Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » IP

IPv6: What it is, and What You Need to Know

Art — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:43:33 +0000

We seem to be living in an era of ticking timebombs of one variety or another. One of the ones that has caused serious concern in the tech world but is almost unknown outside of it is the exhaustion of IP addresses using the old IPv4 model. At first this seems amazing. There are 2³² addresses in IPv4, equal to more than 4 billion available. Then again, when you consider that there are approximately 7 billion people in the world, maybe it’s not so amazing.

Learning from the lessons of previous timebombs (remember that little Y2K scare?), IPv6 supports a whopping 3.4 x 10³⁸ addresses, or about 340 billion billion addresses (340 undecillion, for those of you who want to impress your parents). That should hold us for a while. It appears through a few tricks that we’ve avoided the worst of the predictions regarding address exhaustion of the old system, and universal acceptance of IPv6 appears ready to begin at the start of the year.

The beginner webmaster trying to weave their way through this gobbledegook may wonder exactly what this all means for them.

For once, the answer you wanted to hear

In general, for you this means nothing. These changes are mostly taking place in the “wiring under the board”, so to speak. All of the systems that need to be modified in order to make way for these changes are already occurring, or have already occurred. Operating systems have been including support for this change for a long time, with Windows support going all the way back to Windows 2000.

Last year a number of major web sites held a “World IPv6 day”, and the results were promising. This appears to be one area in which, for the most part, the problem was identified in time, and the solution proposed and implemented with no significant disruption.

So really, nothing at all?

Well, do make sure that you aren’t using any IP addresses anywhere on your web site. Consider this a good opportunity to remind yourself that this is a bad idea to begin with. IP addresses change all the time as it is, mathematical constraints or not.

Also note that this will change some of your security protocols. Not only will you have to update all of your web and email filters, but at least one company is predicting that blacklists will become obsolete entirely. With that many IP address, the thought is that individual IP addresses to hackers will become like cheap store bought cell phones to various types of ne’er-do-wells: a disposable tool that will make tracking far more difficult.

In general, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the tech world at the start of the year to make sure that the unforeseen consequences to this change aren’t anything that affects your little corner of the web. New developments always have a way of doing that.

So then why did you tell me all this?

Nevertheless for the most part, this is one that you can leave to the “experts.” So why did we even bother writing about it? Well, it is a big change on a technical level, which means that it’s one that you’ll hear about more and more as the switchover time comes closer. So since you’ll probably be curious, doesn’t it make you feel good for once to be told that you don’t have to worry about it?

SEO Web Hosting: A Powerful Tool to Dominate Search Engine Rankings

Art — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:08:18 +0000

Previously, access to the Internet was not as easy and convenient as it is today. In fact, there were times when there was no such concept as Internet based marketing at all. Now the scenario has completely changed. With the large number of websites mobbing the Internet, you just cannot afford to sit back and wait for your business to grow on its own. Business owners have realized this aspect, and are taking the best possible steps in order to beat their rivals. A number of tools have been devised to aid in these initiates. However, SEO web hosting is one of the better and more effective tools. Not only does it help you beat the hardcore competition, but it also gives your website’s search engine rankings a boost, thus taking your online business to the next level.

How does SEO Web Hosting Boost Page Visibility?

If Class C IPs back your website, then it is bound to be respected by the big search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. That is what SEO web hosting provides you with. Class C IPs are well known for their geographical diversity feature. This means that you are not only getting the visitors from your own country or region, but from the other places as well. This uplifts the demand of the product or service that you are selling on your website, and hence your online business is boosted.

Relation between SEO and Web Hosting

SEO refers to search engine optimization. With the Google panda update and a chain of such steps taken by the search engines, the importance of good content has become significant. For instance, gone are the days when basic content will suffice; this is the age of in-depth and detailed content. SEO hosting not only takes care of your hosting needs, but also optimizes your content so that your pages may rank at the top. Further, the page rankings are important to attract the targeted traffic. Hence, good web hosting and SEO are interlinked closely.

