What is a domain name?
Rather than have a complex numerical address for a website page, the Domain Naming System (DNS) was developed. So people could use an easy to remember name that would take them to a particular web page.
Where does my domain name actually live?
There is not a clear answer for this. There are various Registries who are responsible for different domains. For example, UK domain names that end in .uk (such as .co.uk) are administered by a British company called Nominet UK. The various registries have a list of "registered domain names" that they (or one of their agents) have registered for individuals and companies. When a domain name is registered, the person registering it has to give the registry 2 "internet addresses" (normally the agent registering the domain will assign these addresses). The registry then "tells" the 10 main Internet computers around the world (the root servers) the 2 addresses (referred to as DNS entries) for each of the "registered domains" When someone types in a particular domain name, the Internet Service Provider's computer will "look up" where the web page (or email) for this domain name lives by sending a query to one of the main root servers. The root server will then give the address to the ISP, whose computer will then send out a request for the information to the internet computer (referred to as a server) where this domain names information is held. So in effect a domain name does not really exist in any one place, but in the memory of many computers on the internet who know where the domains information is kept. To complicate matters, domain names can be "moved" to a different host computer (to cater for this, the root servers are updated every 12 hours).
Why should I have one?
In the simplest terms a domain name is an easy address to remember for people to contact you by sending emails or looking at your web pages. Moving on from this, you should register a domain name to make sure nobody else registers it preventing you from using what may be your company name! If your company has branded product names, you should also consider registering those also. In the early days, any person could register any name and use it for what they liked. There have been several cases of companies who have stopped other companies using a name, but only after very expensive court proceedings. In practice, domain names are registered on a first come first served basis and the best advice is to register any names that are valuable to your company straight away!
How do I get a domain name?
Either goes directly to the Registry that handles the domain name you want, or by use an agent such as UKI.NET to register the name on your behalf.
Do I own the domain name?
Strictly speaking, you never actually own the domain name. But by registering the domain name, you automatically have the right to renew the registration (normally every 2 years). Provided the renewals are paid the domain name will always be registered to you. A good analogy is your telephone number, you never actually own the telephone number (that is just an address on the communications network), but provided you pay the bills, the number is always yours (in actual fact a domain name is even more permanent than a telephone number in the sense that it can be moved around the entire globe for hosting with different ISPs).
Can I register any domain name that I want?
There are certain restrictions in the types of names that you can register. For example, you cannot register a net.uk unless you are an ISP or an .org.uk name unless you are a registered charity. There are certain overseas names that require you to be resident in that country or have a major business presence in that country (Ireland for example). Of course, you can only register any domain name if it is available.
How much do domain names cost?
This varies a lot depending upon whom you buy the name from. For example, if you register a .co.uk domain name direct with Nominet UK, they will charge you £80.00 + VAT for each 2 year period. UKI.NET charge £15.00 + VAT for each 2 year period. Other companies charge varying amounts, sometimes much less, sometimes a lot more. Beware of any companies who will register the names very cheaply, they are either overcharging for other services and/or have large transfer out fees hidden in the small print if you try to move the domain name to another ISP for hosting (If they are offering genuine very low prices without any extra charges, then they may well be out of business by next year. A lot of net companies have actually tried giving the names away and rely on selling other services later). It is an open secret, that the cheapest wholesale price for the .co.uk domain names is £5.00 + VAT for each 2 year period. Our cost of £15.00 + VAT for DNS hosting with no hidden charges for transferring out is the norm for reputable companies (allowing us to offer a reasonable cost to the client while maintaining a profit level to cover server admin costs and net profit). Our cost of £25.00 +VAT for each 2 year period for .com names is again the norm for ISP companies. Be careful in ordering cheaply advertised names directly from US registries, they are very often good value but normally require a high level of technical expertise to set up hosting etc and it may be very difficult to make technical changes.
What does DNS or domain parking mean?
When a domain name is registered, the Registry needs to assign 2 separate internet addresses known as the primary and secondary DNS entries. If you do not have your own server online with IP addresses and a leased line, then you will require the registry itself or an agent to give you valid DNS entries. Contrary to what some agents and ISPs will tell you, the DNS entries for a domain that is parked and not being used DO NOT take up server resources or bandwidth, so do not go with any agent that wants to charge extra DNS hosting fees if the domain name is registered but not being used for web page hosting or email.
