Round Tale

Virtual web hosting is a type of web hosting that facilitates the hosting of several domains on a single IP address by sharing resources such as memory and processor cycles on a virtual private server. It has recently become one of the most popular forms of web hosting available, as it is offers a mixture of affordability, flexibility and capability that is unrivaled in virtually any other web hosting solution. Many website owners use virtual private server hosting because it gives them remote access to their own server that can be used for multiple websites, yet they don’t need to make an extreme investment to use these resources.

What is a Virtual Private Server?

A virtual private server is the next best thing to a private server, and it does not require nearly as much capital as a private server. By using a virtual private server you don’t have to worry about any limits being imposed on your hosting account as far as your website resources are concerned. This means your needs will be definitively met with regards to bandwidth and disk space. In addition your site will be able to operate at peak performance virtually without limitation. Therefore you won’t have to concern yourself with constant upgrades or multiple hosting accounts unnecessarily.

Who Needs It?

If you’re a personal website owner with a blog or a personal site that does not contain many files, then you probably would not benefit much from a virtual private server. However, if you are a business owner that is looking to expand in the near future, then you may want to expand your horizons by considering a virtual web hosting service. Virtual Private Servers are especially beneficial to business owners because they provide comprehensive administrative rights to the user which gives them complete control over their business website.

A virtual web hosting plan is also more reliable than your standard shared web hosting plan as the customer support is more personalized and the web server is not being used by other websites. With shared hosting, the web server is being shared by other websites, and if these websites conduct illegal or questionable activities, it is not uncommon for the entire block of IP addresses to be brought down. This could result in down time and even the loss of many potential customers.

Choosing a Virtual Web Hosting Plan

Choosing a web hosting plan of any kind requires a thorough process of elimination. Through deductive reasoning and a bit of research you can find the information need to make an informed decision in a timely manner without hesitation. Perhaps the most important factor in any web hosting plan is the companies reliability and the support they provide their customers. Try giving each prospective company a call several times and see which one answers your queries as quickly and as friendly as possible. Since this will be your first private hosting experience you’ll need to be sure you have access to all of the information you need this first time around.

Managed Dedicated Servers Content Provided by Superb Dedicated Servers

(The Hosting News) - Dedicated servers can be one of the most difficult hosting solutions to deal with. You can have problems that range from simple technical issues to a catastrophic fire that destroys the server and data center. However, there is some planning that can be done in the case that you ever have a situation. You should always have a worst case scenario in place to ensure you do not end up with a ruined server.

Dedicated servers are called that because they are… dedicated. They are servers that are completely owned or leased by a client. They have complete control of the content inside of them on the hard drives, but the data center manager is responsible for what goes on with them otherwise. The more layers of planning that you have in place, the better off you are going to be able to be.

First off, you are going to need to have your utilities on a backup. There are many data centers that simply are like a home, they have one source of utilities and that is it. If you are a data center that is like this, or find a data center like this, do not use them. A reputable data center will have at least dual redundant backups for every situation. They also will have staff on-site 24×7×365 working 100% to keep your dedicated servers up and running. Being able to have a dedicated staff on call for all of your problems will put a lot of your fears to rest. You would simply be astonished by the number of people who do not take advantage of dedicated servers though, the number is really shocking!

Another good feature to look for when you are thinking about contingency plans with dedicated servers is whether or not you have a RAID hard drive. A RAID hard drive actually allows for your data to be mirrored to other hard drives within your server at the same time. This is great when you have important data and must have your sever up all the. There are plenty of methods of putting this data onto another server and doing a hot switch, but none that will crate also no downtime.

Contingency plans do not always have to be around the data that is on your server. You might want to also have a plan in place in case the data center is subjected to something as difficult as a natural disaster or as simple as a power outage. While most of the time data centers are able to use their backup systems there can and are times where they will need to keep your dedicated server offline. Do you have a working backup on an offsite server that you can restore at a moment’s notice? Also, does your data center provide you with backups daily, weekly, or never? These are important questions that you should know the answer to before you setup your server!

