Archive for March, 2009
The Domain Name System (DNS) is an essential element of the Internet, responsible for tying a domain name to the IP address where that domain resides. Since humans can only memorize so many twelve digit IP addresses (for example: 127.243.238.123), DNS was created as a way to take that IP address and create a unique human-identifiable name to be related with it. Because of DNS, you can type “google.com” into your browser and it magically finds the Google server.
It comes in handy to thoroughly understand the DNS system because you use it constantly as a web developer or server owner, so let’s take a moment to see how this process works.
DNS Resolution
When you type “google.com” into your browser and hit enter, many things happen behind the scenes that you never see:
- The browser takes the name “google.com” and sends a DNS request to the default name server setup by either your IT staff or your ISP. Basically, it asks “Where is google.com?”
- The default name server looks in its DNS table to find “google.com”. If it has an entry for it, it sends back the corresponding IP address. If it does not have an entry, it forwards the request to another DNS server – typically operated by your ISP.
- The next name server looks at its table, and hopefully has an entry for “google.com” and is able to respond with its IP address. Although this process could repeat, it typically doesn’t exceed 1-3 forwards before it finds the correct entry.
- The browser receives the response saying Google’s IP address is “74.125.67.100″ and then sends a request to 74.125.67.100 for the page you asked for.
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This one is just too good to pass up:
Small Bat Hitches Ride on Shuttle Discovery
I guess if you want a free ride to the ISS, all you have to do is hang on tight!
Rumors were swirling around Wall Street yesterday that IBM was in talks to buy Sun Microsystems, the owner of technologies such as Java, MySQL, and Solaris. If this were to happen, it would certainly bring to light several interesting possibilities for Open Source Software – and especially MySQL.
IBM – although typically known for their hardware division – has some very capable software development teams in place. Popular Open Source Software that is heavily updated and maintained by the company include:
- Apache – chances are, you’re using it for a web server
- Bugzilla – open source bug tracking
- Eclipse – the popular open source Java IDE
- A full list of IBM’s 183 Open Source Initiatives
IBM also develops some closed source applications for the enterprise, primarily the Lotus package and DB2 – and it is DB2 where things could get interesting.
March Madness is one of my favorite times of the year. Who will win? What will the upsets be? The joy of NCAA basketball is that all 64 teams have a chance to win big – no matter how unexpectedly.
My Kansas State University Wildcats are in the NIT (with a big overtime win last night!), so I do not have any bias as to who wins this year.
A common question among growing web businesses who are expanding beyond the capability of a shared hosting environment is whether they should go with a Virtual Private Server (VPS) or Dedicated Server. What should a business consider when looking to upgrade beyond their basic shared or reseller account?
There are many reasons why you might be expanding beyond a shared environment and these must be addressed before you can make an informed decision.
What is a VPS, Anyway?
A VPS is a fairly recent development in the IT world that has opened many doors for medium-sized web operators. Basically, it is a dedicated server with several “virtual machines” running on it. For instance, you can have four different operating systems running at the same time, completely independently of each other. In datacenters all over the world, this technology has revolutionized how things are done.
In the old days, you might have a dedicated server sitting around using 100 GB of disk space, but only using 2-5% of a processor’s capability. Not only is this extremely inefficient, as the Internet expanded, having a dedicated server for each client got to be a monumental task for IT teams. Then virtualization was born. Read the rest of this entry »
There are said to be four P’s at the core of marketing: Product, Price, Promotion, and Place. Together, these elements can allow a business to be competitive in the global marketplace of today’s economy. Businesses stretch their marketing budget thin trying to achieve these objectives, but often times overlook a growing – and free – trend of marketing via social networking.
The four P’s are elements of an expanded definition of marketing: putting your product in front of a potential customer at a time when they are most likely to buy that product, in a place where they are willing to buy it, and at a price they are willing to pay for your product. By properly leveraging these elements, a business can capitalize on their potential market and compete on a global scale.
When you are considering a marketing campaign, you look at the cost-to-benefit ratio, reach, relevancy, and return on investment of a particular advertisement. Let’s consider for a moment social networking as it relates to advertising:
1. Cost-to-Benefit Ratio
Social networking is a method of connecting people, a way to “shake hands” with anyone, anywhere in the world. The cost is typically minimal – if not free – which fits well in any budget. The benefit can vary from one customer to thousands depending on the effectiveness of your campaign, but at no cost, any benefit is a positive return for your business. Not to mention it allows your business to craft a positive public image, which can be invaluable if it helps create return customers.
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Why should a small business host their Internet services with a company like WebHostingBuzz? The answers are quite simple, but often go without notice:
- It can easily cost more to maintain your own web server than hosting off-site
- Companies like WHB have a dedicated data center under their control
- Staff is on-site to manage the equipment 24/7
- Data Centers have redundant power, cooling, and Internet Connections
- Security and integrity of data
Small Businesses Get Caught in a Trap
I often see technology situations in small businesses that are less than ideal. I have seen an active server – without Anti-Virus – being used as a workstation by a receptionist. Other times, I’ve seen servers that use public IP addresses and are not behind a firewall (hardware or software). There is simply no excuse for these oversights, but it happens frequently to small businesses.
The reason for this can often be the greed of corporate consulting companies who try to convince a small business owner to buy some “latest and greatest” “must have” product or service that is a magic solution to all a business’s problems. Even though it is sometimes nice to have a magic solution, getting charged $150 per hour (or more) when something breaks is not so nice.