It is advisable to seek help from the experts of SEO within the web hosting field. It is easy to take care of the keyword concept, but there are several other important ingredients that we tend to ignore at times. Hence, you should always go for the best SEO web hosting in order to make the best possible use of your website.

Here are some SEO web hosting companies to check out:

seohosting.com

5 C-Classes	$7.00 / c-class	$35 / month
10 C-Classes	$6.75 / c-class	$67.50 / month
25 C-Classes	$6.00 / c-class	$150 / month
50 C-Classes	$4.75 / c-class	$237.50 / month
100 C-Classes	$4.50 / c-class	$450 / month

http://www.seohosting.com

seowebhosting.net

10 C-Classes	$7.49 / c-class	$74.9 / month
25 C-Classes	$5.99 / c-class	$149.75 / month
50 C-Classes	$5.99 / c-class	$299.50 / month

http://www.seowebhosting.net

seo-host.com

10 C-Classes	$3.49 / c-class	$34.95 / month
25 C-Classes	$2.99 / c-class	$74.95 / month
50 C-Classes	$2.99 / c-class	$149.95 / month

http://www.seo-host.com

Performing IP Filtering Through cPanel – A Brief Tutorial

Art — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 10:00:01 +0000

Security is something that nearly every webmaster has the need for, but not every webmaster knows how to pursue effectively the appropriate security measures. Given the craftiness of the hacker world, it can seem to the novice an unwinnable fight where they just have to accept a certain amount of break-ins as a sort of collateral damage.

While it is good to understand that it’s impossible to make a lock that can’t be picked, this doesn’t mean that you should take frequent security breaches as the norm. With just a little bit of education and effort, the untrained webmaster can lock down their site to levels that it would take extreme efforts to break. This brief tutorial will focus specifically on how to use cPanel to filter the IP addresses that can access your web site, a step that, by itself, can keep a large percentage of attacks from even making it to your site.

IP Filtering – easy to do…

To filter an IP address or block of IP addresses from accessing your site using cPanel is simple. In the Security section near the bottom of your cPanel main page you will see an icon labeled “IP Deny Manager”. Click on it and you’ll be at a page where you can add new restrictions, see your current ones, and remove any existing ones. The page lists the appropriate formats (don’t bother with the CIDR format: it doesn’t do anything you can’t do any easier way).

Now, if you know how to block IP addresses, a more important question comes: what addresses to you block? If you are getting a wave of attacks from a single IP address, the choice of course is simple. But what do you do if they are coming from a number of IP addresses? The short answer is this: block a range if it feels right, but don’t go overboard.

Let’s say that you are getting attacks from 212.56.24.X, where X is variable, and nothing else from that class C (an IP address format is Class A.Class B.Class C.Class D). Then, blocking everything from 212.56.24 should be safe. But let’s say they are all from 212.56. You do some research and see that this is a university Class B and there are plenty of safe hits from those addresses. Of course, a college is going to have a few bored hackers. Taking down all of those addresses is overkill and will negatively impact your traffic.

Find the right middle ground

It’s rare that you are going to want to restrict anything more than a Class C. In general, you’re not going to want to restrict anything more than you have to. Use trial and error: block what you need to and, if the site continues to get hammered, modify and expand your rules. Then, once it feels like you might have scared them away, remove the blocks, keeping a close eye for 24-72 hours afterwards to make sure that they don’t start up again. Also, be sure to let your web host know if the attack is particularly vicious: they might want to filter the bad IP addresses on a network level.

IP Filtering by itself will not solve all of your security problems: no one method will. But it will ensure the bulk of the worst attacks will be filtered away from you so you can focus more on other things.

