Most hosting plans give you one shared ip for free but you can purchase more if required.
Why would I want to have a dedicated or more than one IP address ?

Thanks in advance for any help.

a dedicated ip lets you have your own ssl certificate – eg https://yoursite.com – this is a must if you sell stuff from your website, eg take customer details, credit card info etc.

There are someconcepts listed here, as to reasons to have a dedicated IP.

2. SSL . Yes, you do need a dedicated Ip if you want your Own SSL certificate for your site, however, almost all hosts will let you use their shared SSL at no additional cost to you. Some charge a fee, but most don’t. You don’t need a dedicated IP if you use their shared SSL.

3. With a dedicated IP, you can upload your site and test scripts (cgi-programs) if you set things up with the sites IP, instead of the domain name.
You can still upload your site with a shared IP, but you must use a special link to view it until the name works, and you can’t test cgi scripts until the name works. Front page should not be used to upload a site until thename works in your browser. Front page hidden scripts and includes will be broken if you upload by IP instead of your domain name in most cases. This breaks menus and forms.

The shared IP can get black listed. However, this is generally due to spammers sending spam through the server. The servers main IP is generally the mail servers IP, and that is what gets banned. This would affect all sites on that machine even if they have their own dedicated IP, because it is the email servers IP that is listed in the headers, and that is what IP all the outgoing mail comes from. Dedicated or not, it will still affect you, and it is a hassle for the host to get cleared up in most cases.

you can also have dedicated IP’s for your custom nameservers. As long as your host sets it all up correctly, your clients won’t know that you’re a reseller.

A disadvantage perhaps is that you don’t normally get a free dedicated IP. So you spend a monthly fee for it.

Can anyone tell me why should I get a dedicated Server rather than a shared hosting for my business. What is the up and down?

One of the downfalls to shared hosting is your website can be affected alot more by other clients actions. If anothe client spams then your emails may be blacklisted because they are from the same IP.

It depends on the reliability & amount of security you’re looking for. Shared hosting can be very risky as others have described in this thread. Your site’s security and reliability depends on other customers’ practices.

Dedicated server is more flexible, but costly….

Go for dedicated only if:
1. You want complete control of the server, and want complete security for your data.
2. You have too much traffic, more than few hundread GB per month.

U can also choose VPS or semi-dedi servers.

Yes, There are also semi-dedi servers that can be used more efficient for a beginners’ usage.

In my opinion:-

Up(s):
1: You can control your server better.
2: You are in a better position to provide support.
3: You can limit the number of customers you want on that server.

Down(s):
1: More maintaince.
2: Can be quite complicating, if you do not have enough computer skills to manage it.
3: Definately more expensive.
4: Most dedicated servers renting companies do not provide sufficient software(s) for the best use. And such software needs licenses, so you might need to purchase them.

In shared hosting,If another site is DDOS attacked then your site will go down as well. If another client installs a faulty script that hogs the cpu, your site will lag until that has been corrected. A good host will minize these risks for you, but if the site is mission critical to your business then I would go with a dedicated server.

It really depends on what you are looking for

Recently overselling is big issue in web hosting industry. so I just wanted to get your opinions on it….. Do you think overselling is justified?

choosing a web host can be a very confusing exercise, especially when you consider the growing number of web hosts and their confusing advertisements.which things to be consider when choosing a web host, plz. gives some tips for that.

Some Tips:

H-SPHERE is the best hosting control panel i have been gone so far.

Linux Hosting is the best option you can choose. Because it is cheap as well as gives high performance.

I don’t know what is happened to many of the customers who buy their cheap hosting from many small sites. Normally the sites had reseller accounts and they sells account very cheaply to attract customers.

Some of the things you should see for in a host.
– customer support
– uptime (research the net for this…read reviews, etc.)
– a good CP

Always avoid resellers.

What are three major criteria you use to decide upon a host?

Cheap, Good Support, Reliable, Fast Response

For me, I would say:

1. Solution (whether it matches the requirements)
2. Technical infrastructure (financial and technical muscle of the company)
3. Consumer feedback

Services and Support are the two main things and then the rates.

Before you can launch your web site, you’ll need to engage the services of a web hosting company.

There are literally hundreds of web hosting companies to choose from. How to choose the right one?

As with trying out any new service, you won’t really know how good a web hosting company is until you try it. Therefore, ask around and see whether you can get any recommendations from those who already use a web hosting company. You might also want to consider how long the company has been in business, how reliable it is known to be, and how expensive it would be if you want to upgrade your plan in future.

Other areas to consider include:

Disk space
How much disk space do you need? Does you website have less than 10 pages? You’ll need only a small amount of space. Is it a huge site that has thousands of pages? You’ll be needing a lot of disk space. Most web hosting plans limit how much space you will have, so make sure the plan you choose meets your needs.

E-mail accounts
How many e-mail accounts do you need? You’ll probably need one for each employee and one for each department (sales, accounts, support). Make sure you purchase a hosting plan that has enough e-mail accounts. Also, do you want full POPS access, Web-based e- mail, or both?

