Web Hosting Services

FAQ

What is web hosting?

Web hosting refers to the process of publishing a web site so that it is available to the world on the Web. Paid web hosting also involves getting a domain name and not having forced ads displayed on your site.

What is a domain name?

A domain name is a sequence of letters and numbers which determine the address of your site. This site’s domain name is “bayoulandcs.com.” You need to register a domain name before your web site becomes accessible at this address.

What are PHP, SQL, Java, IP, etc.?

Those acronyms refer to various features such as programming languages, databases, etc. that might are available with a hosting plan.

What is shared (virtual) web hosting?

Shared (or virtual) web hosting is the most fitting way of hosting for 99% of web sites. It means that a web hosting company will have one or more servers (computers constantly connected to the Internet that run a web server software such as Apache or IIS) that will be running multiple web sites (it will be shared). Unless a web site is exceptionally busy or requires a lot of bandwidth, this is the least expensive way to get a real web site.

How Do I register a Domain Name with Bayouland Computer Solutions?

During the purchase process you will have the option to purchase a domain name or to transfer an existing domain to Bayouland Computer Solutions if you desire.  You will also be able to see if a domain name is available or unavailable during the checkout process.

Does it make a difference what type of desktop computer I use?

No. This will only make a difference if you develop scripts that you want to use without changes on your web site. FrontPage extensions can also be done on Unix (or Linux) servers.

Will I have forced advertising on my site like I do on Geocities, etc.?

No. None of the web hosts listed in our database force any kinds of ads on your site. In fact you can put your own ads if you’d like.

I don’t have any experience in creating a site. Who can help me create and host my site?

Bayouland Computer Solutions specializes in web hosting and web design.  We can offer you a quote to design a site that tailored specifically for you

What is domain parking?

Domain parking lets you cheaply reserve a domain name for future use and display an “under construction” default page on it. You can register a domain and not park it anywhere but then your site will simply be inaccessible until you get a web host. Some registrars let you park your domain for free.

What are the numbers listed under “space” and “transfer”?

Space is the amount of “stuff” you can put on your web site. Available space is usually listed in megabytes (MB, millions of bytes). Single letter takes up one byte. HTML files are usually rather small (this file is about 25,000 bytes) but pictures and programs can get quite big. Your scripts, emails and stats will also take up space on your host.
Transfer is the amount of “stuff” that visitors to your site can download before you reach your monthly limit. Transfer is usually listed in gigabytes (billions of bytes). After the transfer limit is reached for the month, you will need to pay extra for additional transfer at higher rates. For example, if an average visitor to your site views 3 HTML pages of 20 KB (thousands of bytes) each and 8 small embedded pictures of 10 KB each, and you get 500 visitors per day, you will require at least (3 * 20 + 8 * 10) * 500 * 30 = 2,100,000 KB = 2.1 GB of transfer per month.

How do I pay for web hosting?

Bayouland Computer Solutions offers monthly and annually service plans. Sites that choose to pay on an annual basis received a discount for doing so.  We accept Visa, MasterCard, Check and PayPal

How do I upload my site?

The main method of uploading files to your site’s account is by using FTP. When you sign up with a host, you will probably get an FTP account that lets you access files in your account (usually ftp.yoursitename.com, your main account name and password). Then you can use a built-in Windows or Internet Explorer FTP client, or some other software that supports FTP such as CuteFTP, WS_FTP, or Total Commander, to transfer files from your hard drive to your account. If you don’t get an FTP account or if you prefer a Web interface, you can use your account control panel’s File Manager instead.

What is uptime?

Uptime is the percentage of time that a web site is working. For example, cyberCatholics.com has an uptime average of 99.86%, this means that your site will be down for a total about 1 hour each month. We monitor uptime of customer websites of many web hosts and we display this data on the host’s details page. Some other hosts also offer “uptime guarantees” but this is not as valuable as it might appear.

Can I use Java applets, JavaScript, and Flash pages on my site?

Yes. Those are client-side technologies, so the host doesn’t have to do anything to support or enable them. Any browser (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape) that supports them is enough, so any host will do. It doesn’t matter whether Java or Flash are listed among the plan’s features, they are supported by default.

Advanced questions

How much data transfer will I need?

You can figure out how much data transfer you will require by estimating your average page size (including graphics!) and multiplying it by the number of page views you expect to have in a month. For example: with an average page size of 50 KB, and around 2000 page views per day, you will transfer an average of 3 GB per month. In this case, you should get a plan with 4 to 5 GB of data transfer limit per month, so you don’t have to worry about overstepping your account’s limit, which may cause extra per GB transfer charges. \

Can’t I just get a DSL line or a cable modem and host the site or my own computer?

Sure, you could do that, but it’s not a good idea for several reasons. First, a vast majority of ISPs won’t let you legally use a residential cable modem or a DSL line to host a public server. You would have to get a more expensive business package. Second, ADSL and cable lines usually have lower upstream bandwidth than downstream bandwidth, so your site may appear to be sluggish under heavy traffic. Third, DSL and cable lines have a much lower reliability than dedicated T1 or better lines. Fourth, you wouldn’t have the benefit of data security, data backup, UPS power, or technical support that a host can provide.

Do I need stats?

Probably not. If you can access raw logs, you could download them and analyze them on your home computer with a stats program yourself. However, the log files can get quite large for popular sites, so having the server analyze them may be more convenient. You could also use a service like WebTrends, theCounter.com, or Site Meter to get more detailed stats on your users than any host’s stats program can provide.

My site is database-driven and uses 50 GB per month in transfer. Can I simply use a host with an unlimited transfer plan for $10 per month?

No. Most hosts are in business to make money and they would lose money hosting your site. They have to pay from $0.3 to $5 per GB of transfer to upstream providers themselves. Almost all hosts that have “unlimited” plans specify in their acceptable use policies that no site can use an “excessive” amount of resources. If you use too much disk space, bandwidth, or CPU time, these “unlimited” hosts will ask you to upgrade or leave.

Can I run my own software on my site?

Bayouland Computer Solutions permits the running of any individual scripts on individual hosting accounts as long as they do not use an excessive amount of system resources. Bayouland Computer Solutions uses only Linux servers and any software you may need can be requested but we do not guarantee that we can or will install it.

Should I simply choose a cheapest plan?

That depends upon your needs. The needs of our customers’ varies so take a look at our packages and choose the one that best fits your individual needs

Are there any extra costs involved in hosting a secure site?

Yes, you’ll need to get a digital certificate from a Certificate Authority such as VeriSign, Thawte, or Equifax Secure.

Are there any advantages to getting a domain name with Network Solutions instead of a cheaper company?

No.

I don’t want my site to be down. Ever. What host should I use?

No host can provide 100% uptime. We monitor our servers constantly and our uptime is guaranteed to be 99.86%!

Can I reduce the amount of data transfer my site needs?

Usually yes. Try to optimize all the graphics on your site. Many GIFs don’t look noticeably worse with fewer colors. Don’t duplicate graphics files, let the browser cache them. Try to clean up your HTML by using relative paths, short filenames, less extras, and reducing the number of spaces and new lines. If your site is mainly text-based, ask us about using an HTTP compression module like mod_gzip.