Dedicated IP Web Hosting

Dmitry — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:10:59 +0000

There is a kind of web hosting available that is called dedicated IP web hosting. This is also sometimes called static web hosting. This type of hosting provides a unique IP address that is used exclusively for each individual server space or domain. An individual browsing the Internet can access this information held in any one of these servers by going onto a website with a certain domain name or IP address.

There will be differences in these web hosting accounts depending on whether the IP address is shared or unique. A unique IP address can be bought simply by placing an order with any of the multitude service providers that are available. These web hosting companies will provide a unique IP address after full payment has been made. These websites allow the customer to upload content and other files to their own personal, secure web space.

These types of web hosting accounts are ideal for larger businesses or for e-commerce websites that need to be certain that their site offers the most in security. Dedicated IP web hosting is also ideal for individuals that want to buy the unique IP addresses for a premium price. Some individuals may find that they want to go this route due to the fact that it will prevent the website from collecting spam, a problem that can often occur when using a shared website.

Another advantage to using a dedicated IP web hosting service is that it provides for greater flexibility while also allowing for more complex hosting. Two advantages of this are that they include a private SSL certificate and an anonymous FTP. An SSL certificate provides for online businesses that need to make sure that their customers will have secure transactions. The advantage of an anonymous FTP allows people to share information on the Internet. This will allow anybody who is using the Internet to go to that company’s website and access a public directory by using FTP software.

By gaining a dedicated IP web hosting account and securing a unique IP address, it allows the business owner to have full control over their website. By obtaining a dedicated IP address, it allows individuals or business owners to get the most benefit out of their website. This will result in better search engine results, which are much sought after by businesses.

Dedicated IP addresses are highly valued and are considered as prime Internet real estate. Because of this, there are sometimes high service fees associated with this kind of service. It is possible however to find a web hosting company that will offer dedicated IP addresses for a very reasonable price. If a company thinks that they will benefit the most from dedicated IP addresses, it’s very important that research be done on many different companies. Besides the differences in price that all companies are bound to have, there will also be differences that are dependant on the company’s needs and goals.

An Overview VPS Hosting Restrictions

Art — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:14:02 +0000

VPS(Virtual private Server) hosting is perhaps one of the most popular types of hosting available, aside from shared hosting. Most webmasters start out with a shared hosting plan, only to progress to a VPS hosting plan, and finally (if they’re successful enough) they may opt for a dedicated hosting plan. VPS hosting is capable of being just as powerful as dedicated hosting, however the cloud hosting environment would be needed for this.

Cloud VPS Hosting vs Conventional VPS Hosting

Cloud VPS hosting is more advanced than conventional VPS hosting and many dedicated hosting plans, primarily because the cloud hosting structure allows for a completely custom billing system that only charges the customer for the resources they use, yet provides access to seemingly limitless. Indeed, cloud VPS hosting is perhaps the best on the market right now, however many people are getting cloud hosting confused with standard VPS hosting. A conventional VPS hosting plan still has some significant restrictions that are seldom mentioned. It is important to note that the following limitations are only associated with conventional VPS hosting plans and do not apply to cloud VPS hosting.

IP Addresses and Software Configuration

Dedicated hosting plans tend to come with more IP addresses, which may be a factor for some webmasters that need access to several IP addresses for their sites. Although it is possible to purchase additional IP addresses for a VPS hosting plan in some cases, dedicated hosting provides a better value when it comes to an all-inclusive package that includes IP addresses. However, VPS hosting does carry an advantage over shared hosting in this area because shared hosting requires you to share an IP address with other webmasters, whereas VPS hosting gives you at least one IP address. Unfortunately, some VPS hosting providers will not let you install new software on the server partition, or modify software that is currently installed. It is important to inquire about your capabilities as a webmaster before deciding on any VPS hosting plan.

