousands of different web hosting reviews. You will find that these websites have a support staff, real customer service and update their links and reviews on a nearly constant basis. To them, image is everything and they make sure that they have everything in place to be able to ensure that their image remains untarnished.

If the website is there solely to make money, the question then becomes what happens to the quality of the review? In a lot of cases, what you will find is that not a whole lot happens to it. This is because a lot of the industry leading websites have gotten to the point where they really understand that web hosting reviews need to be impartial to really get more customers and therefore they do not purposely try to make their reviews positive. There are some companies that do however and the easiest way to figure out which is which is by simply taking a look at a lot of their reviews. If you see positive review after positive review, then you know you lunarpages what that particular website says with a grain of salt. The reviews might still be useful, but they require cross-referencing with other sources of information.

At the other end of the spectrum is the smaller website. This website will not have a customer support staff, or really any staff of any kind. More often than not, you will find that the smallest websites that do web hosting reviews on all of the top web hosting websites will only be controlled by one person. All of the articles detailing what the best lunarpages review options are might actually be review and written by others, but it will be a freelance contract at best. And of course in between the largest and smallest websites exist a gamut of other options. Now, within all of these different websites, you are going to find things like advertisements and affiliate links. While Lunarpages is certainly quite acceptable on websites and there is nothing wrong with advertising, realize that this is the main reason that a lot of these websites exist. In other words, the vast majority of websites, especially the ones that seem to be very generic in their design, are going to be there solely in order to make money. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/the-truth-about-budget-dedicated-servers.html http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/the-truth-about-budget-dedicated-servers.html Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:56:40 -0600
Shared servers still have their advantages because they are generally inexpensive and many of them will provide templates so you can build your own site. Doubtless when you first started out on your web internet business, you probably chose the most cheap and simple to use common server that you could discover to host your website and you may even have allowed them to put adverts on your web site.

Yet, not all shared web sites have compulsory ads and some of them even permit you to put your own advertisements. It is possible that if you incorporated ads into your site, such as with Adsense, might even have realized extra income from them, as well as marketing your products.

Of course one of the downsides of a shared server, however, is that you are limited in relation to storage space and the amount of information that can be transferred as generally they can only address a particular amount of traffic at a given time. If you are sharing the server with a whole host of other businesses, getting substantial visitors to their web sites, your clients may be having a difficult time gaining access to your website.

In fact you might actually be missing customers without even knowing it, simply because you have been provided with the wrong type of server. Nevertheless a dedicated server can cost quite a bit more money per month, but, and it's a big but, you have control over it and you will no longer have be concerned about sharing it with other websites so your clients will be able to access your site with ease.

Years ago, individuals were often forced to have party lines on phones and sometimes up to 4 households would share the same telephone line. Only one household could be using the telephone at any one time and each household had it's own certain identifiable ring when the phone call was for them. Unfortunately was little in the way of privacy as almost anyone could listen into a private conversation, and then of course it was frustrating if you wished to make a call and somebody else was on the party line. Shared servers are very similar to those party phone lines of many years ago.

In the same way we do not desire to share our phone line with others, if we have a large online business and substantial visitors, we do not wish our clients being turned away because somebody else is using our space. Fortunately a dedicated server does not need necessarily have to cost a large sum, and should discover a budget dedicated server in a variety of locations on the web. You can locate one that will offer no start up fees for as low as one hundred dollars per month. The main difference in web hosting fees is they cost you more, but may save you money in the long run by providing increased traffic to your web site. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/the-best-web-hosting-prices.html http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/the-best-web-hosting-prices.html Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:15:07 -0700 web hosting package and information that you can use to determine whether or not the price you are getting is a fair price to begin with.

There are way too many specific types of web hosting packages in the world today to really tackle them all in detail, but for the most part you can actually figure out what the prices of related items should be based on the price knowledge of just two or three different kinds of web hosting. So, without further ado, those three types of web hosting are discount web hosting, Windows web hosting and Linux web hosting.

Ultimately, discount web hosting is of course going to be the most popular type of web hosting in todays world, simply because there are so many people nowadays looking to start a business online. If you are interested in starting a business online, chances are that for the most part you dont have a lot of money to begin with and therefore the discount web hosting plan is going to be the one for you. Discount web hosting is very cheap and for the most part very cost efficient. The cheapest discount web hosting plans are going to run you around $5 to $6 a month and at the most a good discount web hosting plan should not cost you more than $10 a month. If it does end up costing you more than $10 a month, you are likely not dealing with an honest web hosting company.

