1. What is virtual web hosting?
2. What if I want to run my own web server?
3. What factors should I consider when choosing whether to run my own web server or to have Seanet host my web site?
4. What is the difference between our Windows 2000 and UNIX web servers?
5. What services does our Windows 2000 server support?
6. What services does our UNIX server support?
7. How do I choose the right web hosting plan?
8. Will I have access to reports about my web site?
9. How much does web hosting cost?

1. What is a domain?
2. What is a Virtual Domain?
3. Do I need my own domain name to have a Web site?
4. What are domain name pointers? Do you support them?
5. What is the InterNIC?
6. What is Network Solutions?
7. What is a NIC handle?
8. Can Seanet reserve a domain name for me?
9. What if my domain name was not registered through Network Solutions?
10. What is a registrar and how do I know which one registered my domain name?
11. Do you register and host International domain names?
12. Is domain name registration free?
13. How long does it take before my domain name is active?
14. How do I know my domain registration/transfer has gone through?

1. Do you support SSI (Server Side Includes)?
2. Do you provide password protected directories?
3. What databases do you support?
4. Do you support ASP? What components?

1. How do I order web hosting?
2. What happens after I place my order?
3. What if I have other questions not covered here?

Introduction to Web Hosting

1. What is Seanet virtual web hosting?

Web hosting is a field in which Seanet has extensive experience. Your web site will reside on one of our fast, state-of-the-art servers, optimized for performance and reliability. Seanet's high-capacity, high-speed servers are connected through multiple high speed connections to the Internet backbone. Our great connection coupled with intelligent routing, ensures rapid transfer which means that people looking at your web site won't be kept waiting. We're also very concerned about reliability. Our servers have 24-hour monitoring, frequent system back-ups, and multiple connections to different Internet backbone providers. We work hard to ensure that your web site stays online at all times.

2. What if I want to run my own Web server?

You will need a reliable connection for to run your own server. You should consider a Seanet DSL line or may also colocate your server here at Seanet where it would be directly connected to the Internet via high speed T-3.

3. What factors should I consider when choosing whether to run my own web server or to have Seanet host my web site?

Establishing and connecting your own web server can require a great deal of effort, technical knowledge, and money. As a result, the common approach to hosting a web site is to outsource the technical hosting of the web server to someone - like Seanet - with a direct connection to the Internet. Outsourcing your hosting, leaves you free to focus on your message, since you don't have to worry about hardware, server software, connection costs, networking issues, reliability, etc.

Outsourcing the hosting of web sites is popular, but isn't always the best choice for everyone. If you need to perform specialized tasks over the web such as making a proprietary database accessible, or running uncommon web functions that can't be done on Seanet's servers, you should consider running your own web server.

4. What is the difference between our Windows 2000 and UNIX web servers?

Seanet offers web hosting on BSDI UNIX running Apache web server and Windows 2000 Advanced Server running IIS. Both Windows 2000 Server and UNIX are enterprise application servers that can be used for a variety of purposes, including web, e-mail, and database hosting. Apache server is the most popular web hosting solution on the Internet and is widely considered to be the most secure and stable web server available. If you are developing your web site with Microsoft technologies though, you will want to host your web site on our Microsoft IIS server for the best compatibility and performance.

5. What services does our Windows 2000 IIS server support?

• MS FrontPage 2000 and 2002 extensions
• ASP
• MS Active X
• MS Access Database
• Allaire Coldfusion
• FTP
• Secure services
• Web site statistics

6. What services does our UNIX server support?

• PHP 4.
• MySQL database
• CGI - PERL scripts
• FTP
• Secure services
• Web site statistics

7. How do I choose the right Web hosting plan?

You may host any type of site in any of our plans. We provide a variety of web hosting plans of various user levels and sizes to choose from, the one that's right for your needs depends largely on the following three factors:

• disk space
• throughput (or data transfer)
• web site content

Disk space is the overall amount of space that your site will occupy on our server. It is measured in MBs (megabytes). Throughput (or data transfer) is also measured in MBs and is generated every time someone visits a page (or downloads a file) on your site and is a cumulative statistic. The more viewers, the higher the throughput. The more complex your web site, the more throughput per viewer.

