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Hosting explained |
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 | Domains |
| Hosting space |
| Emails |
| Other services |
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| The subject of emails, web sites and domains can be confusing for the uninitiated. We can tell you as much as you want to know about the process, or we can package it so that you don't need to know anything. A brief explanation is as follows: |
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| Domains are at the root of the world wide web. Put simply, when a domain is set up an electronic record is made of the domain name and it is given a unique identifier which allows all other computers on the internet to find it. This unique record is used by email and web browsers for directing people to the domain. |
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| Domains
need to be registered. |
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| The domain name records contain information about the owner, contacts for various aspects of the domain and the name of the domain name hosting company. |
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| Domains are hosted on a server. |
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| Domain name servers keep the unique record information tožtell other computers where the domain is hosted. |
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| There is a domain name registration fee and a domain name renewal fee which vary according to the domain type (eg .com or .co.uk) |
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| When a web site is set up it requires some space on a computer to put the files for the web site. This is called a web hosting space which is then tied to a domain name. The web space can be hosted on a different server from the domain name and administered by different companies. For simplicity the domain name and hosting space are usually moved to the same server. |
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| Hosting space for a web site has to be rented on an annual basis. Some service providers offer free domain space. For the business user free space is not a good option as it is generally unreliable and it will have strings attached which either make it difficult to manage anything but a basic site or add extra costs down the lineę. Like all things, you get what you pay for. |
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| Email addresses have to be tied to a domain. This might be your own domain, the domain of your service provider (eg AOL.com) or the domain of an email provider (eg hotmail.com). The domain is the means by which the email finds its way to the correct recipient. You can have as many or as few email addresses as you like. They can be on different domains or on the same domain. |
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| Most business users want their email address to be tied to their own domain because it looks more professional. mrbig@hiscompanyname.com looks much more impressive than mrnotsobig@aol.com. |
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| Emails are just like letters and email addresses your personal post box. You can redirect emails from one address to another so that although you have multiple email addresses for different parts of your business, these are received in one central email box. |
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| Changes to your email set up are usually made by the company hosting your domain or web site. |
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| A certain number of email addresses usually come free with a domain space. Additional email addresses can be purchased. |
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| Otheržemail services such as redirection can also be purchased. |
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| Free email addresses such as hotmail accounts come with restrictions, eg the size of attachments which can be sent or size of the inbox will have a limit causing emails exceeding limits to be returned. |
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| There are a multitude of services allied to domain spaces which can be bought (eg spam filtering, virus scanning and database set up). These services will be suggested to you by the company who manages your domain or web site as and when you need them. |
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| For a run down of hosting costs please click here.
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Hosting explained