How To Choose A Web Hosting Service For Your Game Server?
Hosting game servers is emerging to be one of the most lucrative branches of specialized hosting services. Many hosting services are more than willing to provide room for game servers in order to make a hefty profit out of it. But while selecting a web-hosting service for game server one must be extra choosy. This is because game server hosting is much more demanding than other web hosting services.
First of all the game sites are one of the most frequently visited by net users. At any given time millions of users are latching on a single popular game site. Resultantly there is bound to be an unusually huge rush of traffick.Thus, the capacities of a service to handle traffick load should be gauged before selecting it for hosting a game server. Otherwise one could find himself among total chaos and will have to confront with heavy loss.
The “must-haves” for a game service provider is a control panel either cPanel or Plesk .A control panel solutions which is specially designed to automate and standardize game server hosting process is another requisite for a game hosting service. A game service provider without these basic tools is no less than paralyzed.
Although these control panels perform a specific function they can as well use other soft wares, whether Linux or Windows. These can also install game specific soft wares and an also send patches of soft wares to end users.
One must be aware of the pricing systems of game service providers. It is a vital factor that may affect the decision-making while choosing a service provider for game servers. A game service provider must contain nodes which are simply put, separate spaces for allocating different games. Each node should be assigned to host a specific game and supports a number of slots. The slots are the number of simultaneous connections of users who are connected to a particular node at a given time.
The pricing system is based on the number of “slots”. Thus while negotiating with a service provider it would be a good idea to be totally aware of the rates of different games. The cost per month for a certain game would be its rate multiplied by the average number of slots or the number of players connected to a certain node or server. Therefore one must keep track of the latest games which are topping the popularity charts and avoid the ones which are on the verge of being obsolete.
Compared to a shared web host machine, which can take in thousands of customers in a machine, a game host provider can accommodate only 10 to 15 nodes. This accounts for a high amount of current consumption. It would be a safe ploy to ascertain whether a web host service provider is up to it before making a decision.
Moreover if one is looking to package a game server with certain added features he should target the hosting services which provide add ones like in game chatting apart from basic hosting facilities.
What Is Green Web Host?
Green web-host, in short, can be defined as the effects of the ever increasing apprehensions and hypes regarding Global Warming on the virtual world. The unique feature of the Green web-host is that it uses renewable energy such as wind or solar energy or offers carbon offsetting by buying green tags and Renewable Energy Certificates.
The Green web-hosts consider the others as who are not yet prepared to go green, as “dirty” web-hosts. The logic behind attaching the “dirty” tag is that the latter are still oblivion of the fact that they are emitting a threatening amount of carbon in the atmosphere which is supposedly responsible for hastening the decline of the atmosphere.
Even after much effort some amount of carbon is being emitted by the green web-hosts. To counterbalance these emissions, the green web hosts buy “carbon offsets” including green tags or renewable energy certificates.
This dealing is used to purchase equal amount of renewable energy elsewhere or invested in reforestation projects.Reforestation, in turn absorbs and negates the effects of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide emissions which is responsible for Global Warming.
Some of the prominent Green Web Hosts are-Athanaeum, EcoSky, WebCtel, ThinkHost, Ilysis among others.
The sale of the carbon offsets is certified by a third party as recognition of the authenticity of the deal.Green-e; a non profit consumer protection company is a prominent name in this field.
Critics have their own point of views regarding the Green revolution in the field of web hosting. According to a section of them, renewable energy is a natural alternative for web host providers due to the increasing scarcity of energy resources and their rising prices. This long-term cost cutting strategy has been conveyed to the mass under the cover of Green Revolution.
Thus, according to them these are marketing strategies which are used to serve two purposes. On one hand they are aching out a sure shot way to bail them out of trouble which may occur in the near future due to energy crisis and soaring prices.Onthe other hand, they are maintaining an eco-friendly image which is doing a world of good to their goodwill.
Some are also of the opinion that the entire “carbon offset” thing is deliberately being mystified. It should be more open and transparent.
Questions have also been raised about the clarity of these so called “greenwashing”.Others have expressed suspicions about the standards against which the amount of “greenery” of these Green web hosts are measured.
To some others, these are nothing more than a mere hoax and are likely to die down sooner rather than later. But there are also the ones who are adopting a wait and see policy and delaying their judgments.
Having said these, all is not grim for green web hostings.There is also people who have readily welcomed this initiative with open arms.
