Email Server Software

There are several options when it comes to connectivity services, the most common being ADSL, SDSL, Leased Lines and Ethernet. Dial-up connections using a modem is good to have for a backup option, in case of problems with routers and is a good means for support to have remote access. There is a connectivity option for all budgets.
Depending on your needs, ADSL brings connectivity with speeds of up to 8mb/s and gives you high-quality, always-on connections for one or more computers. You can get a plug and play kit that is easy to install, so you don’t have to wait for weeks for this option. They are the most affordable option that gives you unlimited email addresses and SMTP access for any domain name. It’s worth noting that ADSL lines can take 5-10 business days to be installed.
SDSL has uncapped usage and low contention; it is great for home-workers that need a higher upload speed and is a middle range product between ADSL and Leased Line services. It can enhance the quality of video streaming and video conferencing. They provide you with voice-quality, business grade access without port blocking or proxy servers. You can get multiple static IP addresses and high availability SDSL lines that can take up to 15 days lead time for installation and cost more than ADSL.
Leased Lines give dedicated bandwidth and is the best option for heavy users that need reliable uptime and connectivity. While they cost more than ADSL and SDSL connectivity options, they have higher network and internet speeds available and allow you to use VOIP or voice over internet protocol phones, which can save money on long distance and phone access charges.
Leased lines can offer much higher speeds, 99.9 % guaranteed uptime and a managed Cisco router, and they have predictable high levels of service for improved employee productivity. Ethernet offers high bandwidth from 10 mbps to over 1 Gbps for Internet and site-to-site connectivity, which can provide a stable and secure network, an advantage over wireless options.
When choosing connectivity options and services, it depends on your particular circumstances and the volume of usage or number of computers utilizing the same bandwidth.
There are lower cost programs for users that don’t need the speed and IP options that heavier users might require. You will want to select the option that allows for enough speed of file transfers and enhanced quality of video streaming, if you need these options as part of your business, even if they may require a better and more expensive connectivity package.
There are different levels of service plans available, so depending on your choice of connectivity options, you may need higher levels of service support, depending on the purpose of your usage. While home users may not need as much speed and reliability as business users with multiple computers, there are custom options available and a service plan to fit your data transfer, multiple static IP addresses and Internet usage.
You may need domain name hosting and email hosting services, so once you have determined the service you need, the size and capability of data uploads and downloads, you will want to choose the optional services, such as level of support, domain hosting and email hosting, if required.
It is possible to get a flat monthly fee that can be budgeted while offering you the connectivity services and options you need for the most reliable services and support.

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The term FTP refers to as “File Transfer Protocol”. FTP is a very important method as this method is used to transfer files from one computer to another across the Internet. Some other protocols are

1. HTTP

HTTP means Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is used to display web pages and related files, but it is not used to transfer them.

2. SMTP

SMTP refers to as Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. It is used to transfer email via the Internet, but not files.

There are other ways to transfer files from one computer to another through the internet but FTP is the most commonly as well as the simplest method for transferring electronic files as it uses the TCP/IP protocols of the internet to complete the transmission. In actual terms the functions of FTP are corresponding to HTTP functions as the web pages that are uploaded to the Internet to be displayed using HTTP are generally uploaded through an FTP process. A very keen function is performed by the help of FTP that’s why it becomes mandatory for Internet business to go for FTP web hosting.

One’s business requires FTP web hosting or not it depends upon whether he/she will transfer the files through the Internet or not. Following are some of the importance of FTP web hosting.

1. FTP web hosting is important for the user having Internet business that involves the sharing of files.

2. It is useful for the user who provides its customers the large documents or graphic files.

3. If one receives large documents or graphic files from other sources, FTP web hosting proves to be very useful.

One can also use email to transfer large files back and forth between two computers; however, if one used email for very long, he/she should be aware of the limitations of some email accounts and email service providers. The other side of using email is that, email servers have a limit on the size of file that can be received via email. So FTP web hosting is a perfect alternative of email.

By the help of FTP web hosting capabilities, one can easily develop the directories of files that are stored on his/her web host’s servers allowing for easy access to the files through the Internet. Through FTP web hosting, others can also upload files to the user using FTP technology. The user never wants anyone to access to his/her files, so he/she should be aware while reviewing, evaluating and choosing a FTP web-hosting provider.

