Setting Up a Site
Things to do... (note: the following information includes examples and
are not necessarily endorsements)...
Get a domain name...
 | Network solutions...
http://networksolutions.com/
 | cost: various, package deals for multi-year contracts |
| identify administrative and billing contacts, technical contact is
the hosting service |
| typical setup in 2 to 24 hours |
|
| Parking web addresses
| Through various companies |
| No or small fee. |
| Used to hold onto multiple addresses. |
| Can be used to redirect hits. |
|
Select a web host...
| Free... e.g, Tripod:
http://www.tripod.lycos.com/
| Many do not allow you to use your own domain name. |
| May require advertising (most do). |
| May have very limited space: 5-50 MB. |
| Limited technical capability (no scripting, server support, or
databases). |
| May not offer additional e-mail, ftp services. |
| READ THE FINE PRINT!! |
| Bottom line: good for practice and amateurs. |
|
| Low-cost... e.g., MyHosting
http://myhosting.com/
| Cost: $10-$50 per month, does not include dial-up costs. |
| Month to month payment, typically via a credit card. |
| Usually requires a domain name. |
| Disk space: 500MB to 6-10 GB. |
| Traffic: 10-200 GB/month to unlimited. |
| Usually a single platform option (Unix/Linux or NT). |
| Often Includes multiple e-mail/ftp accounts. |
| Usually offers some level of platform-specific database and
server programming support (DLL's, 1or 2 database connections,
scripting support (ASP/.Net, Linux, Perl), FrontPage Server Extensions,
Cold Fusion. |
| Support for low-end databases (Access), some allow Linux support and
higher end databases (MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle). |
| Some have limited/shared secure server support. |
| Downside: performance issues (lots of accounts on the same
machine, can be slower at peak periods); setup can take a couple of
days; very limited/if any "live" technical support. |
|
| Commercial Support...
http://interland.com
| Cost: $50-$300 per month. |
| Month to month via credit card, longer-term contracts via purchase
order/pre-payment. |
| Domain name support, often multiple domain names. |
| Disk space: 2 - 10 GB. |
| Traffic: 100 GB to 1 TB month to unlimited. |
| Setup: typically 6-12 hours. |
| Multiple email, ftp accounts. |
| Platform options (NT, Unix, Linux). |
| Multiple databases including SQL Server, Oracle. |
| FrontPage, InterDev, programming support. |
| One or more server programming solutions (e.g., ASP/.Net, PHP, Cold
Fusion, Perl, JSP, etc.). |
| Secure transaction and financial transaction support. |
| Many offer e-commerce shells. |
| Typically a relatively limited number of accounts on a single
machine resulting in better performance. |
| "Live" support available, relatively fast turn-around. |
| Downside: machine is still not under your direct control (and you
don't know the environment, how secure is it really?). |
|
| Your own box...hosted by a WEB FARM and/or data center, e.g.,
http://www.verizonbusiness.com/us/itsolutions/
| One or more (web and database servers) boxes hosted at a web farm. |
| You pick the boxes and configuration, company sets up the box. |
| Storage, bandwidth, access based on the box. |
| Software and database options will vary (typically based on a
"menu" approach. May include licensing options on databases and related
tools. |
| Internal connection direct to T1 to T3. |
| Cost: $500 to $2500 /month. |
| Annual contracts common and most cost-effective. |
| Daily backups and server monitoring. |
| Very secure environments with competent staff on-call 24 hours. |
| Real-time support by technicians. |
| Requires some level of technical savvy by customer. |
| Downside: limited (if-any) access to the hardware. |
|
| Your own box...hosted and managed BY YOU.
| Most expensive option. |
| Assumes desire to provide 24X7, reliable, good/excellent
performance). |
| You will work through a number of vendors. |
| Requires significant engineering and technical expertise to
implement. |
| Hardware cost: $2500 to $10,000+ (often underestimated). |
| Software cost: $1000 to $25,000+ (operating system,
databases, programming support). |
| Telecommunications cost (on-going): $250/month to
$2000+/month. |
| Infrastructure costs (often overlooked): facilities (floor
space, electrical, telecommunications wiring, cooling, security): $$$;
procurement: $. |
| Personnel costs: network/hardware support (assuming 24X7):
$45,000 to $100,000/annually. May also include security and other
support personnel. Most expensive item. |
| Upgrade costs - software, hardware, telecommunications,
facilities: 20-50% of initial costs on an annual basis. |
| Upside: You have total control and access; best options
for rapid deployment, change; best security. |
|
Just imagine...
| AOL, Amazon, Yahoo, Microsoft, and other high-end web-based companies. |
| 24X7, very high-access traffic. |
| "Buildings-worth" of hardware and telecommunications technology. |
| High, day-to-day support costs. |
How to Decide Which Option is Best
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