But whatever the negatives or pitfalls may be, the green web hosting is a fresh initiative and only time will tell what it will turn out to be.
Photo Web Hosting Fundamental
The recent years have seen the emergence of specialized branches of web-hosting services. Photo-hosting service is one of them. The rise in popularity charts of blogs, forums, and auctions has mainly led to it’s the formation. It is specifically concerned with photo-storage. It provides the users who do not have personal web space, to upload selected images to the photo-hosting server.
It comes across as a package with loads of user-friendly features. Individual HTML codes enable a particular image or images to be available to others if the user wishes so.
It enables the users to select and upload multiple images at a time or upload a single ZIP code comprising of multiple images. Some transfer from URL in order to avoid bandwidth theft.
Moreover it enables the users to share photos with others usually by links like BB or HTML code.
Some of the other advanced features of photo host service include providing facilities to the users to form galleries . Creating photo blogs is a popular feature presented to the users by photo host service. Photo slideshow is another salient feature of this web-host. The sizes of the images can be manipulated by the users according to their wills. Apart from these some photo host services include features like file-loading applications, browser sidebars.
For further users’ convenience the photo-host service has been sub-brancherd.Free photo-hosting does not require the users to pay for the services offered while Fee photo-hosting offers paid services. Both are tailor made to meet the needs of various users. But with a minimal expense, the Fee photo web hosting provide can prove to be a much more user friendly. It also offers several popular features which are absent in the Free photo hosting services.
Flickr, Photobucket are some of the Free photo-host services while C I Host is Fee or paid photo-host service. Both have their individual sets of features. The users are enabled to opt for the one they wish to. One trademark aspect of Free photo-host service is the restrictions imposed on the maximum size of the images stored because of the costly bandwidth fees. This particular limitation often makes users feel handicapped. They bank largely on advertisements for their financial backing. As they do not charge the users, they depend largely on the commercials to make up for it.
On the other hand, Free photo service provides a larger number of facilities and features to the users. It holds no bar on the maximum sizes of the images selected by the users. It enables the users to protect their photo albums with passwords to avoid intrusion. Some of the unique aspects of Fee photo-hosting service are customizable skins and customized sub-domains. Apart from these they enable the users to add text with the images.Scrapbooks; e-memory, calendar, and family-tree are also included in its package.
Overall, photo-host services provide a vast range of features and facilities for users ranging from photographers by profession to photographers by passion. It is fast becoming one of the most popular forms of specialized web hosting and is expected to excel further in the near future.
What Are The Primary Advantages Of Server Collocation?
Server collocation has its own fans and critics. One might not necessarily find the idea of practically dragging his server to some other place particularly appealing. But if one is guided by common sense he might find it much more lucrative than it appears at the first glance. From every possible angle it appears to be a practical and sensible option.
The server collocation provider installs the server in the rack of his home operation center. As a result the bandwidth will get shared. In return the owner of the server will have to pay the rental charges to the server collocation provider.
Paying hefty charges for bandwidth can prove to be a big headache. Especially if a website has huge traffick rush his, the charges he has to pay for bandwidth will also be high. The prospect of paying only a rental fee to the server collocator instead of paying the bandwidth charges will surely sounds much more attractive. No one would think twice to share an unwanted burden in return of minimum expenditure.
The owner of the server is provided with an IP address which will enable him to connect with his server from anywhere. He does not have to be always physically present to operate on his server.
Another advantage of the server collocation system is that a server colocator is bound to be an expert on the typical problems that may arise with the server. It is a part and parcel of the server collocator’s profession to know the internal settings of a server like the back of his hand.
Power outrages would not be a problem as the server collocation center is equipped with guaranteed backup power supply in the form of onsite diesel generators. Moreover there are arrangements for substations for extended power outrages. Thus there is full guarantee that the servers will remain turned on throughout the day without unwanted interruptions like power shortages, which is the greatest enemy of servers.
Also, a server collocation provider guarantees high speed connectivity of the server via multiple connections. This helps to avoid downtime. If need be, there are also provisions for adding extra servers which can be connected with the main server. Thus huge traffick loads can be handled with ease and with minimum time.
The server is constantly kept under the scrutiny of network engineers to ensure its smooth running. Also, it is kept under tight security arrangements. Electronic access security and security guards are appointed to protect the server 24*7.This is simply because of the fact that security concerns regarding the server is much more among the server collocation provider and his staff than its owner as it is the formers’ main investment.