One great advantage of using FTP web hosting is that it provides the essential security. If one’s web site is having FTP web hosting, FTP download and upload capabilities, then he/she is able to organize files on his/her FTP site and determine which files will be publicly accessible and which one will remain locked. In addition to that, user names and passwords can be set to limit access to files on one’s FTP website that one don’t want to be publicly accessible. One should note that for public FTP websites, it is standard for the user id to be “anonymous” and for the password to be the email address of the individual attempting to access and download from, or upload to, the FTP website.

Another advantage of having FTP web hosting for one’s site is that one’s site visitors will be able to access the FTP connection using common web browsers like Netscape or Internet Explorer; but it is worth to note that downloading files through FTP access is more efficient way as well as more secured if a software application called FTP Client is used. The main reason behind using FTP Client is that it provides best security as well as other important features like resume capabilities which are rather crucial if an interruption in the internet connection occurs during a download.

There are several web hosting companies offering FTP web hosting with the capability of transferring files from one’s computer to his/her web server as a standard feature, but sometimes user need to check for these capabilities to be enabled for use. There are several web hosts who charge extra for FTP web hosting with public access capabilities. While selecting a web host for one’s website, it is must to see in advance the need for FTP web hosting. It is always considered a good idea to choose a web host that provides FTP web hosting with both uploading and public access capabilities and that too without any extra fees. Cheers!

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There can be many reasons why one wants to change ones web hosting provider like discontented with the service provided by current web hosting provider or one have discovered a provider offering better deal or your online business has simply outgrown your present provider. Any of these reasons is good to change web-hosting provider. Find below few steps how to switch web site from one web host to another in the right way with no or as little aggravation as possible.

Step 1. Things one has to consider to change webhosting provider is

• Finding a web host who can meet all the requirements. Though one already has an experience in finding web host provider from last search, one has to just review the main issues.

• Proper attention should be given to the disk space and bandwidth future plan will provide.

• Purchase a little more bandwidth than required but be careful not to exceed traffic quota.

• Whether new web hosting provider is offering the same tools and installed software as previous old one.

• Make sure with the help of technical support that the software or scripts in the offer are already installed and configured as it will be a bad experience once the website have been migrated and everything is not working properly in the website just because software does not come preinstalled and one had to request its activation.

All these above steps are very essential and one should make it clear in ones mind that one doesn’t have to go through this entire course of action of changing web hosts real soon in the future.

• Signing up for the new hosting plan. – While still having about two weeks for the old hosting plan to expire always sign up for the new hosting plan so that one gets time to react if anything goes wrong during the migration of your web site and thus maintain continuity of business and at the same time smoothen the transition for visitors or customers

One should update backup copy of ones website. If backup copy is not maintained by any website owner then this is the very good place to start with. Best way to take backup is to have backup copy of your web site burned onto a compact disk CD. This CD should be stored in a safe area.

Backup should include the entire web site: files, images, directory structure, databases. Once the backup has been taken upload the website to web servers of new webhosting provider. Now its time to test the new hosting plan. Almost all web hosting providers give you the facility to preview website before it goes live. One should test whether their sites look good and its functionalities all intact on new web server. One should try writing down the new POP3 and SMTP that one would be using soon. Try configuring existing e-mail accounts on the new web server.

Mark the web pages on your new web server just to differentiate from the old one if website design is the same. With this one is able to tell when the DNS information is updated, which is the next step of migrating a web site.

Change the web name server. Inform your visitors and customers about the new web-hosting provider you would be making by apologizing for any possible inconvenience of downtime, which web site might encounter. This announcement is very important for image of ones web business.

After completing the above process change DNS information if one change it by its own or ask the registrar to change the DNS information.

Till DNS information propagate across all the DNS servers one have to wait for it. It is possible to start seeing the first results after a couple of hours even though the entire process could take as much as 72 hours to complete.

Now finally just update the e-mail client one has been using to match the new POP3 and SMTP settings.

This way one can successfully change the web-hosting provider. Good wishes for the new hosting provider.