How do I transfer my domain name to UKI.NET?
If you already have a domain name that has been registered by another company and you wish us to host it, you have 2 options.
Option 1/.
The other company continues to look after the technical and billing control for the domain name, but changes the "DNS Entries" for the domain name. So that the "address" for that domain name is allocated to the UKI.NET server. Simply contact the company (or agent) that registered the domain for you and ask them to change the primary and secondary DNS to the following;
Once this has been changed, there is a period of between 12 and 36 hours while the new address propagates around the internet. This is a simple procedure and most companies should do this quite quickly for you (they may make an admin charge for doing this).
Option 2/.
The technical, billing and admin control is changed over to UKI.NET, so that we have complete control of the domain name. We will then make the DNS Entries change and we will invoice you when the domain name needs to be renewed (each 2 years). For .co.uk domain names, you have to ask the company or agent that registered the domain name to change the "IPS TAG" to UKI-NET. For .com / .net domain names, UKI.NET will make a request for control of the domain name and the company or agent that registered the domain will have to allow the request to proceed (you must inform them that we are making the request beforehand). There may be an additional 1 or 2 years billing to be paid when the request is made when taking control of a .com / .net domain name. How smooth these transfers go also depends upon the Registrar that originally created the domain name (unlike .co.uk domain, who have one Registrar called Nominet, there are many different Registrars for .com / .net domain names).
Conclusion:
If you are happy with the company that registered the domain name for you AND their renewal charges are reasonable, it is very often quickest and simplest to go for option 1 above. As long as the DNS Entries point at UKI.NET, we have complete control over all web hosting and email options. If you are unhappy with the company or are worried they may not be in business in the future (a real problem with web companies!), then it is best to transfer everything to UKI.NET. Please note; if you wish to transfer away from us in the future, we do not have any hidden admin costs.Companies handle DNS changes and transfers in their own ways, it is best to contact the company and ask what their procedure is. If you are unsure of who the contact is, then do a WHOIS check should provide enough detail to track down the correct contact. If you need any help, please contact us and we will advise you.
Please note:With the above, we must be aware of what email set up you require. When the DNS is transferred, your email will require setting up again, this is a simple technical procedure.
HOSTING/EMAIL/ACCESS
How does Internet Access work?
To access all the computers (servers) connected to the internet, you either need your own server connected directly to the internet backbone OR you need to "dial into" a computer that is connected to the internet. The cheapest and most common method of connection is using a telephone line with a modem. The modem converts the digital computer signal from your computer into an analogue signal that can be transmitted down a telephone line. This signal is converted back into a digital form at the Internet Service Provider (ISP) who is providing the dial up access. There are many other ways of making this connection, such as by using a cable TV provider's service, a dedicated Leased Line (a separate wire or fibre optic that connects directly from your computer to the ISP - mostly over another communications providers network), a microwave link, etc. Once connected to your ISP's system, any internet service can be used, such as; email, web browsing, telnet, FTP, etc.
What is Broadband?
Broadband is an internet connection that is much faster speed than a standard dial up telephone connection. The access to broadband has increased greatly in the UK over the last 2 years. The term normally refers to ADSL or Cable Modem speeds of 512Kbs and greater in the UK.
What is ADSL?
ADSL converts your existing analogue or ISDN telephone line into a fast, always on broadband connection whilst allowing you to use your telephone line at the same time, whether this is for voice or fax communication.
What is web hosting?
With web site hosting (also known as a virtual server) you host your web site on a web server connected to the internet. The advantages of doing this are that your web site is broadcasting across the internet 24 hours a day without you having to pay for a permanent connection.
Is the quality of hosting always the same?
No! First of all, there is the type of platform the virtual server runs on. This can be on a UNIX machine, a Microsoft Windows machine or several other specialist types of platform, such as Cold Fusion, Cobalt etc. The most reliable and widely used platform is the UNIX system running a LINUX operating system and using the APACHE web server and a Send mail program. UKI.NET uses the UNIX system.
What does the term "fast hosting" mean?
This refers to how fast both the web server and the internet connection transfer the information across the internet to your computer to display a web page or transfer an email, etc. There are several important factors involved including, the web servers processor speed and RAM memory (a busy web server may be handling hundreds or even thousands of requests per minute), how efficient the interface is between the web server and the internet and most importantly how much bandwidth the upstream ISP is allowing the web server (if there is a small amount of bandwidth, this will mean the information is transferred very slowly when the web server is also transferring dozens of other web pages, images and emails at the same time).