8. Will I have access to reports about my web site?

Yes! Seanet provides access to statistics for your web site such as total number of hits, most requested pages, and amount of bandwidth generated by your site.

Domain Registration and Maintenance

1. What is a domain?

A domain name locates an organization or other entity on the Internet. For example, the domain name "seanet.com" locates an Internet address (or IP address) for "seanet.com" at Internet point [199.181.164.12]. If we added a "www" to the domain name, it would then locate the domain at IP address [199.181.164.6] on a particular host server named "www".

2. What is a Virtual Domain?

Having a "virtual domain" means owning and utilizing your own domain name (i.e., yourdomain.com) without having to install expensive server hardware, software, and network infrastructure. With a virtual domain, you utilize Seanet's servers and Internet connection for your web, email, FTP, and secure services. You have a professional presence on the Internet without all the hassle of setting up your own servers. If you haven't already registered a domain, you can check with VeriSign to see if the domain name you want is available.

3. Do I need my own domain name to have a web site?

No! All of Seanet's dial-up and DSL accounts come with 15 MBs of web space. Your web site address would be "www.seanet.com\~your-user-name".

4. What are domain name pointers? Do you support them?

A domain name pointer is a domain name that redirects a visitor to another web location. A web site can have two names, eg. <yourdomain.com> and <yourdomain.net>, and whichever name is typed into a browser, the same site will appear. You can request that we point your web site to as many domains as you care to register which is a useful way to provide multiple identities for your web site and is relatively inexpensive.

5. What is the InterNIC?

Until recently, InterNIC (Internet Network Information Center), a cooperative activity between the U.S. government and Network Solutions, Inc., was the organization responsible for registering and maintaining domain names -- Network Solutions handled the registration portion of these duties. As a result of a 1998 U.S. Government Statement of Policy, competition has been introduced in domain name registration and a new, non-profit global organization, the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), has been designated to conduct the registrar accreditation process. Initially, ICANN designated five new registrar companies in addition to Network Solutions and additional registrars have been accredited recently.

6. What is Network Solutions?

Network Solutions is responsible for the registration of Internet domain names. Among other things, they ensure that duplicate domain names are not issued and track each domain name during their registration period. Network Solutions is currently the largest ICANN accredited registrar and is the registrar Seanet uses due to their excellent record of customer service and support. Recently, Network Solutions was acquired by VeriSign, so their website reflects this change.

7. What is a NIC handle?

Every entity registered with VeriSign has a NIC handle. For example, Seanet has a NIC handle of DA8-ORG that alerts VeriSign's database to our address and contact information so that we need not enter this information each time a new domain name is registered. You can use the same NIC handle as contacts for several domains. This way, if you make a change to the NIC handle (e.g., the e-mail address), all domains using that NIC handle will be updated as well.

8. Can Seanet reserve a domain name for me?

Yes! If you'd simply like to reserve the domain name and not set up a web hosting account at the same time, you can order domain name maintenance from us. Your domain will be reserved and you will be able to receive e-mail at your domain. Should you wish to set up web hosting with us at a later date, all you will need to do is choose a hosting plan.

9. What if my domain name was not registered through Network Solutions?

Seanet can host any valid domain name. If your domain is not registered with Verisign (Network Solutions) though, you will be responsible for providing us with the required authorization to modify the domain.

10. What is a registrar and how do I know which one registered my domain name?

A registrar, like Network Solutions, is a company accredited by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) to register, manage, and keep track of domain names. All domain names are registered via a registrar. Seanet uses Network Solutions to register all of our clients' new .com, .net, and .org domain names. Network Solutions is the most popular and prominent registrar, maintaining the largest client base due to their excellent service and support. There are, however, other registrars that have the authority to register domain names.

