How to Set Up a New Website or Blog within minutes.

With the new era of technology and online facilities, many are trying to have an online presence through various online means. This includes setting up a business website to promote their companies' products and services or simply creating a personal blog to share about their interests and passions. This is one of the reasons why many people, even though not web designers or developers, are going for the do-it-yourself web design instead of spending quite some bucks to pay for a professional. This simple and straight forward article will help all newbies who are getting started in the web to set up their own website or blog.

What will you really need to get started with your website?

If you really want to build and set up a proper and well-coded website, you will definitely need to know about HTML; Hyper Text Markup Language, which is the language used through the web. However, if you are not familiar with HTML, you can still go for a ready-made website template or CMS (Content Management System). Two main things that you will need to put a website online is firstly a domain name which is the actual web address of your website and secondly you will need a web hosting service.
Domain names are in the format of http:// to start with, followed by the name you've chosen and ends with an extension (these three parts make it a Fully Qualified Domain Name - FQDN). The last part of the name e.g .com or .net (extension or top level domain) are normally based on the nature of the website where .com refers to commercial sites, .net to networking sites, .org to non-profit organizations or .gov to governmental websites.

How to obtain a domain name?

A domain name should be purchased from an authorized registrar. The price could vary depending on the extension and registrar you are buying from. After you have acquired your domain name, the next thing is getting your web hosting services.

Where to go for web hosting?

There are many companies and websites out there offering web hosting services. However, you will need to be very careful about choosing your web hosting provider. Not only the pricing and features are important but reliability and support are a must. What is the purpose of paying cheaply for hosting when your sites are almost always down (offline)! That is why it is important to try and test the hosting services of the company before hosting your websites with them. I recommend that you go for a trial or free hosting plan before upgrading so that you can see both the good and the bad of their products and services.
The main reason for our need for web hosting is simply that we will need some spaces online to place our files so that they may be viewable, readable and accessible internet users.
I have a domain name and I have web hosting. What do I do now?

Set up your domain name & hosting

Well, now that you have your domain name and hosting, you will need to connect the two. When people type in your website address (domain name) in their computer browser, they will have to end up seeing the web pages you created for them to see. These web pages are stored on your hosting server and in order to be viewable, your domain name or web address should point to these files. So, after buying your domain name, you will have to point it to the DNS or Nameservers of your hosting provider. It will take between 24-72 hours for a complete DNS propagation. So, don't worry if your website is down or on and off during this period. After that your domain name will be showing up what you have hosted on your hosting space. Note that to change the nameservers of your domain name to that of your hosting provider, you will have to do so in the control panel where you buy your domain and also add the domain name in your hosting control panel.
If you are buying hosting services from the registrar you bought your domain name from, then there is no need to modify the nameservers' information.
To add or modify the content of your website, you can use the hosting control panel's file manager or ftp which is quicker.

You now have the information needed to start setting up your website.

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How to Know If You're Being Hit With A DDoS Attack?

DDOS, short for Distributed denial of service attacks plague businesses and websites around the world. A DDoS attack occurs when a target server or website is overwhelmed with communication requests from a botnet or group of attackers. Once the server is no longer able to handle HTTP requests, it goes offline and prevents legitimate users from being able to access the website.
Botnets are typically used in conjunction with a DDoS attack. It takes a considerable amount of resources to take a website offline. In order to be effective, attackers must combine the resources of multiple computers. DDoS attacks typically do not cause damage to a website - they simply make the website inaccessible. There are more malicious uses of DDoS attacks. They are now being used as a way to deter security personnel and cover up fraud. In either case, if you own a website, you should be aware of how to recognize an attack.

How Do You Know If You Are Being HIt With A DDoS Attack?

The most important thing to do is not jump to conclusions. You want to check your router, internet connection, and any other variables that can be affecting your website performance. If you determine that it is not an internet connection problem, the first action you should take is contacting your web hosting provider. They will be able to tell you immediately whether you are being attacked or not.
The United States Computer Readiness Team, or US-CERT, gives a list of symptoms that serve as pointers that your computer resources may be under attack. Here is what they list as the potential signs of a DDoS attack:

• Unusually slow network performance (opening files or accessing websites).
• Unavailability of a particular website.
• Inability to access any website.
• Dramatic increase in the amount of spam you receive in your account.