Data transfer
How much data do you need to transfer? Most hosting plans limit how much data transfer you are allotted each month. If you expect a lot of people to visit your site, you’ll need a plan that allows for plenty of data transfer.

E-commerce
Will you be selling goods or services through your site? If not, there’s no need to sign up for an e-commerce web hosting service. If you are, e-commerce web hosting services such as shopping cart software, SSL support and a merchant account will be vital.

Database, script and extension support
Some hosts will try to blind you with all the features they provide: Frontpage, MS Access, MySQL, MS SQL, Peri support, PHP support, ASP support and SSI support. Do you really need all these features? If not, make sure you are not paying for extras you’ll never use.

Operating systems
Do you want a UNIX hosting plan or a Windows hosting plan? Unix is the most commonly used operating system among Web servers. It is known for its flexibility, reliability and stability. Windows hosting plans give you the ability to utilize many forms of dynamic content and specialized databases. Windows hosting plans are often used for sites utilizing Frontpage, ASP, MS Access databases, MS SQL Servers and other Microsoft applications.

Support
Is customer and technical support available 24/7? Can you easily get through on the customer support hotline? Or are you on hold for hours?

One of my friends has free hosting running on their server and on same server, they also have paid hosting. They have been cruising well for past four months now. But is this a good strategy to have free and paid on same server?

Well it could turn into a problem.

The main problem I see, is how well behaved the free users are going to be, given how there’s probably no way to hold them accountable for any trouble they cause.

The reality is that the free service will attract a lot of users, and may not leave much room for paying customers. It really depends on how our friend limits the free hosting accounts and their specs.

I was just wondering: how do free hosts make a living?

Advertisements and Spamming people.

I know they make their money buy selling their customers e-mail addresses and selling ad space on all the hosted sites.

actually they dont make any profit

I used a free host a long time ago. I think that most of their money comes from advertising – most have a banner at the top of the page, or to the side. Some do pop ups.

free hosts can sell their ad slots on their free users sites. they can make alot of money off that. hence 200+ sites, with 1-2 banners on them, and a host can sell the slots for 5,10, even 30+ $$$ u can make alot of money off it.

I don’t think anyone providing free hosting for 100% Free. There’s always a catch, For an example, some of the Big hosts i knw provide free hosting for posting on their forums/blogs etc, or for placing a link back to their site, and some use it as a brand promotion strategy.

The hosting for posting model has really taken off in the last year. I think that it’s a great idea personally–as long as they have some kind of focus and don’t create some huge “general chat” forum that’s littered with spam and nonsense.

Free hosting is just waiting for some great idea that will make it profitable and still have some quality to their services.

A good while ago, they were mainly a “free host” deriving money from ads placed on the users’ sites. These days, they’re a budget host, and their free hosting is there more as a legacy than anything. A side effect of being one of the larger free hosting providers used to be a good search engine ranking for hosting related keyphases.

Some do by sticking huge banner advertisements left, right, center of their website or even popups. You’ll find then they profit it by selling it off.

Are there any Limited or application-specific hosting services?

Limited or application-specific hosting services include:

* Web hosting service
* E-mail hosting service
* DNS hosting service
* Game servers
* Wiki farms

I buy and sell antiques and collectibles and want a site of my own. My site will contain a lot of thumbnails and pictures. I’d like to find a budget host with good support, a simple shopping cart, reliability as I advertise in national magazines, and plenty of space. I’m sure every host has its strong and weak points. What would be a good host to start with.

Tips to ensure you receive the highest standard in Web hosting:-

1 – Security and Reliability. In today’s world, with the threat of viruses, hackers, and data thieves, you need extra layers of electronic protection. Make sure that your Web hosting provider keeps your data behind firewalls, protected by dynamic encryption and port blocking, and reinforced by a knowledgeable, dedicated security staff. Be certain that your provider offers automatic, fail safe redundancy, so that when a server fails or is disabled by an attack, another will immediately take up the load and continue without interruption.

2 – Stability. Your needs are likely to change as your business grows, so the flexibility to upgrade your service is important. Can your Web hosting provider grow with your needs should your business evolve from a starter Web site to a high traffic e commerce site? Does it offer an array of services, including shared and dedicated hosting packages?

3 – Service and Support. 24 x 7. When something goes wrong with your service, you will want fast, intelligent answers and the problem resolved immediately, regardless of when it occurs. Consequently, you should investigate your hosting provider’s ability to proactively in form customers before t becomes an emergency. Having access to self-help tools and trained technicians enables you to obtain answers quickly and streamlines your process to resolution.

4 – Financial Stability. Your Web host is a direct reflection of your business. Be sure to choose a hosting partner with the financial strength to succeed in all economic times. Failure on its part puts your business at risk. Seek a provider that has proven experience in providing business class hosting with a state of the art network, unsurpassed reliability, and superlative customer service.

I think you are not going to have a problem finding a reliable host for your website. choose cpwebhosting.net they provides Reliable service at affordable cost