Upgrades and Cost

The cost of a VPS hosting plan can vary from under $20 to more than $200, depending on the type and the hosting provider, Each hosting provider can offer up to 7 or more VPS plans, all of which vary greatly in their capabilities and the amount of allocated server resources provided. Unfortunately, this large selection only serves to confuse many novice webmasters that are uncertain of their sites’ needs. Most of the time the webmaster pays too much and does not use enough of the plan to warrant an upgrade, or pays too little and has to upgrade again in the near future. Cloud hosting gets rid of this problem by providing instant expandability that is billed on a per usage basis. Although it is easy to upgrade to a new VPS hosting plan, you’ll have to do so when your next hosting bill arrives in some cases, which can be a problem for site owners that are experiencing a constant rise in web traffic.

SEO Web Hosting vs Dedicated Web Hosting

Art — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 06:00:56 +0000

Web site owners that make their living online are constantly looking for new ways to expand and create more revenue streams. However, there are always limitations and boundaries to overcome, especially pertaining to web hosting and search engine optimization. Learning the two aforementioned aspects of online business is perhaps he most crucial part of being a webmaster, as it directly affects the way your site performs and how high it ranks in the search engines.

Figuring out how to reach the top of the search engines and then perfect this and do it repeatedly is not for the faint of heart, and it requires a perfect web hosting plan (or several plans) and the right knowledge in SEO. If you have reached a point in your online career in which you would like to move forward and diversify then consider the following information.

SEO Web Hosting for Multiple Sites

SEO web hosting is relatively new, so many people do not understand what it is used for and why it is so important. SEO web hosting places a strong emphasis on the amount of IP address given to each hosting account. This is important in search engine optimization because search engines can see the IP address of your web site. This means you cannot have a strong backlinking network within the same niche without more than one IP address, because the search engines will view all of your sites as the same entity. Backlinks get you higher search engine rankings, and with more IP addresses you can create a network of sites in different niches that are providing link “juice” to each other.

Dedicated Hosting for Multiple Sites

Dedicated web hosting also comes with multiple IP addresses in many case,s however the number is usually along the lines of four or eight, whereas SEO web hosting can provide 50 or more C class IP address to each customer. In order to get access to this many IP addresses for your web sites with dedicated hosting you would need to provide justification, which means you’d have to give the web hosting company a reason for requesting more IP addresses. It is possible to receive justification with a dedicated hosting plan, and gain access to IP addresses at a cheaper rate than SEO web hosting.

Conclusion

Having access to multiple IP addresses is only important if you plan on operating network of sites that are used to transfer search engine optimization benefits to each other through internal and external linking. If you are going two options; either buy an SEO hosting plan that includes an adequate amount of C class IP addresses, or you can purchase a dedicated hosting plan and provide justification. If you decide to purchase a dedicated hosting plan and provide justification then you will receive access to the IP address for a lower rate and you will have access to a more powerful web server.

SEO and Web Hosting – The Connection

Art — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:11:38 +0000

Search engine optimization is the best way to get consistent traffic to your web site without having to continuously invest money in advertising and other forms of marketing and promotion. By optimizing your web sites properly you can bring in a steady flow of traffic and forget about marketing and other annoying and repetitive aspects of online business. In fact, many webmasters spend the majority of their time trying to find more ways to increase their search engine ranking and traffic. Unfortunately, many webmasters don’t realize they’ve already hurt their chances of being as successful online by choosing the wrong web hosting plan. Contrary to popular belief, there is a solid connection between web hosting and search engine optimization.

IP Addresses and SEO

For the advanced SEO expert that routinely does link building through various web 2.0 properties, the most obvious aspect of a web hosting plan that has an impact on SEO is the amount of IP addresses given to each webmaster. When search engines index web pages they do so with automated crawlers that index every aspect of the page and site, including the web site’s IP address. If you own a network of web sites and you would like to build a link network using these sites, then you will need to have a separate IP address for each web site. Fortunately, IP addresses are not a major factor for webmasters that don’t own a lot of web sites that are interlinking in the same niche.