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Before you sign up for your web hosting plan, there are a couple of questions that you would need to ask the company that you are planning to do business with. Here they are.

1. How long has your business been operating? Do you have a Merchant Account which is all your own? Are you incorporated?

These would be questions which would be able to give you an idea of the company’s stability as well as the long-term continuation of the webhosting service. These questions are essential as you do not want to be dealing with a company that would be disappearing on you.

2. How many clients do you have per server?

This would depend on the web hosting company or the hosting plan, as the server that your website is hosted on could be a bit more packed that you thought. A responsible and reliable web hosting company would not be overstuffing the servers that they own or collocate. Oftentimes, sharing a server with a couple of other companies is not an entirely bad thing. However, you would have to ask the web hosting company regarding the numbers. If you are looking for a hosting plan, then you would have to ask about what their client per server ratio is. Choose the company that would be able to fit your needs, and has the fewest clients per server.

3. Do you permit SMTP POP3 email messages to be received and sent from domain.com?

The answer to this should be yes. There are a couple of web hosting companies which force you to send your SMTP POP3 email messages from isp.domain.com instead of domain.com.

4. If I would be going over the allotted bandwidth monthly, what would be the charges for each gigabyte?

The answer to this should be $0 to $2 for each gigabyte.

5. Are you offering any upgrades for accounts, and if yes, what would be the costs?

A lot of web hosting companies give this information with every hosting plan. It would be good to request for this information if you cannot find them.

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Any website mainly comprises the following – Domain name, Web space, WebPages.

After getting the Domain Name the next step is to check for a good hosting service provider to have one’s own files uploaded in the domain. The following are the important features one must consider while selecting a Linux Based Hosting Plan-

1. Control Panel – This is the most important feature that is mainly required if one wants to maintain his/her website by own. With Control Panel, popularly known as CP, one can do anything means any sort of modification. The moment one signs up for a Hosting Pack, he/she must be immediately provided a control panel for managing the web space.

2. POP3 email Ids & Aliases – One must be provided with plentiful of POP3 email ids and it depends on the Package size as well.

3. FTP Accounts & Virtual FTP – This is the place where one can make any modifications like uploading of files, deletion, updating etc. This is again provided along with the control panel. One must be sure that he/she must have plenty of FTP sub-accounts also to provide his/her clients/users password protected directories. This is the most important feature wherein the clients / users can use the FTP to upload /download files from particular password protected folder of one’s website.

4. Backup – This the feature which is mostly overlooked by the users but is quite important .One must check if the Hosts take Automated Backups.

5. Web Statistics -Visitors plays a key role in the success of one’s website. One must review the report using Statistics Application that run in the server backend in order to see the number of visits each day so as to take proper action.

6. Bandwidth –One must choose the Hosting Plan that offers sufficient Bandwidth for one’s website. As it is not possible to judge the exact requirement in the beginning, still there is facility to deduct the bandwidth required with the passage of time.

7. PHP & Mysql Support – All the Linux Plans support PHP & Mysql. One must make sure that he/she must get this free of cost along with the hosting plan. There are some Hosting Providers that charges extra for MYSQL Database Support & PhpMyAdmin therefore one must check this is advance.

8. Web mail & SMTP – Email forms a most important part in launching the website. One must check if the Hosts provide with WEBMAIL in order to check mails through a web based interface using Squirrelmail or Horde. Corporate Users mostly prefer downloading mails through Email Clients such as Eudora or Outlook Express. One can avail this option only if SMTP or IMAP support is enabled. Therefore one must check in advance if SMTP support is provided or not.

9. SPAM ASSASIN – This is the most important component as no email user is free from a Spam attack. Therefore one must ask for Spam Filters installed on the server where his/her website resides.

10. IP – Dedicated IP is required if one’s website prefers SSL Support (https://) with a passage of time. Most of the websites are hosted on shared IPs.One must ask his/her Hosting Provider for the extra charges involved in getting a dedicated IP and SSL Support. There is important to note that for SSL (https://), one needs to buy a Digital Certificate.

Thus the above were 10 most important ingredients that one must consider while choosing a Linux based hosting plan

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There are several types of hosting available, which are mentioned, below-:

Free Web hosting.