What does the term FTP mean?
The term stands for File Transfer Protocol. This is a method of transferring files across the internet (normally to and from a web server - to update web pages etc).
What actually is email?
Email is a system where a message can be sent from your computer to anyone with an email address. Email is a very fast way of communicating. Messages a usually short text messages, however, the email system can also "attach" a file to a message. The file can be of any type, such as an image or sound file or Word document etc.
How big an attachment can I send by email?
In theory a very large attachment can be sent, but in practice anything above 5Mb would be considered large, we do not recommend sending attachments over 10Mb.
What is a POP account?
Most email delivers to an area of the web server where the email messages are stored in POP3 accounts. The term POP stands for "Post Office Protocol". Think of this as a system similar to an old post office where individual letters are stored in pigeonholes ready for delivery. When a client "checks their email", their email program sends a message to the POP3 account and if there are any emails, they are downloaded to the client's computer. Normally, when the emails are downloaded, they are deleted from the POP3 account.
What is SMTP?
This is how most emails are sent. The term stands for "Simple Mail Transfer Protocol". For example; if you send an email from Microsoft Outlook. The program logs into the ISPs server and gives the email address to the server. The server finds out where it needs to send the email to by querying the DNS (Domain Name Server), after this the mail program will attempt to send the email to the recipient address. If the delivery is successful, the mail program deletes the copy of the email on the server. If the delivery fails, the mail program may try to resend the email several times, depending upon the server set up. If an email does not send, the sender gets an automatic reply message saying what errors occurred.
What is HTML format or stationery email?
Most emails are still sent in a plain text format. However, a lot of people are sending their emails with their company logo or other pictures embedded into the email with different font sizes and colours. To enable this, their email program must allow HTML email sending and the recipient must have their HTML option switched on to receive the email and view it correctly (which most people have these days). There are 2 disadvantages to using this format, one is the emails are slightly slower to send (because they contain more information), the second is that some internet viruses can be passed into a computer via an HTML email when this is displayed on the computer. Despite this, more companies are using the HTML format because of the more professional presentation.
Can I have email addressed to me sent to 2 different places?
Yes. This needs to be set up on the server. Ask for details.
How do I send emails to lots of different people at the same time?
There are several ways of doing this. The simplest is to send an email to an address and "copy in" additional addresses using your email program. Moving on from this, there are various mailing programs and server mailing lists that can be set up to do this. Please ask for details.
What is an email signature and how do I get one?
You can have a standard text message in your email program that displays at the bottom of every email you send. This message can be an HTML message with pictures if you send email using the HTML format. Please ask for details.
What does "relaying denied" mean?
This message is normally seen when you are trying to send an email without having the correct SMTP settings in your email program. It is also seen in some "bounced emails" where the recipient's account is full or does not exist anymore.
What is a "bounced email"?
Email may not deliver for a number of reasons. This is sometimes called as a "bounced email" - since the message that you get telling you your email did not deliver has a copy of the original message in it and it looks like it has "bounced back" to you.
WEB DESIGN
What is HTML?
HTML, which is the extension at the end of most web pages, stands for: Hypertext Markup Language. HTML is the language in which most Web pages are written.
What is the difference between image formats on the web?
Images on the internet have several unique properties. They have a resolution of 72dpi and are displayed in the RGB (red, green, blue) format. The majority of images are either in the GIF or JPEG format. There is a new format called the PNG or Portable Network Graphic image. The rule of thumb is an image with very few colours can be made into a GIF image that has a very small file size (quick to appear on the web page). A GIF image can also have one of its colours assigned as "invisible"; this is normally used to create an invisible background around the image. Images that have a lot of subtle colours (such as pictures of people etc) are normally made into a JPEG image. JPEGs are much larger images, however they can have a "compression factor" applied to them that will drastically reduce the file size - there is normally a trade off between getting a reasonably small file size and the quality of the image.
What makes a web page slow to load?