Yet again, an important part of your contingency plan is being able to put it into motion. You want to make sure that you know how to contact the data center using a number of different ways. This way, you will be able to find out whatever the problem is with your dedicated server. Actually, you can plan for the worst by simply thinking about the worst. Most people think that their data center and host will take care of any possible issues that rise up. While most of the time this is true, sometimes data centers are simply not ready/able to deal with the problem right away. If you host your own dedicated server, you may also be allocated to the lowest support tier. Make sure that you get information about this ahead of time. The more that you know, the better off you will be able to be with a major problem and your server.

Dedicated servers should have contingency plans like anything else. The more time you spend without a plan, the more and more you are asking to have a problem. While there are plenty of people who go for years and never have a problem with their dedicated server, some people only have it a few days or weeks and find themselves faced by a major crisis. You should have a plan in place that includes relocation requirements, backups available on site, support numbers, and even more information about your server. Best of all, contact the host/data center of your dedicated server before you have a problem. They will be more than happy to talk with you about their contingency plans.

Planning for the Worst with Dedicated Servers is a post from: Hosting News and Reseller Web Hosting information.

Managed Dedicated Servers Content Provided by Superb Dedicated Servers

(The Hosting News) - Dedicated servers can be one of the most difficult hosting solutions to deal with. You can have problems that range from simple technical issues to a catastrophic fire that destroys the server and data center. However, there is some planning that can be done in the case that you ever have a situation. You should always have a worst case scenario in place to ensure you do not end up with a ruined server.

Dedicated servers are called that because they are… dedicated. They are servers that are completely owned or leased by a client. They have complete control of the content inside of them on the hard drives, but the data center manager is responsible for what goes on with them otherwise. The more layers of planning that you have in place, the better off you are going to be able to be.

First off, you are going to need to have your utilities on a backup. There are many data centers that simply are like a home, they have one source of utilities and that is it. If you are a data center that is like this, or find a data center like this, do not use them. A reputable data center will have at least dual redundant backups for every situation. They also will have staff on-site 24×7×365 working 100% to keep your dedicated servers up and running. Being able to have a dedicated staff on call for all of your problems will put a lot of your fears to rest. You would simply be astonished by the number of people who do not take advantage of dedicated servers though, the number is really shocking!

Another good feature to look for when you are thinking about contingency plans with dedicated servers is whether or not you have a RAID hard drive. A RAID hard drive actually allows for your data to be mirrored to other hard drives within your server at the same time. This is great when you have important data and must have your sever up all the. There are plenty of methods of putting this data onto another server and doing a hot switch, but none that will crate also no downtime.

Contingency plans do not always have to be around the data that is on your server. You might want to also have a plan in place in case the data center is subjected to something as difficult as a natural disaster or as simple as a power outage. While most of the time data centers are able to use their backup systems there can and are times where they will need to keep your dedicated server offline. Do you have a working backup on an offsite server that you can restore at a moment’s notice? Also, does your data center provide you with backups daily, weekly, or never? These are important questions that you should know the answer to before you setup your server!

Yet again, an important part of your contingency plan is being able to put it into motion. You want to make sure that you know how to contact the data center using a number of different ways. This way, you will be able to find out whatever the problem is with your dedicated server. Actually, you can plan for the worst by simply thinking about the worst. Most people think that their data center and host will take care of any possible issues that rise up. While most of the time this is true, sometimes data centers are simply not ready/able to deal with the problem right away. If you host your own dedicated server, you may also be allocated to the lowest support tier. Make sure that you get information about this ahead of time. The more that you know, the better off you will be able to be with a major problem and your server.

Dedicated servers should have contingency plans like anything else. The more time you spend without a plan, the more and more you are asking to have a problem. While there are plenty of people who go for years and never have a problem with their dedicated server, some people only have it a few days or weeks and find themselves faced by a major crisis. You should have a plan in place that includes relocation requirements, backups available on site, support numbers, and even more information about your server. Best of all, contact the host/data center of your dedicated server before you have a problem. They will be more than happy to talk with you about their contingency plans.

Planning for the Worst with Dedicated Servers is a post from: Hosting News and Reseller Web Hosting information.

User authentication is an important security measure put in place to protect your website and it’s applications, however this very same system can be used to a hacker’s advantage as well. When your website’s users require access to a certain area of the site, they must provide their login information (username and password) to prove that they are an authentic member of your website. Once the identity of the user has been validated based on the provided information, the authentication application then grants them access to that area of the site. While this helps to deter the novice hacker, a more advanced intruder can use simple HTTP protocol to circumvent this process and gain access to sensitive ares of  your website.

