The Purpose of a Hosting Service and the Typical Functions Provided

THE WEB ARCHITECTURE AND COMPONENTS WHICH ENABLE INTERNET AND WEB FUNCTIONALITY – PART 1

§  The purpose of a hosting service and the typical functions provided.

§  Examples of website hosting companies and identify the services each offers.

Hosting Review – Top Ten UK Hosting Companies http://hosting-review.com/uk.shtml?gclid=CMzq-YvX5qwCFUhrfAodbWhWNQ

Top10 Best – WebsiteHosting.co.uk - The Top 10 Web Hosting Companies of 2011

www.top10bestwebsitehosting.co.uk

§  The domain system - a domain diagram and explanation of the structure of a domain name.

§  The role of a domain name registrar and find out the registrar of a chosen domain name.

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for managing the assignment of domain names. ICANN accredits a number of domain name registrars, these registrars then delegate or lease the domain name to an end user or registrant. Once a registrant has leased or bought a domain name from a registrar they are free to use or develop it as they see fit. All registry information (the information you provide when registering a domain) that is associated with active domain names is maintained and made available through the WHOIS service.

A top level domain (TLD) is the highest level of domain name on the internet. The further most right label in a domain name is the TLD. In the domain name ‘example.com’ the TLD is ‘.com’, with ‘example’ forming a subdomain of the TLD. T wo main groups of domains exist, generic top level domains (gTLD’s) and country code top level domains (ccTLD’s), there are also other small groups of domain names.

A domain name registrar is a service that allows you to officially register your desired website domain name so that it is unique to you, and no one else can own it. Originally, there was just one organisation that could register your domain name for you, but now there are literally hundreds. Legitimate domain name registrars are accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN is a private (non-government), non-profit corporation that has been given the responsibility of allocating IP addresses and managing the Domain Name System.

The Domain Name System is what allows you to reach a website by typing in its name, rather than its numerical IP address.

Although you can register your domain name directly with a dedicated domain name registrar, many web hosting providers can register your domain as part of their web hosting package. This is often a more economical option than registering your domain name independently and then choosing a web hosting company, as that often involves a transfer fee.

Only consider a domain name registrar that is accredited with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Legitimate registrars should indicate their accreditation in their Domain Name Registration Agreement or terms and conditions documents. You can also check your registrar's status in ICANN's Accredited Registrar Directory.

The majority of domain registrars will register your name for a period of one year for a given rate depending on the services offered and the size of the company. Many registrars will offer a discounted rate if you register for several years at once. This can be a great deal, but be aware that most registrars have a "no refunds" policy on your registration fees - only sign up for a multi-year contract if you're sure you want to be committed to that registrar for that amount of time.

It's usually more cost-effective (not to mention simpler) to register your domain with your web host, if they offer that service. If you register your domain with a registrar, and then choose a different web host, the web host will often charge you a domain transfer fee. Save time and money - do your best to find one provider that can handle both your domain registration and your web hosting needs.

Top Five Domain Registrars http://premiumdomainregistration.com/#/registrars/4542809921

GoDaddy.com http://www.godaddy.com/

Namecheap.com http://www.namecheap.com/

Name.com http://www.name.com/

Moniker.com http://www.moniker.com/

123-Reg.co.uk http://www.123-reg.co.uk/

§  HTML (HyperText Markup Language)

§  World Wide Web

§  Browser

§  ISP (Internet Service Provider)

§  Domain Name Server (DNS)

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a standard technology for managing the names of Web sites and other Internet domains. DNS technology allows you to type names into your Web browser like compnetworking.about.com and your computer to automatically find that address on the Internet. A key element of the DNS is a worldwide collection of DNS servers.

A DNS server is any computer registered to join the Domain Name System. A DNS server runs special-purpose networking software, features a public IP address, and contains a database of network names and addresses for other Internet hosts.

DNS Root Servers

DNS servers communicate with each other using private network protocols. All DNS servers are organized in a hierarchy. At the top level of the hierarchy, so-called root servers store the complete database of Internet domain names and their corresponding IP addresses. The Internet employs 13 root servers that have become somewhat famous for their special role. Maintained by various independent agencies, the servers are aptly named A, B, C and so on up to M. Ten of these servers reside in the United States, one in Japan, one in London, UK and one in Stockholm, Sweden.

DNS Server Hierarchy

The DNS is a distributed system, meaning that only the 13 root servers contain the complete database of domain names and IP addresses. All other DNS servers are installed at lower levels of the hierarchy and maintain only certain pieces of the overall database.

Most lower level DNS servers are owned by businesses or Internet Service Providers (ISPs). For example, Google maintains various DNS servers around the world that manage the google.com, google.co.uk, and other domains. Your ISP also maintains DNS servers as part of your Internet connection setup.

DNS networking is based on the client / server architecture. Your Web browser functions as a DNS client (also called DNS resolver) and issues requests to your Internet provider's DNS servers when navigating between Web sites.

When a DNS server receives a request not in its database (such as a geographically far away or rarely visited Web site), it temporarily transforms from a server to a DNS client. The server automatically passes that request to another DNS server or up to the next higher level in the DNS hierarchy as needed. Eventually the request arrives at a server that has the matching name and IP address in its database (all the way to the root level if necessary), and the response flows back through the chain of DNS servers to your client.

§  Web Server

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