Most web pages are made up of several components. For example there is the HTML document itself. This is the "instruction sheet" for what displays on the web page. The HTML page contains the text to be displayed with HTML code to tell the web browser where to insert paragraph and line breaks and which font types and colours to use. An HTML document is in effect just a text document with the extension .html or .htm after it; therefore it is normally a small document and fast to transfer across the internet to your computer (unless there are many thousands of words in the document). However, the HTML document also contains code that has links to the other files that the page requires to display (such as image files). These images also need to be transferred across the internet to your computer. Your web browser then "assembles" the text on the screen placing images in the correct places to show the finished web page. A colourful web page may consist of and HTML document, perhaps 10 or 20 images, an embedded animated sequence in Flash, with a link to another text document that needs to be downloaded called a style sheet with other display instructions. A large web page may consist of as many as 20 to 50 individual files that are required to display it. This information all takes time to transfer across the internet to your computer.
What is Flash web design?
Flash is a program where animated images and sequences can be produced. This can either be as a sequence that runs when the web page loads, like a cartoon in the simplest format. Flash can also be incorporated with hyperlinks to other pages and scripting that performs various behaviours. The big advantage of Flash programming is the fact that the image format is "vector based". This allows for resizing to fit different screen resolutions if required and means that the image files can be kept very small. The disadvantage with flash web sites is that they require a lot of programming work to build and are more inflexible to change than normal HTML websites.
What does an "active website" do differently?
A traditional website has pages of information that are linked to other pages of information. An active website has the above but also has information (normally stored in a database) that can be accessed and displayed in various ways. For example, there may be a list of products stored in a database with details of their part number, description, price, etc. With an active website, a search form could be designed so the visitor could ask to see "all the products" "products with a certain price range" "a particular model with a part number" or many other variables. The above is a very simple example, information can also include pictures of the product or service and when products are selected they can be added to a "shopping basket" for purchase etc. There are huge advantages with an active website. A visitor can view only the information that is relevant very quickly, the company can easily change prices or descriptions, products can be added or deleted, a fast hierarchical menu structure can be used to allow visitors to find one product among thousands within seconds, etc.
How do I set up an e-commerce website?
An e-commerce web site can have just one product to purchase or many thousands of products or combinations of services. If the website requires many products and variations, an active website (above) may be the most practical way of designing it. If there is a choice of more than one item to order, then some form of "shopping basket" is required. A shopping basket is just a program that keeps a note of what the visitor wants to purchase, showing them a list of items and the total price, when a client selects a product.
SEARCH ENGINES
What exactly is a search engine?
A search engine is a special Web site that catalogues other Web sites and has search capability. Search engines catalogue Web sites into a database and employ their own algorithm for searching their databases.
How do search engines work?
A search engine uses something called a spider or robot, automated programs that scour the Web, jumping from link to link, cataloguing Web sites, and then storing that information for people to use.
There is a difference between a search engine and a directory. A search engine uses automated spiders or robots to catalogue it. A directory uses people to go through a Web site and catalogue the Web site. Therefore, Yahoo! is really a directory and not a search engine, as it employs a team of people to go through every site listed in its database.
How do I get a high listing in a search engine?
With great difficulty or complete luck! There is no hard and fast way of getting a top listing. Submitting your web pages to all the search engines is vital, as is considering paying for submissions, to ensure that the web pages are indexed. The text content of the web pages, Meta tags, links in and out to other web pages are all vital elements. UKI.NET has developed a system of evaluating web pages, submitting to the search engines, and then following up with constant monitoring and re-submitting with slight changes to the pages. We have found that sometimes we get success straight away and other times it can take several months to achieve good results. As with all forms of marketing, there are no shortcuts to success.
SECURITY
What are Viruses, Worms and Trojan Horses?
A virus is a manmade program or piece of code that causes an unexpected, usually negative, event. Viruses are often disguised games or images with clever marketing titles such as "Me, nude."
Computer Worms are viruses that reside in the active memory of a computer and duplicate themselves. They may send copies of themselves to other computers, such as through email or Internet Relay Chat (IRC).
A Trojan horse program is a malicious program that pretends to be a benign application; a Trojan horse program purposefully does something the user does not expect. Trojans are not viruses since they do not replicate, but Trojan horse programs can be just as destructive. Many people use the term to refer only to non-replicating malicious programs, thus making a distinction between Trojans and viruses.
It is vital that you protect your computer against the infection with Anti Virus Software and possibly Firewall protection. If you have an "always on" Broadband connection, it is vital to have protection.