What Can Happen

A hacker can use the authentication process to invade a member area by falsely convincing the authentication application that they are indeed a valid user. If the hacker only has the ability to  access  your website as a standard user, then the damage they can inflict will be minimal.  However, if the hacker can gain administrative access to your website, they can take complete control of the website and all of it’s stored data in a very short period of time, usually within an hour or two. Of course this could be a potentially fatal situation to your online business, especially if they gain access to critical financial information.

The Process of False User Authentication

Usually the process begins with the hacker finding the login screen where they can enter the necessary  information to complete authentication. Once they’ve found the location of the authentication login page, they can then enter the URL of the login page into a hacking software that will repeatedly enter random information into both fields until a working combination is found. Many times the hacker will simply try this process manually before resorting to using the automated software. For this reason it is important that you do not use a simple or default administrator username and password such as “admin” or “1234.”  When the hacker uses an automated program to bypass user authentication, it is known as a “brute force attack.”

Preventing and Combating False User Authentication

Hackers use tools that return error codes and other information from the web server to find out when their attacks are working, essentially repeating the process in a trial and error fashion until no error message is returned. One way to keep hackers from accomplishing this is to adjust the server configuration to generate an “HTTP 200 OK” response whenever an unexpected request is ordered. Effectively this will make it very hard for the hacker to understand which attempts work and which attempts were denied. Another effective way to prevent brute force attacks is to place random phrases that must be re-entered by the user requesting access. This is called a “De-captcha” and it can be downloaded as an application and used in conjunction with your control panel. De-captcha tools make the process of false user authentication very difficult to bypass for most hackers.

If you are running a website on a Unix or Linux server, it is important to know that many of your files and directories must be provided with the right permissions in order to function properly.   In the world of Unix-like platforms, the process of giving permissions is known as change mode or simply, CHMOD.  While you definitely want the files and directories of your website to work properly, it is also imperative to set the right permissions for security purposes.

CHMOD Permission Types

There are three types of permission in the Unix environment: Read, Write and Execute.  Below is an explanation on what each type of access means:

Read – This permission provides access that allows files to be read.  When applied to directory, it allows the names of files in a particular directory to read.  However, it does not disclose the type, size, permissions or any other information about the files.

Write - This permission provides access that allows a file to be modified.  When applied to a directory, it allows files in a particular directory to be modified.  This includes creating, renaming and deleting files.

Execute – This permission provides access that allows a file to be executed.  The execute permission must be set for shell scripts and executable binaries in order for them to be run on the underlying operating system. When applied to a directory, it provides access that allows files and subdirectories to be accessed, but not read.  Files and subdirectories can only be viewed if the directory that contains them is set to read.

CHMOD User Types

The above permissions apply to three types of users: the User, Group and Other. The User is the owner of the file and the one that has complete control.  The Group is the group of users that own the file.  This permission can be useful for a website that has group of people working on a project.  In this instance, you could give access to those users and restrict it from others.  Other refers to anyone that does not own in a file or belong in a group of users associated with the file.   So if you set a file to this permission, it will automatically affect everyone else.  For this reason, Other is often referred to as “the rest of the world”.

Defaults and Warnings

Files on a Unix server are usually set to 644 by default.  This simply means that the owner of the file has the ability to read and write to it, while everyone else only have read access.  Directories in the Unix environment are usually set to 755.  This means that the owner has complete authority over the directory while every else can only read and execute the files it contains.  One permission you definitely want to be careful with is CHMOD 777.  When applying this setting, anyone will have the ability to read, write and execute your files or directories.  This is equivalent to leaving your website open to the world and making it easy for hackers to compromise.

CHMOD Tools

While a shell prompt can be used to set permissions, many website owners choose to take the easy route by using an FTP client.  The CHMOD option can usually be accessed through menus or by hovering the mouse over a file or directory and choosing the correct option.  How you access it all depends on the FTP software.  In most cases, you simply check the properties, or enter the corresponding permission numbers in the provided text box to set permissions.