It's important to know who your registrar is since should you wish to make any changes to your domain, they'll need to make changes to your domain name server DNS records. You may find out the registrar for your domain name by conducting a WHOIS search for your domain name. This will display the registrar. Here's an example of query results for a domain registered with Network Solutions:

Domain Name: SEANET.COM
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, INC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: www.networksolutions.com
Name Server: DNS1.SEANET.COM
Name Server: DNS2.SEANET.COM
Updated Date: 27-oct-1996

If your registrar is Network Solutions, Seanet will automatically initiate the transfer for you. All you have to do is approve the transfer by responding in the affirmative to an e-mail Network Solutions will send you! If your domain is registered with a different registrar, our customer service or technical support staff can help you with instructions for transferring the domain.

11. Do you register and host International domain names?

Yes and no. Seanet can host a domain from any country, but we cannot register or transfer foreign domain names. Many international domain registries have their own sets of rules and regulations that need to be followed when registering or transferring a domain name and this must be performed by the registrant. We ask that the client complete the domain transfer/registration request at the domain registry for the country in question.

12. Is domain name registration free?

No. Seanet charges a $25 setup fee for the domains we register. You must also pay Verisign a fee of $35 per year to reserve and setup a domain name.

13. How long does it take before my domain name is active?

Generally your domain name is active in 24 to 72 hours. Once you receive notification that your domain name has been registered or transferred, Internet providers around the world must update their records to reflect the new information. This process takes place for all domain name registrations or transfers. As you can imagine, there are many of these performed on any given day. In order to streamline this process, VeriSign reloads its root server database only once per day. There is nothing Seanet can do to speed up VeriSign. They are an independent organization we must rely on to process our requests in a timely manner. We do all we can (such as preconfiguring your domain on our servers) to ensure that the moment VeriSign finishes its job, you'll be visible on the Internet.

14. How do I know my domain registration/transfer has gone through?

Seanet will send you a notification that the domain is complete once we are notified by the registrar.

Additional Services

1. Do you support SSI (Server Side Includes)?

Yes. SSI (server side includes) are allowed and supported. Please note that SSI files must be written with the extension of .shtml in both UNIX and Windows 2000 environments. SSI is supported in Windows 2000 with the exception of the #exec call which is disabled at the recommendation of Microsoft for security reasons. In our UNIX environment, you may make use of the #exec call since these security concerns do not exist when running the Apache Web server. All SSI must be approved before it is allowed onto our server. For approval, please send the script to <webscripts@seanet.com>.

2. Do you provide password protected directories?

You can have password protected directories. This can be achieved via any number of simple Java applets or CGI scripts which are available as free downloads all over the web. In this way, you can control exactly which files and directories are password protected, when they are, what names and passwords are valid, and you can change these parameters any time you want -- you do not have to ask Seanet to change them or do this for you! Please note that all CGI (other than our canned scripts) must be approved before it is uploaded onto our servers. For approval, please e-mail <webscripts@seanet.com>.

If your web site is hosted on a UNIX server, you can also use HTAccess to password protect directories.

Seanet can also make custom changes to NTFS permissions at your request within our security protocols for a small service charge. Simply e-mail your requests to <webscripts@seanet.com> and we can ensure that you have the permissions set as you need.

3. What databases do you support?

We fully support Microsoft Access databases on our Windows 2000 server and MySQL on our Apache server.

4. Do you support ASP? What components?

Yes! We fully support Microsoft's ASP (Active Server Pages) as well as FrontPage 2000, ColdFusion, and CGI. We support the Microsoft issued ASP components.

Ordering Web Hosting from Seanet

1. How do I order web hosting?

Call our sales staff at (800)973-2638 or (206)343-7828.

2. What happens after I place my order?

Once you've placed your order, Seanet's DNS Administration will preconfigure your domain and create your account on the appropriate web server. If you are registering a new domain or transferring a domain for which Network Solutions is the registrar, they will also initiate the request for a new domain or transfer. If you are transferring a domain which has a registrar other than Network Solutions, you'll need to initiate the transfer yourself or give us the authorization to do so. Once your domain is pre-configured, Seanet's DNS Administration will send you an e-mail to let you know this has been done as well as providing you other helpful information to get you started. We'll also notify you once the domain has been completed.

3. What if I have other questions not covered here?

You may call our sales department at (800)973-2638 or (206)343-7828 for more web hosting information or you may email sales.