Hosting Reliability and Features

Most people don’t realize that an unreliable hosting network can have a negative impact on a web site’s search engine ranking and site indexing. When your web site is down (as it often may be with unreliable web hosting) search engine robots will be unable to index your new pages. This may have a very negative impact on the amount of pages that are indexed for your site, and how often updated pages are indexed in the search engine results.

A powerful hosting plan will also be able to handle more software installations and tasks, which can be especially useful if you are using automated software for link building or to perform other mundane tasks involved with SEO.

Robots.txt

The robots.txt file is another overlooked connection between your web hosting plan and your SEO efforts. The robots.txt file is a file that is located on your web server, which dictates how robots (particularly search engine bots) interact with your web site. If the robot.txt file is set to dis-allow all robots then your site will not be able to get ranked by any search engine, leaving you without any form of SEO traffic. Most hosting companies leave this file blank or do not include, so it is important to verify whether or not the robots.txt file is present in the web server that hosts your web site.

What Are Web Servers and Why Are They Needed?

Art — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:00:29 +0000

The web hosting industry appears to be incredibly complex to most novice webmasters, especially those that are not familiar with crucial web hosting terms. One of the most basic web hosting terms is “web server.” Web servers are the focal point of web hosting. In fact, web hosting is simply a service in which you remotely lease web servers for your web site’s use. If you have been struggling to figure out what a web server is and why it is needed then you may want to continue reading.

The Main Purpose of a Web Server

A web server’s main purpose is to store web site files and broadcast them over the internet for you site visitor’s to see. In essence, a web server is simply a powerful computer that stores and transmits data via the internet. When someone visits a web page on your site their browser communicates with your web server, sending and receiving information that ultimately dictates what appears on the visitor’s computer screen. Thus, the main purpose of a web server is to store and transfer web site data upon the request of a visitor’s browser.

How Do Web Servers Work?

Every web server and computer that is connected to the internet is assigned an IP address that identifies that device on the network. Even standard computers are assigned IP addresses when they connect to the internet. An IP address is almost like the return address on a postal package. When you visit a web site, a request is sent out from your IP address to the IP address of the web server. The web server then responds by sending data to the requesting IP address, and this is the process through which all data is transferred to your computer from a web site. More than ninety percent of the web sites on the internet are currently utilizing a leased web server that is being provided by a web hosting company. Web server capabilities differ depending upon the type, size and provider of the hosting plan.

Why Are Web Servers Needed?

Without web servers the internet as we know it would cease to exist. Web servers are an integral part of the way the internet works. The web hosting industry is simply used to lease out web servers, providing average business owners and individuals with the opportunity to use high-tech servers that make it possible to expand their outreach to the entire world. Without rental web servers the internet would be a fraction of the size it is today, as most web site owners can afford to buy their own web server in cash.

Web servers are the gateway between the average individual and the world wide web, yet surprisingly web hosting plans start at only a couple of dollars per month. Now that you’re familiar with web servers you can begin shopping for a quality web hosting plan without the usual confusion that most novices experience.

The Pros and Cons of Hosting on a Single IP

Art — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:45:39 +0000

As multiple-domain hosting becomes a more affordable and popular option, hosting shoppers are flocking to those hosts that offer this solution. Since most shared hosting providers offer a multiple-domain hosting choice, clients are utilizing this to their advantage.

Although there are a few forms of multiple-domain hosting, the most popular version is to host all domains on a single IP address. There are many critics that argue this is not good practice. There are many pros and cons to this method of hosting. The pros include:

One billing account
Faster access to multiple sites
Basic packages save money

The cons include:

Search engine issues
Adding features costs significantly more

One useful feature is that all the domains are charged onto one billing account. That way its easier to keep track of which sites had overages charges, thus allowing the client to upgrade those sites with a good deal of traffic. Having one account also allows the client to find all statistics in one place.

Also when linking from one site to the next on the same server, the connection will be faster due to less access time. This is a helpful feature for the client that has a network of sites all connected from a main page.

