Canadian Domain Name Registration and Web Hosting Support

Frequently Asked Questions

• I just went to a web page, and now I cannot get back to my previous web page because the Back browser button is grey. How do I go back?
• My company is planning to set up on the Internet. Where do we start?
• Can you provide a "road map" of the basic steps we will need to take?
• What is a domain name, and why do I need one?
• What is web hosting?
• What is domain (DNS) hosting, and why do I need it?
• You charge for your hosting: Why shouldn't we use a free hosting company?
• How is a web developer different from a web designer?
• What should I consider when purchasing web hosting services?
• What are some other factors affecting website performance / reliability?
• When I ftp my updates to my main page, I don't see them?
• Why should I want a firewall for my business?
• What is a "hacker"
• What are script kiddies?
• Can you set up secure access for my employees from their home to the office?

General

• I just went to a web page, and now I cannot get back to my previous web page because the Back browser button is grey. How do I go back?
  
  The reason that this has happened is that the link you pressed opened a new window.
  
  You just need to either close the window by pressing the "x" on the titlebar, or switch back to the other window by holding down the "alt" key and pressing the "tab" key (sometimes the one with the left and right arrows on it) until you get the other window back.

Web Site

• My company is planning to set up on the Internet. Where do we start?
  
  Please read our Web Development page.
  
  
• Can you provide a "road map" of the basic steps we will need to take?
  
  Also read our Web Development page. Basically you need to register a domain name; host the domain name; build, or have a website built; and host the website. Then someone will have to design build, and test the website for you. We provide all of these services.
  
  
• What is a domain name, and why do I need one?
  
  Registering a domain name is like putting your name in the phone book. If someone wants to find you on the Internet, he will type in your name, and the domain name service in his computer will look up the exact address of where your company is located on the Internet. To get that exact address, his computer will look at the "DNS" hosts that his service provider either gave him directly, or through a behind-the-scene service.
  
  
• What is web hosting?
  
  Web hosting is the service of storing, and rendering web pages for viewing by a computer that is connected to the Internet.
  
  
• What is a domain (DNS) hosting, and why do I need it?
  
  Domain hosting is generally set up when you register a domain name. Registering a domain name simply reserves your name so that others can see that you have declared it yours. Hosting the domain name associates your name with two or more computers so that they can brodcast the details of where your different services (eg. email and web servers) are located on the Internet. Nobody can get to your website, or send you any email associated with your domain name without domain hosting.
  
  
• You charge for your hosting: why shouldn't we use a free hosting company?
  
  Many companies offer "free" web-hosting, but they will put their company logo, and/or some sales information somewhere on your site. We charge a nominal amount to host your site with us, and provide you with commercial free hosting.
  
  
• How is a web developer different from a web designer?
  
  A web designer is someone with graphic design skills who can lay out a website so that a web developer can create the code to present the website. Some designers have some html skills, but few have the ability to create "server-based" programs, and/or web based form programs. Computer Engineering Inc. has both web designers and web developers available to design and create great looking web sites. With these rich resources we can model your business processes with our Systems Analyst Services, and then offer a rich graphics and database interface for internal business functions, or to dazzle your clients with a website on the Internet.
  
  
• What should I consider when purchasing web hosting services?
  
  RELIABILITY
  A couple of years ago, a common bandwidth for Internet hosts was T1 (1.5 Megabits/second). As the Internet's popularity grows, the once standard T1 has become the "snail" in terms of hosting connections. More and more providers have one or more T3 connections (45 Megabits/second), which provides a "pipe" 27 times faster than a T1. You will find many, many hosting services which offer this speed at prices that rival T1 connections. While all of this speed is nice, a company with 10 000 customers that has a 10 T3 lines will offer slower internet access than a company with 20 clients, and a T1 line. Usually it is difficult to determine how many clients are connected to a web hosting service, so it is a better idea to go with a hosting company that is reliable: this includes periodic backups, and some indication of the uptime that you can expect. If speed is slow (also very difficult to determine who is at fault), then simply suggest to the hosting company that your site is slower than normal, and what is the reason. Sometimes this is due to network congestion somewhere between you and the hosting company.
  
  FEATURES
  Not all web hosting services provide the same features. Computer Engineering Inc. does not, for example, provide Front Page extensions since they are a security risk. Computer Engineering Inc., however, does provide a complete php and postgreSQL toolset with a modern and upgrading apache web server. These tools allow the developer to create extremely sophicated web pages that can be ported to another hosting site: php used by more than a million websites worldwide.
  
  
• What are some other factors affecting website performance / reliability?
  
  Operating System software, processor speed, server memory, and the number of sites placed on each server are all important factors. At Computer Engineering Inc., we use extremely reliable Unix Servers and are constantly planning upgrades, and upgrading our servers. To increase optimal performance, we limit the number of web sites on each box. One final note about performance. Each hosting provider has an internal network, which your website is connected to. Your pages must make a trip through that internal network before they are sent out to the Internet and ultimately to your customers. At Computer Engineering Inc., we are also continually planning upgrades, and upgrading our internal and gateway network and network access speed to suit our clients' needs.
  
  
• When I ftp my updates to my main page, I don't see them?
  
  Try accessing your site using port 8080. To do this, just append :8080 to the website name. So if your website is /contact, just append :8080 as in :8080/contact.
  
  

Firewalls / Security

• Why should I want a firewall for my business?
  
  The general idea of a firewall is to isolate your internal network thereby keeping it away from intruders outside your internal network but still allowing your "internal" users to communicate with the outside world possibly in a controlled fashion. The Internet serves many people that gather information around the clock and around the world. Most people use the net as a resourceful medium to attain or store information, others (intruders) use it to gain vital information or use resources which are not theirs.
  
  
• What is a "hacker"?
  
  Actually the correct term is "cracker" — like a safe-cracker. The term "Hacker" should refer to someone who writes computer source code in a rapid manner: a good "hack" is a well written program that was whipped up quickly. The term "Hacker" originated from the same name used for writers.
  
  A "Cracker" is a person who breaks into computers — usually on the Internet.
  
  
• What are script kiddies?
  
  Script Kiddies are people who download scripts and programs off of the Internet which can be used to break in, or "crack" into machines connected to the Internet. They are usually children, or teenagers that get a thrill out of breaking into and destroying things. These are the most common break-ins on the Internet, and usually the most damaging. A professional cracker who wants corporate info will probably never be detected, and destroy nothing. Script Kiddies are the main reason for getting a firewall. Valuable time will be lost if a breach occurs in restoring data, and programs to your computer.
  
  

VPN

• Can you set up secure access for my employees from their home to the office?
  
  This is a common setup. We provide a basic setup that allows employees or management to access their servers at work in a secure manner. This is called a VPN, or Virtual Private Network. Our solution requires a low cost computer in the home that acts as a firewall, a VPN gateway, and a dhcp host so the home user can connect many computers to the firewall protected home subnetwork. A single server at the office can provide VPN gateway access for all employees. Over 100 VPN connections have been tested with our product offering, and many more are possible.