DDOS attacks can also manifest as problems in the network branches adjacent to the computer system under attack and can serve as a great alert to network administrators. In cases where DDOS attacks are initiated on a very large scale, internet connections in entire geographical areas surrounding the target machines may be affected. To determine if computer resources are under DDOS attack, network administrators can go to the command prompt and attempt to ping outside their network, normally to a website like Google.com. By observing the time and the percentage of packets lost in the ping statistics, a correct diagnosis can be made concerning the state of the network.
The time it takes to transmit 32 bytes of data is normally about 40ms. At the initial stages of a DDoS attack, this may take 800ms. The computer system will eventually respond with a "Request Timed Out". Overall, identifying the initial stages of a DDoS attack early on, it's possible to prevent your computer and network resources from completely being taken offline.
If you are the do-it-yourself type, network administrators can make use of NETSTAT. This allows the administrator to see all the current TCP/IP connections. A large number of TCP/IP connections from the same IP address is usually a good indication of an attack. You can confirm that an attack is in progress when the state of these connections indicates SYN_RECEIVED.
To find out the IP address targeting your network, run the TCPView program or any program that indicates all the current connections on a computer. You can also use the commands found below to do some further research yourself.

• netstat -n -p | grep SYN_REC | sort -u

List all the unique IP addresses of the node that are sending SYN_REC connection status.

• netstat -n -p | grep SYN_REC | awk '{print $5}' | awk -F: '{print $1}'

Calculate and count the number of connections each IP address makes to the server.

• netstat -ntu | awk '{print $5}' | cut -d: -f1 | sort | uniq -c | sort -n

List number of connections connected to the server using TCP or UDP protocol.

• netstat -anp |grep 'tcp|udp' | awk '{print $5}' | cut -d: -f1 | sort | uniq -c | sort -n

List IP address and its connection count that connect to port 80 on the server.

• netstat -plan|grep:80|awk {'print $5'}|cut -d: -f 1|sort|uniq -c|sort -nk 1

How Do You Stop A DDoS Attack?

This can be tricky for most and nearly impossible without the right combination of hardware, software, and experience. If you happen to fall victim to a DDoS attack, contact your hosting provider immediately. If they are unable to mitigate the attack, there are two options available to you:

1. Subscribe to a DDoS proxy protection service. WIth proxy protection, there is no need to switch from your current host. The DDoS protection provider will simply re-route your DNS settings to point towards their servers to "scrub" the malicious traffic from your pipeline. They will then route the legitimate traffic back to your website.


2. Switch to a web host that provides DDoS protection. This is more a solution for high profile websites, or webmasters that are constantly plagued with DDoS attacks. In this case, moving to a host that specializes in DDoS protection is the best option.

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What to Consider for while choosing a VPS Service

When you're first launching a website or web application, you'll have to decide between shared hosting, virtual private server, and a dedicated server. If you're just starting out and shopping around for a hosting service, it may be a scary task. Virtual private servers, or VPS, is a good start if your website requires a lot of resources.


A VPS has restricted CPU and memory usage. Although it limits you from using too much, it also does the same for your neighbors on the same physical machine. It keeps your neighbors from taking up too much of your resources. Developers tend to choose a VPS as a compromise between dedicated servers and shared services.

With a VPS, you'll get root access to the server. You can install whatever software you want. This is a double edged sword. Remember, you can mess up your production system if you incorrectly install software or fail to patch a security update in time.
What's most important when choosing a VPS service? These are several factors to consider.

Should you go with unmanaged or managed?

Having managed servers means you won't have to apply software patches or security upgrades on your own. Having unmanaged servers means you're expected to manage it on your own.
There are companies that are starting to offer managed virtual private servers. Your hosting company will take care of it for you which means more time spent on your own application. This extra service comes with an extra monthly price.

Is there a community with a wiki, vps forum, or documentation?

Not many customers think about the community surrounding a service, but it should be a factor when selecting a VPS company. Undoubtedly, you'll run into issues while setting up software. That's when support documentation on wikis or forums comes in handy. You'll save a lot of time by reading posts. When someone else has had issues setting software up, they usually document how they solved problems. Check out a service's wikis and forums before making any purchasing decision.


What's the service's reputation for support queries?

Do you require priority support? Would you prefer to trade off a lower monthly cost for less hand holding? Many companies have great reputations for support.
One of the most important factors that comes to mind is the quality of support from your VPS service. What's their average response time to customer email? Do they have a support forum? How about a help desk website? These are questions that you should keep in mind when shopping around for a service.