In case of any damages to the server the service collocation provider will be the worst sufferer.Thus,it can be safely said that the home operation center of the collocator the server is even safer than the owner’s own residence.
What Else Do You Know About Blade Servers
Gone are the days of bulky rack mounted servers were. With the advancement of technology, blade servers are fast becoming the order of the day.
Blade servers are self contained computer server designed specially for high density jobs. Unlike a typical rack mounted computer a blade server does not require power chord or network cable. But it can still carry out the various functionalities of a standard rack mounted server with ease.
The blade system comprises of the blade enclosure which has the capability to hold multiple blade servers. The blade enclosure also carries out important functions like power coolings, networking, interconnects as well as management.
Power supply is one of the functionalities provided by blade enclosures. It is the single power source for all blades within the enclosure.
Certain amount of heat is produced during the course of any operation. The blade enclosure removes the heat6 formed by fans thus cooling the server.
Networking is another important function of blade enclosure. It provides with one or more network buses to which the blades will connect. It either present the ports presenting them in individual location or assembling them in fewer ports thus reducing the cost of connecting individually.
The blade servers are lower-end servers, fitted into a single chassis. The number of blades that the chassis can hold varies from 8 to 24.One of the most salient features the blade server is that each blades an independent system with its own memory, processor and network connection.
The prime factors that have led to the vast popularity of the blade servers are its cost effectiveness and much less consumption of heat, electricity.Another feature of the blade server which has acted as catalyst behind its popularity is its size.
More than 250 blade servers can be easily accommodated in a single rack. On the other hand approximately 42 servers can be accommodated to a standard rack when it comes to the other lower end servers available in the market.
Besides being used as a web server a blade server can provide other functionalities too. It can perform as SSL servers for encrypted communications, or as streaming servers for audio and video transmissions.
Moreover blade servers are also being used as Firewall devices in corporate data centers.
Blade servers have also proved to be useful in specific purpose like- cluster computing. They have also ached out a prominent position in the fields of web hostins.In the backdrop of soaring energy costs, the economy that it provides in terms of heat consumption are turning out to be extremely handy for the data centers. The fact that it occupies minimal space has also contributed hugely in this field.
A blade server is easy to install.Also, the presence of dedicated software result in better administration, performance and accountability among users. However the blade servers have its own limitations. Ian case of a large scale problem it may not prove to be very useful.Inthese cases server farms are safer options.
Also, its high power density can lead to acute problems which can affect large sever farms. But in spite of these minor pitfalls, the growing popularity of blade servers show that it is here to stay.
Spyware Programs Are Out To Get You
The US net provider EarthLink said it uncovered an average of 28 spyware programs on each PC scanned during the first three months of the year.
There are currently over 38,000 spyware and adware programs that are infecting innocent Internet users such as yourself through downloadable games, music, screensavers, pictures, pop-ups, emails, and the list goes on and on. Spyware and Adware can cause your PC to run extremely slow and even crash, and allow hackers and advertising companies to invade your privacy whenever they wish.
What Is Spyware?
Spyware is a broad term for programs that collects information from your computer without your knowledge or consent. Spyware is a software program that transmits a unique code to identify you (for tracking purposes) without your knowledge or consent. The programs collects or transmits information about your computer use, or other habits without your knowledge or consent.
This internet pest which is better known as spyware installs itself on your computer without your knowledge or consent. It performs other unwholesome duties, and continue to reinstalling itself no matter how many times you remove it.
Spyware!
It has become so pervasive that lawmakers in the US are looking into ways to prevent or regulate it. The Spy Audit by EarthLink reflects the results of scans involving over one million computers between January and March. It uncovered more than 29.5 million examples of spyware.
Why should I be concerned about spyware or adware?
Passwords, credit card details and other personal information could end up in the wrong hands.
Your computer could get unwanted viruses, worms or even Trojan.
You would receive unwanted emails.
Your computer could be used by malicious operators to do damage not only your own computer, but to other computer users too.
How did I get spyware on my computer and how do I eliminate it?
It usually happens when you visit a web site, and are prompted to download something that is said to be “necessary” to view or use features of that web site. Also, you might want or download a program that has some nice features, but also installs program code that can send information out without your knowledge.
“By tracking and publicizing the growth of spyware, we can better educate consumers of its risks and encourage them to take steps to protect themselves and their families while online,” said Christine Stevenson of Webroot, which conducted the scans.