Finally, the basic multiple-domain hosting packages save money. Since the client doesn’t have to pay for one hosting plan per website all on different servers, they are able to save much more money by paying one bill for all, on the same server.

One disadvantage of multiple-domain hosting is the search engine issues that arise. If a website is banned from a search engine due to a violation of terms and conditions, the entire IP address will be banned, thus not indexing all websites under that account. This can cause major problems especially if the sites are posted on major search engines.

Another disadvantage is that adding various features can cost significantly more money. For instance, since most multiple-domain providers offer dynamic IP addresses. If the client needs a static IP address, they will have to spend a good portion of extra money to obtain it. This would be a requirement for the configuration of SSL on the website.

Despite the few cons associated with multiple-domain hosting, there are many pros that make this an attractive option. Since the basic packages are an economical decision, this has become one of the most popular hosting methods currently available.

VPS vs Dedicated Hosting Plans – Finding an Ideal Plan

Art — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:51:06 +0000

Hosting plans come in many different flavors, from dedicated hosting to shared hosting, there is a plan for just about everyone. One type of hosting plan that is becoming increasingly popular is the VPS hosting solution, which stands for Virtual Private Server. This is a very good alternative to the standard shared hosting plans that give you an IP address that you must share with man other webmasters.

Sharing an IP address with other webmasters can be detrimental to the success of your website because if the other websites on your IP address get banned or deindexed from the search engine then you run the risk of having the same happen to you.

Many times the search engines view your website as being owned by the same entity if it hosted on an IP address with another site, especially if just two of those sites happen to link to each other. To prevent this from happening, many people have resorted to leasing dedicated and virtual private servers though dedicated and VPS hosting plans. Although these are definitely suitable solutions, there are still tremendous differences between various dedicated and VPS hosting accounts. The following information should help you decide which one is right for you and how you can find one that will accommodate your hosting needs.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated Hosting accounts let you lease a dedicated server that will only be used by you, meaning you’ll have access to more server resources. With a dedicated hosting account you are also given a dedicated IP address which you can host your site on and not have to worry about sharing your site’s IP address with negative websites that could impact your search engine rankings. Dedicated hosting accounts are the most popular solution for business owners.

VPS Hosting

A VPS hosting account is very similar to a dedicated hosting account, however instead of having a server that is simply dedicated to your website’s needs, you’ll also be bale to configure the server as if it was your own. Many dedicated hosting accounts come with management options that let the user relax while the web host deals with server administration. Since VPS hosting does not include this kind of maintenance service, the cost of VPS hosting is usually much cheaper.

How To Find a Good VPS or Dedicated Plan

Finding a good hosting plan within either one of these hosting types is usually fairly simple, in fact you may be able to acquire one with your current web host. The best way to find a good VPS or Dedicated hosting account would be to search web hosting forums. There are web hosting forums where experienced members share hosting plans with each other and cheap web hosting companies come to place special offers. Often times you can find special discount coupons at these forums and you can find in depth reviews form real people. Using this method you can find a good hosting account of any kind without having to take the risk of using an unreliable service.

Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » IP

IPv6: What it is, and What You Need to Know

Related posts:

SEO Web Hosting: A Powerful Tool to Dominate Search Engine Rankings

How does SEO Web Hosting Boost Page Visibility?

Relation between SEO and Web Hosting

seohosting.com

seowebhosting.net

seo-host.com

Related posts:

Performing IP Filtering Through cPanel – A Brief Tutorial

Related posts:

Dedicated IP Web Hosting

Related posts:

An Overview VPS Hosting Restrictions

Related posts:

SEO Web Hosting vs Dedicated Web Hosting

Related posts:

SEO and Web Hosting – The Connection

Related posts:

What Are Web Servers and Why Are They Needed?

Related posts:

The Pros and Cons of Hosting on a Single IP

Related posts:

VPS vs Dedicated Hosting Plans – Finding an Ideal Plan

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