People whose sites are quite small with less traffic generally use this type of hosting. Examples of sites using free hosting are personal sites about one’s family or hobbies. However such type of hosting is not at all recommended for any business, promoting or selling a product, or even for sites with much traffic. Also in this case one can not use his/her domain name for his/her site rather one has to use a domain and site path provided by the company.

Virtual or shared web hosting

In Virtual or shared web hosting is one in which a single web server shares its resources with multiple users. In simple terms under shared hosting multiple web sites share the resources of one server. Such type of hosting is useful when one is not having his/her own server rather opts to use a virtual server to host his/her web site.

Dedicated web hosting

This type of hosting is considered as a most expensive type as in type of hosting, the web hosting company provides with an entire hosting setup including one’s own server hardware that only he/she can use. It means a much faster loading time for one’s site because the entire computer is “dedicated” to running the server software. This account is quite different from other hosting accounts, as unlike other hosting accounts where one’s web site shares space on a server with many other web sites, called a virtual server, here one’s site owns entire server solely. A dedicated server is considered best for web sites requiring higher availability and higher data transfer rates.

Collocation hosting.

This type of hosting provides the same benefits as dedicated hosting; the difference lies only in the server. This type of hosting is only recommended if one wants to have physical access to the server, or he/she have special server requirements. If one is located in New York and the server is in Seattle, it would be difficult, and expensive, for his/her to replace a hard drive. So one can have the hosting provider repair problems, but at a premium cost.

Points to clear before selecting a web-hosting provider

The following are the questions or points to ask a hosting company before starting-

1.Since how long have he/she been in business? Is he/she incorporated? Is he/she possessing own Merchant Account?

The above questions are meant to check stability and long-term continuation of web hosting service. These questions are quite important in the sense that they prevent signing up for a host who suddenly disappear one day.

2. How many customers do he/she is serving per server?

Depending on the Web hosting plan or the Web hosting company the server can be already over crowded on which one’s site is hosted. If a Web hosting company is a responsible one, then it will not overstuff the servers they own or collocate. However generally, sharing a server with several different companies is not a bad thing though. But one needs to ask his/her Web hosting company about the number of clients they are having. If one is looking around for Web hosting, he/she must ask each company about the client per server ratio. Thus after proper research one must check the company having least amount of clients per server and which is exactly as per requirement.

3. Is he/she allowing SMTP POP3 email to be sent and received from mydomain.com?

The answer most preferred one should be yes.

There are several hosting companies that forces one to send SMTP POP3 email from isp.yourdomain.com rather than yourdomain.com. For doing this they are having their own explanations, which are as under-

a) They claim it keeps the servers fast. However this claim is wrong, as a dedicated SMTP POP3 server won’t have any problems

b) It minimizes Spam; again it’s untrue as spammers can still use technical tools for spamming from their account

Above all the biggest problem faced by a user us that there are some Internet Service Providers won’t allow the use of isp.yourdomain.com.It means just in order to send one email via domain one needs to change ISPs.

4. If one is opting for a monthly-allotted bandwidth, what are the charges for each gig?

Here the answer has to be $0 to $2 a gig

One must make sure in advance for this as there is several hosts that charges extra for bandwidth afterwards like $100 per gig for additional bandwidth.

5. Do he/she having any upgrades for each account, and if so, what are the costs?

There are several web hosts that publish this information along with each hosting plan. Still it’s considered good to ask if one can’t find this information.

Other issues

1. There are several other issues also like some web host companies usually lack professional “look and feel” in their emails, some are there whose support is just worst as either they take too long to respond or they never respond. So it’s better to check in advance.

2.In case of established web host companies, they generally respond to one’s email within 12 hours, if not then they send a courtesy email to inform one that they are reviewing one’s questions.

3. One, must keep in mind that there’s much more to hosting than gigabytes and HTML, as without the professional support which one requires, his/her business will get lost as a consequence of that.

4.One must also check for an established Privacy Statement and Terms of Service. A web host lacking a Privacy Statement or Terms of Service is usually suspicious as it is a must for all web sites to establish this information to their visitors. So one must read the statement clearly in order to avoid any surprises afterwards.

5 One must also check for the references and then must with them regarding their experience.

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