People concerned about what might be lurking on their machine can download software such as the popular ZoneAlarm Pro, Pest Patrol, and Spybot to disinfect their computer.
Internet Security Basics
The explosive growth of the Internet has meant that thousands of people are today experiencing the joys of being online for the first time. With growth there always comes pain. Be it your growing pains as a child or the growth and development of this part of our culture called the Internet.
Firstly we need to quickly explain what the Internet is and where it came from. The Internet is the offspring of a military project called Arpanet. Arpanet was designed to provide reliable communication during global nuclear war. A vast network of interconnected computers was set up all over the world to allow the various branches of US and NATO forces to communicate with each other.
Nuclear war never came (thankfully) and the world was left with a massive network of computers all connected together with nothing to do. Colleges and universities started to use these computers for sharing research internationally. From there it grew and spread outside colleges to local homes and businesses. The World Wide Web was born and its father was a guy called Tim Berners Lee.
When you’re connected to the Internet you’re sharing a vast network with hundreds of millions of other users. This shared network provides resources that 15 years ago were never thought possible. Unfortunately when something is shared its open to abuse. On the Internet this abuse comes from hackers and virus creators. Their sole intent is to cause chaos and/or harm to your computer system and millions of other computer systems all over the world.
How do you combat this? You need an Internet security system. This might sound complicated but your Internet security system will be quite straigtforward being comprised of just 2 - 3 Internet security products. We’ll look at each of these products in more detail now:
AntiVirus Software
The first and most critical element of your Internet security system is antivirus software. If you don’t have up-to-date antivirus software on your PC you’re asking for trouble. 300 new viruses appear each month and if you’re not constantly protecting your system against this threat your computer will become infected with at least one virus - it’s only a matter of time.
Antivirus software scans your PC for signatures of a virus. A virus signature is the unique part of that virus. It can be a a file name, how the virus behaves or the size of the virus file itself. Good antivirus software will find viruses that haven’t yet infected your PC and eliminate the ones that have.
Antivirus software can only protect your computer from viruses trying to infect it via email, CD-Rom, floppy disk, Word documents or other types of computer files. Antivirus software alone will not keep your computer 100% safe. You also need to use firewall software.
Firewall Software
The use of firewall software by home computer users is a relatively new occurence. All Internet connections are a two way process. Data must be sent and received by your computer. This data is sent through something called ports. These are not physical things rather aspects of the way your computer communicates online.
Firewall software watches these ports to make sure that only safe communication is happening between your computer and other computers online. If it sees something dangerous happening it blocks that port on your computer to make sure your computer stays safe from the person who is trying to hack into your system.
An easier way to understand a firewall would be to picture your computer as an apartment complex. At the front door of this complex there is a security guard. Every person who enters the complex must pass this security guard. If the security guard recognizes the person entering as a resident he allows them to pass without saying anything. If, however, the person entering the complex is unknown to him then he will stop that person and ask for identification. If they have no business being at the apartment complex he escorts them from the building.
If you are not currently using firewall software your computer will get hacked into - that’s a guarantee.
PopUP Blocker
You can get a good popup blocker at no cost. An easy way to do this is to install either the Google or Yahoo toolbar. Both of these come with popup blockers built in. Popups are not necessarily dangerous but are a nuisance and using either of these toolbars will make your life that bit easier.
A simple rule for practicing online security is: “If in doubt then don’t”. If you don’t recognize the file, the email address, the website or if your gut feeling says “no” then don’t click that button.
What Is Adware?
Adware is one of many “malwares” or malicious software programs that are unknowingly installed on your computer when you visit online sites and download freebies. When you use share files or visit sites with free downloads of wallpaper, videos, or music, some of these sites will send along adware software with your download.
These malwares are a rapidly growing threat to all computer systems. It is estimated that in the first three months of 2005 over 80% of computer users had some type of malware software program running on their computer, without their knowledge.
Although it is much less a threat to your computer and information than spyware is, what adware will do is cause pop up banners and advertisements to appear on your computer. These advertisements are displayed on your computer no matter what program you might be using. What the people who place this type of nuisance software on you computer say is that adware advertising helps them to recover costs and allows them to offer you those freebies you want.
What you want to do to stop adware from appearing on your computer is to first run an anti-adware program. Run this program on demand regularly. Along with an anti-adware software program run your regular computer virus scan on demand also.
Check the security level on your computer. You security level setting should be at least medium to help protect you from unwanted downloads.