Do the offer the Linux distribution that you prefer?

Some developers prefer CentOS for its rock solid stability. Other developers prefer Ubuntu for its ease of use. Many like Gentoo for its flexibility and customization. Pick a VPS plan which offers the Linux distribution you prefer.
Some VPS services only offer one type of Linux distribution. If that's the case, make sure that distribution matches your choice.
A trending feature with VPSes is hosted distribution images. For example, if you're using the VPS to run Django applications, your hosting provider might have a pre-built Django stack for you. This is handy and will save you time during the setup phase.

Is it within your budget?

This may be important to some developers depending on their price range. A few VPS services offer budget friendly prices. Others are extremely cheap VPS services which comes with low memory rates or less support. Top tier services, which hand hold the server infrastructure, tend to cost more.

When Should You upgrade to VPS Hosting?

Of course, if you are only in the initial phase of starting a business on the internet and your website is new, you can't afford to spend all your money on things you don't need. If your website is new and you don't have a huge budget, the idea of going for dedicated hosting could be a waste of money instead of being an investment. When you are faced with the question of choosing a Linux VPS or Windows VPS, let your IT professionals decide that because whatever effects this choice will have on the performance of your website is more known to them than you.


However, getting a general idea is always of great importance and you should always know some basics of hosting when your professionals are taking crucial decisions for your website. The first thing you would want to know when you are looking for a hosting website is the different types of hosting that exist out there. The major types are three known as dedicated, shared and VPS hosting. The names are pretty self-explanatory where VPS stands for virtual private server and this particular terms needs a little bit of extra explanation for a person to understand it well.

The idea of dedicated server is as easy as knowing that you have a server to host your website which is completely under your control and fully owned by you. Shared hosting means that there is one server resting in some place and various websites from around the world that couldn't afford huge costs of dedicated server are using the resources of this server in a shared environment i.e. they are sharing these resources. VPS is the entry right in the middle of two aforesaid hosting types and it is like a cross-over of both the types of hosting.


So do you think you can afford the costs of a dedicated server when you are in the initial stages of your business? Or is the shared hosting being a help for you in keeping your website up and running all the time? Do you think the shared hosting is making your website slow and a lot of times you find out that the server is down? If you don't fit into dedicated and shared hosting category then you probably need VPS hosting. When you go for VPS hosting you must remember that Linux VPS solution is more affordable than Windows VPS but there are other things to know as well.

When you go for Linux VPS you get certain benefits but along with these benefits come some cons of Linux based VPS as well. While Linux based VPS solution is affordable and quick but it is not suited for larger enterprises and businesses that want a more professional approach towards hosting. Windows VPS is most suited as a professional server solution for larger enterprises and where IT professionals are most interested in keeping a better control in a more graphically rich environment. How your website has been developed and some other factors are also involved in making this choice so professional advice is always highly recommended.

3 Reasons Not To Choose Free Hosting For Your Online Business Blog

 With every online business model, you will need to have a website to give your business a home on the internet. Think of your website as your internet business' virtual storefront that show cases your products and services. You'll need it to give a good first impression when visitors arrive there. You might be tempted to reduce costs and sign up for one of the free sites that you've seen advertised. While they do look good and can be set up very quickly and easily, there are some hidden disadvantages of which you may not be aware.

Free Hosting Offers Limited Plugins And Features

The first reason why you don't want to go for a free Web Hosting is that you will be limited in what you can do with them. The plugins and therefore the features that you can display on your website will be limited. You will not therefore be able to make your website look and feel the way you want it to appear.

Terms And Conditions May Limit What You Can Do With Free Hosting

The second reason you should avoid the free web host is that you'll have to follow certain terms and conditions. This can mean that on some sites you will not be able to include advertising, display affiliate links or carry out commercial activities, which an internet business must do. If you go ahead and set up your site on one of these free options, it is possible that all your effort and work could be lost when they close you down for breaking one of their rules.

Take Control Over Your Online Real Estate So You Will Never Lose It

When you open your account and register a name with the free sites, your domain name will include words that relate to that free site. This does not give the perception of your business being professional. It is possible therefore that visitors will not consider your business in a favorable light.
So, when setting up an internet business, do not choose the free hosting options. Instead, sign up with your own hosting service and register a domain of your choice. When you are deciding on a hosting service look at the reviews and recommendations to make sure that you choose a reputable firm. This will let your web visitors know that you are operating a professional business and want full control over your online real estate.