Some people might consider the above to be harsh, but really the reason it is true is because when you get to the $10 barrier, you are actually into both some Windows and some Linux hosting packages that have benefits far in excess of what you could ever hope to get from a discount plan. Therefore, it makes no sense to pay that same amount of money for a discount plan when you could simply take the Windows or Linux plans and get all of the added support that you would not get under a basic plan. Support under Windows plans includes things like support for ASP and MSSQL; things that would perhaps not be there under most discount plans. Windows and Linux plans can both be found for in the $10 to $15 range per month for their basic incarnations and then if you want more space, more bandwidth or anything else, it just increases from there. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/best-prices-in-web-hosting.html http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/best-prices-in-web-hosting.html Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:10:18 -0700
There are way too many specific types of web hosting packages in the world today to really tackle them all in detail, but for the most part you can actually figure out what the prices of related items should be based on the price knowledge of just two or three different kinds of web hosting. So, without further ado, those three types of web hosting are discount web hosting, Windows web hosting and Linux web hosting.

Despite what you may be thinking by the title of this article, this article is not a comparison of different prices from different web hosting companies. There are a number of places where you can get that information, so it seems rather useless to just add another. Rather, what this article does is give you general information on what you should be looking for in terms of the best web hosting prices for particular web hosting packages that you might be interested in. This is useful information because it is information that you can keep in mind when you are shopping around for a web hosting package and information that you can use to determine whether or not the price you are getting is a fair price to begin with.

Some people might consider the above to be harsh, but really the reason it is true is because when you get to the $10 barrier, you are actually into both some Windows and some Linux hosting packages that have benefits far in excess of what you could ever hope to get from a discount plan. Therefore, it makes no sense to pay that same amount of money for a discount plan when you could simply take the Windows or Linux plans and get all of the added support that you would not get under a basic plan. Support under Windows plans includes things like support for ASP and MSSQL; things that would perhaps not be there under most discount plans. Windows and Linux plans can both be found for in the $10 to $15 range per month for their basic incarnations and then if you want more space, more bandwidth or anything else, it just increases from there. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/how-to-transfer-large-files-over-the-internet.html http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/how-to-transfer-large-files-over-the-internet.html Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:58:44 -0600
Though the transfer of large files via the internet is not a new practice, a short list of the most efficient and popular means of doing so is helpful.

1. File Transfer Protocol, better know as FTP, is a widely used means to send files over the internet. With FTP software, users can access password protected folders on websites and download the contents of that folder or upload new data. Since there are no limits to gig sizes for downloading, aside from limits of the server itself, this method is one of the most used.

2. With access to an FTP server, one can also create URL links to files, such as large .wav files, that can be downloaded with the right click of a mouse. For example, you would create a URL such as http://www.websitename.com/projects/music.wav for a file named music.wav in a projects folder on your site.

3. A variety of Peer to Peer software called P2P allows the transfer of large media files stored on each participants computer without uploading to a third party site. Both participants need similar software installed which will allow the transfer of files. There are no links to click on and files are easily downloaded through the software.

4. Software as a Service, know as SaaS, is generally hosted on a particular server as an application available to member users. This type of software allows users to upload single files up to a certain size such as 100 MB and then provides a link for downloading. Service plans allow the uploading of larger files, multiple files, and folders for a monthly fee.

By using any of the above methods than geography will no longer be a limitation to your business. Conquering geography in this manner will allow you to work with clients all over the world as easily as those in your own town. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/website-hosting-for-missouri-based-businesses.html http://www.whyamirich.com/computers/servers/website-hosting-for-missouri-based-businesses.html Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:11:42 -0600
The most important factors you should keep in mind when choosing a webhost will consist of storage space, bandwidth amount, the speed of your server, and how long your site stays active before a reboot.

Another aspect that you should be looking for is the visitor load that your server can handle. Can your server or hosting plan handle an extreme amount of visitors at the same time or will it slow down like a turtle?

If you want to save yourself a bit of money then you should also look for unlimited domains. By having unlimited domains as an option with your hosting plan, you can put up any number of sites all on the same hosting account.

Believe it or not some webhosts even supply you with templates so that you can put up a website within a couple hours. This is a great benefit for those of you that are not well gifted with web design.

Years ago people had to pay so much extra to get the benefits that are now included with today's webhosting packages. Times have surely changed.

Remember that the key features you want to watch for include the basics of any strong webhosting package. The standard features you need a lot of include bandwidth, storage, and speed. Anything else is just bonus, so don't focus on the goodies unless you need them.

What is really important to think about is that your webhost will end up being the backbone of your website or business. If you have a lousy host, you will have a lousy website and your visitors probably won't want to come back.

Repeat visitors and the word of mouth about your business is what is going to keep you going. Get a good webhost, with great speed, lots of room, and you will be good to go. ]]>