These days, it is more important than ever to keep your website current with the latest security measures.  Why so much emphasis on security?  Because hackers are always looking for ways to penetrate servers and websites to thieve sensitive information.  There are is a lot you can do to ensure better website security and the tips in this article should taken very seriously.

1.) Update Your Applications and Scripts

Running outdated web applications and code on your site is liking giving hackers an open invite.  So if you have older versions of WordPress or Joomla installed, it is advisable that you immediately check for and perform the necessary updates.  This goes for any application or programming languages used for your site.  For a knowledgeable hacker, compromising Joomla 1.0 is as easy as uploading a shell script to an insecure form.  If successful, they could end up with complete control of your account.

2.) Create Strong Passwords

A password can be a simple but effective security mechanism.  However, this is only the case when following a strict set of rules.  When securing login sessions and other areas of your site, never apply a password that can be easily guessed by others or is used for other accounts.  If someone knows just one of your passwords, they can keep trying it for each of your accounts until they are successful.  This could not only lead them to the control panel login of your hosting account, but also the financial institution you do your online banking with.

3.) Mask Your Folders

It is always wise to cloak your website files and folders that are stored on the server.  Many security experts suggest keeping a blank index.html file in each of the folders stored in your public directory.  Doing this will ensure that the contents cannot easily be viewed by internet users.  This process is made simple with the cPanel control panel and its Index Manager function.  You can take this one step further by password protecting the administrator folder that contains the scripts you are running.  This is highly recommended as it provides an added layer of security that will make an intruder have to work that much harder.

What If I Still Get Hacked?

As we eluded to earlier, there is a possibility that even after adhering to all of these tips and more, your website can still be compromised by a hacker.  Should your site be successfully exploited, there are a couple of things you should do right away to minimize the damage.  The first step that needs to be taken involves changing all of the passwords associated with your website.  This goes from your control panel and administrative areas to everything else in between.  Next, go through your hosting account to find and update all old applications and plugins as they could easily be the culprits that led to exposure.  Any website can be compromised and if it happens to you, your sensitive information can be used for criminal gain in one way or another.  Prevention is the key so employ all the measures you can to ensure you are protected against the existing and emerging threats.

The more popular your website becomes and the bigger it grows, thus, the more likely you will get to the point where you want to automate as many as the essential management processes as possible.  With success comes more complications, something that definitely holds true for a thriving website.  When you reach this point, it is critical that you start to seek out products and solutions that can be dedicated to performing the tasks you can no longer afford to handle in order to expand your web presence.  For most, this comes down to making a decision between a dedicated server or managed hosting plan.

The Cost Aspect

While it is true that managed web hosting has traditionally been more expensive than leasing a dedicated server, if you look a little closer, you will see that there are tremendous cost savings to be obtained.  The cost benefits of managed service can be observed from the ability it provides to dramatically cut down on the resources needed to power your website or business.  With this type of solution, you can start saving by subtracting from your staffing requirements as you will not need anywhere near the amount of physical resources.  In addition, you can pocket substantial savings on operating costs, office space requirements and all the expenses needed to ensure that your business continues to run smoothly on a day-to-day basis.  Aside from saving money, a managed hosting service also spares you valuable time.  All the time-consuming tasks will be shifted the shoulders of the hosting provider while you set your focus on the less technical aspects.

Less Control, More Freedom

Indeed, a dedicated server provides you with added flexibility and complete control of your entire web-based operation.  However, with this option, maintaining your presence can become a full-time job in its own right.  For those who do not have the time or expertise to deal with the hassles that come along with a dedicated server, managed hosting providers step in to lift the burden, allowing you to expand and grow your website.  Over the years, these services have gained a reputation for being hassle free and rather cost efficient when compared to trying to maintain the same systems in-house.  In addition, there are many companies that will allow you to choose only the services you need, providing you with a comfortable level of control and the freedom to focus your efforts in other areas.

Conclusion

In theory, your job as a website or business owner should be to continuously develop new ways to increase your visibility and bottom line.  However, this is much more difficult when you are scrambling to hire a competent IT staff and trying to ensure that the systems remain available.  By opting for managed hosting service, you will have the time and freedom needed to focus on the tasks necessary to ensure the growth and stability of your web presence.  Sometimes it takes a little help to truly succeed online and a reliable managed hosting service can be that assisting crutch.