How To Choose A Web Host

Many people do not understand web host server terminology, and thus are confused about what they need and how to best choose a web host. Often, they end up making a poor choice of web host because of that lack of understanding of web hosting terms. Let's cover a few of the basics.

Should you Choose Windows or Unix Web Hosting?

Many people think they need Windows Hosting because they have windows on their computer. One has nothing to do with the other.

Microsoft has created their own web hosting server software that runs in Windows, called Internet Information Server (IIS). This allows people to create their website using ASP. If your website is developed in ASP, then you need to be on a Microsoft IIS Server.

If you have no clue what ASP is, much less develop your website with it, then you don't need to be on a Microsoft IIS Server.

Personally speaking, I prefer to work on a Unix server. I find it to be a more stable system, with less security breaches than IIS server. If you read the stories in the news about servers getting hacked, "coincidentally" more of them are IIS servers than Unix servers. Additionally, there are a wider variety of plug and play interactive scripts (such as refer a friend, etc) for Unix than there are for IIS.

UNLIMITED!

The one word that is most misleading in the web hosting industry. There is nothing that a web host can offer that is unlimited. It may be only restricted by the limitations of the web host server, but it is not unlimited.

Many web hosts that offer "unlimited" bandwidth will have a clause in the fine print that states your use is unlimited to a point. After that point, you will have additional fees, and usually high ones.

I have also found that many web hosts that offer "unlimited" space or bandwidth oversell their space, crowding the server with far, far too many files, which results in increased downtime and slower web host server performance.

Web Host Server Uptime

Your web host will probably offer some type of uptime guarantee. A web host uptime guarantee of 99% means their web hosting server will be online and functional 99% of the time.

99% uptime sounds pretty good, doesn't it? However, if you do the math, that means the server can be down 87 hours a year, or 7 hours per month. That means your web site can be down and not functioning for 7 hours every month. Still sound okay?

An uptime of 99.9% means your web host would only be down for 8 hours per year.

Size of the Web Host Pipeline

The web host's pipeline refers to the cable that connects their web host server to the Internet, and determines how efficiently information can be passed from the web host server to people trying to view it. Think of it like drinking a milkshake. The bigger the straw, the better the flow. The smaller the straw, the more difficult the flow.

Many web hosts are still using T1 and T3 pipelines. Small town ISPs may even be using a fractal T1, which means only part of a T1. What does that mean? A T1 can carry up to 1.5 mbs (megabits of information per second). A T3 can carry 45 megabits of information per second. The bigger the pipeline, the better the flow of information. So, if you host with a little ISP that uses fractal T1, your web site can load slower because of the limited capacity of the web host's pipeline to the internte.

Larger web hosts, often web hosts that do not offer connectivity (as an ISP does) are now offering connectivity through OC48. What does that mean? Well, by comparison, a T1 is a skinny drinking straw, and the OC48 is a garden hose. Is that important? You bet it is, if you want your website to load quickly.

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