Do not download free files from the internet, period. When downloading any software read the end-user license agreement. Some of these agreements will state that when you download their software you are also agreeing to accept a downloaded spyware that may be placed on your computer at the same time.
Be aware of threats to your computer, and your personal information.
Why Do I Need Anti Virus Software For My Computer
If you’ve recently purchased a computer, or are just learning about using email and the internet, you may have heard about computer viruses and anti-virus software. You may be wondering if this is something that you should be concerned about, and if so, what you should do about it. This article will attempt to answer these questions for you.
First, you may be wondering just what a computer virus is. Basically a computer virus is one of many types of small programs that install themselves on your computer without your consent. Usually they enter your program through an email, or while you are browsing a website.
When these programs run, usually without you knowing, they can cause all types of problems with your computer. Some viruses can be mildly annoying, slowing down your computer as they use your computer’s resources for another purpose. Others can be very dangerous, collecting your personal information and sending it to another party, or damaging your hard-drive.
True to their name, viruses are able to use your internet connection and email program and send themselves to the computers of other people you know, spreading themselves just like a contagious disease.
Because of this, just like the health of your body, when it comes to computer viruses, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is much easier to prevent viruses from entering your computer than it is to get rid of them and cure your computer once it becomes infected. This is why Anti-Virus software is important.
Once you realize that you need anti-virus software installed and running on your computer, you’ll have to choose which one to purchase and install. This can be a complicated process, but here are some tips to make it a bit easier.
First, check your computer to see if it came with anti-virus software. Many new computers are shipped with anti-virus programs already to go on them, you just need to turn them on. Check your instruction manual to see if this is the case with your computer.
Check with the vendor. If you purchased your computer from a local retailer, check with them to see what anti-virus program they recommend. They should be more than willing to help you and may even be able to provide you with a discount since you purchased a computer from them.
Once you have your anti-virus installed and running on your computer, be sure to contact the software’s support if you have any questions. It is also important to keep your software updated. Many of these programs will automatically update themselves when you are online. This is very important since new viruses are always appearing and you want to make sure your computer is protected.
Wireless Networks
Wireless networks use radio waves instead of wires to transmit data between computers. Here’s how:
The Binary Code: 1s and 0s
It’s well known that computers transmit information digitally, using binary code: ones and zeros. This translates well to radio waves, since those 1s and 0s can be represented by different kinds of beeps. These beeps are so fast that they’re outside the hearing range of humans.
Morse Code: Dots And Dashes
It works like Morse code, which is a way to transmit the alphabet over radio waves using dots (short beeps) and dashes (long beeps). Morse code was used manually for years via telegraph to get information from 1 place to another very quickly. More importantly for this example, though, it is a binary system, just as a computer system is.
Wireless networking, then, can be thought of as a Morse code for computers. You plug in a combined radio receiver and transmitter, and the computer is able to send out its equivalent of dots and dashes (bits, in computer-speak) to get your data from here to there.
Wavelengths And Frequencies
You might wonder how the computer can send and receive data at high speed without becoming garbled nonsense. The key to wireless networking is how it gets around this problem.
First, wireless transmissions are sent at very high frequencies, which allows more data to be sent per second. Most wireless connections use a frequency of 2.4 gigahertz (2.4 billion cycles per second) — a frequency similar to mobile phones and microwave ovens. However, this high frequency produces a wavelength that is very short, which is why wireless networking is effective only over short distances.
Wireless networks also use a technique called “frequency hopping.” They use dozens of frequencies, and constantly switch among them. This makes wireless networks more immune to interference from other radio signals than if they transmitted on a single frequency.
Internet Access Points
The final step for a wireless network is to provide internet access for every computer on the network. This is done by a special piece of wireless equipment called an access point. An access point is more expensive than a wireless card for 1 computer, because it contains radios capable of communicating with around 100 computers, sharing internet access among them. Dedicated access points are necessary only for larger networks. With only a few computers, it is possible to use 1 of them as the access point, or to use a wireless router.
Industry Standards
Wireless equipment from different manufacturers can work together to handle these complex communications because there are standards which guide the production of all wireless devices. These standards are technically called the 802.11. Because of industry compliance with these standards, wireless networking is both easy to use and affordable today.
Wireless Is Simple To Use
If all this talk of frequencies has you worried — relax. Wireless networking hardware and software handle all of this automatically, without need for user intervention. Wireless networking, for all its complicated ability, is far simpler to use than you might expect.