Advantages and Disadvantages of VPS Hosting

Please read this article before deciding to buy hosting.

VPS hosting is said to be one of the most economical and effective method of internet hosting techniques. VPS hosting means the Virtual Private Server hosting also known as the dynamic hosting VPS hosting offers the user an economic hosting service that is consistent. The VPS hosting offers us a dedicated server, which is having a unique IP address. This will help to increase the security, as there is a dedicated email server reduces the chance of spam blacklisting is reduced. VPS hosting technique offers many more advantages. Like any other service there is few disadvantages too .let us now take a look of the various advantages and disadvantages of VPS hosting.

Advantages :

• In VPS hosting the user will get a partition and he will have the authority of configuring his server and to install other software
• Each VPS can be individually rebooted.
• VPS generally uses Linux- based operating systems .Linux based operating systems are more stable and secure than the windows based operating systems.
• Each VPS server is isolated from others so the risk of data sinking or spamming will not be there. VPS offers a much more security than others
• VPS is  much more stable and offers a consistent service than the shared hosting
• Users can manage multiple websites effectively by using VPS hosting
• Each VPS has its own operating system, the user can configure the operating system and install the desired software in it  
• Virtual private server allows Root level access of the web server. by this the webmaster will have more power

Disadvantages :

• The users should be technically proficient for using VPS hosting. The applications used and the allotment of resources should be in such a way that it helps in the smooth working of the website.
• The hard ware configurations of the VPS are limited as the main server is partitioned and is used by many users. The VPS will have a limited disc space, Random Access Memory (RAM) and central processing time. 
• The VPS supports many applications such as chatting softwares , e commerce forums and other social media widgets  so there is a chance that the traffic is high the webmasters should take care to ensure that  these applications will not affect smooth working of the website

By observing the advantages and disadvantages of the VSP hosting, we can understand that VPS hosting is far better than the shared hosting service. People usually start with a shared hosting service and then migrate to a better hosting service such as the dedicated hosting with the increase in traffic. If you want to migrate from the shared hosting to a better service then the VPS hosting is one of the best option available. 

What actually is Managed Web Hosting?

With the search for a web hosting provider, customers often get baffled between the options and features offered by web hosting companies. However, the most important feature that you should be aware of while choosing web hosting plan is managed web hosting.

What is Managed Hosting?

A managed hosting can be stated as the server operations, maintenance and troubleshooting being taken care by web hosting provider. The Managed Hosting term is specifically used for Dedicated Servers, however, this feature is offered by many web hosting providers on Shared and VPS Hosting plans too.

What are the Managed Hosting Features?
 
Server Monitoring: To maintain server uptime in order to keep your website online for the maximal time, it is very important that the server is monitored round the clock. The server engineers employed by web hosting staff manage this task and monitors server constantly to prohibit suspicious activities on the server, to avoid sudden spikes in CPU usage or protect server from DDos attacks.
 
Troubleshooting: This service includes technical support and assistance by the web hosting provider through a live chat system, ticket system or even telephone. If you need assistance for uploading files on server, walkthrough for performing a task from control panel, a server side error on website, setting up email accounts and configuring emails.etc, you can contact the support team.
 
OS & Software Installation: The hosting provider’s technicians install Operating System and Software required on the server. Normally, OS & Software are pre-installed on the server before server login credentials are provided to customer. However, if you need a 3rd party software or application installed on the server, the support team can take care of it for you on request.
 
Hardware Upgrade & Replacement: Server Hardware needs to be replaced after a long period of online status so this is taken care in managed hosting. Also if there is any issue with Server Hardware, web host providers will replace the server hardware.

Security Audits: Server audit is very important to protect the server for malicious injections, hacking attempts and DDos attacks. The server engineers audit the data uploaded on the server and the software and application versions to keep it updated. If the software or application’s old version usage is continued, it makes server vulnerable.
 
Server Maintenance: Server maintenance or server management includes OS optimization, Database optimization, FSCK’s to check the consistency of file system and security tweaks on the server.
Managed hosting certainly is a good deal as it saves your time and server administrator fees as this is included in services offered by web hosting provider. So if you find a hosting plan relatively costlier than other providers, it is because of the managed hosting service available with the hosting package as you get the benefit of technical support.