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Starting a Website - Web Hosting Provider
So, you want to get started on the web. Whether it's a simple web site, or an advanced web application the fundamentals are the same. To get your website online, you're going to need a web hosting provider, or you can become your own web hosting provider. Signing up with a web hosting provider is the easiest method, but if you want to do it yourself, or just want to get a sense of what you're outsourcing, read on. I'll explain the basics of web hosting providers.
The Facility of a Web Hosting Provider
The first thing a web hosting provider is going to need is a proper facility. This is the room that will be holding the dedicated servers. To make sure that your servers won't go down the case of a power failure, it's standard practice to have battery backup power. These large battery packs, or uninterruptible power supplies, will kick in when you experience a blackout or brownout. These uninterruptible power supplies usually perform double-duty as power conditioners. Power conditioners make sure that your servers have a constant supply of smooth power, free from the spikes and dips in current that can occur during peak hours. Finally, your facility will also need a climate control system to ensure that your servers are in an ideal operating environment. All of these precautions help prevent server failure.
The Servers for a Web Hosting Provider
The second thing a web hosting provider will need are servers. These servers are the computers that hold your web site's data. If you're hosting a more advanced web application, these servers are also processing, modifying and creating new data on-the-fly. For each of these servers, you're going to have to buy the hardware and the software that make them run. Once you have this necessary equipment, you're going to need to install and configure each server. Once your servers are set up, you're going to have to run updates and security patches every month to keep them optimally secure.
The Internet Connection for a Web Hosting Provider
The third thing a web hosting provider will need is an Internet connection. Your typical residential DSL or Cable line isn't going to give you enough performance to run a server. To get your servers online, you're going to need an expensive (around $400/month) T carrier Internet connection, otherwise your site will take forever to load. DSL and Cable connections are notoriously unreliable for servers. T carrier Internet connections have uptime and performance guarantees that make them much more reliable, but not perfect. To make sure that your site doesn't suffer from your Internet connection's downtime, it's best for a web hosting provider to pay for multiple or redundant Internet connections for connection reliability. You'll also need a dedicated IP address if you want the security benefits of SSL support.
Disaster Perseverance for a Web Hosting Provider
Natural disasters do happen. Are your servers prepared? To make sure that blackouts don't stop business, we should have battery backups and an emergency power generator. To make sure our Internet connection doesn't cut us off, we have multiple connections for backup and redundancy. To compensate for more extreme natural disasters like earthquakes and fires, we'll need to make regular backups and store them off-site. Becoming a web hosting provider is a process that takes lots of funding and qualified technicians to make it happen.
Outsourcing to a Web Hosting Provider
Obviously, becoming your own web hosting provider is only economical if you have an incredibly large operation the size of Yahoo! or Google. For most other businesses, outsourcing to a web hosting provider company saves lots of time and money. Web hosting providers have the facilities and the technicians to take care of all of your web hosting needs. Should you need help, a web hosting provider can offer you assistance with customer support.
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