Where to Host Your Site

Once you've finished your Web site, you'll want to make it available for everyone to see on the Internet. Many hosting options are available to you that will allow you to share your site with the world.

Hosting Your Own Web Site

Broadband Internet has experienced tremendous growth over the past couple of years, and many Internet users are now connected to the Internet over a high-speed connection. Hosting your Web site on your own computer is a real possibility, but check with your service provider first. Many Internet service providers do not allow users to host Web sites over their connection, and doing so might put you at risk for losing your service.

Assuming that your service provider will allow you to host your site on your own computer, you'll need

  • An operating system that supports installation of a Web server.

  • Web server software. (Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, and Windows Server 2003 ship with IIS.)

When you make your Web site available to the world, you are drawing a bull's eye on your computer and challenging hackers to shoot for the center. You'll want to make sure that you stay up-to-date on all operating system and Web server updates, and make sure that you are running a firewall of some type. You can purchase a broadband router from your local computer store for very little money, and most of these have a hardware firewall that, when properly configured, can make your Web server quite secure.

Several personal firewall software products are also available that offer a secure environment. Regardless of whether you are hosting a Web site on your computer, if you are connect to the Internet, you should look into some degree of firewall protection.

NOTE

For more information on personal firewalls, read Absolute Beginner's Guide to Personal Firewalls from Que Publishing. It teaches how to configure personal firewalls and how to test them for reliability.


Your computer is identified on the Internet using an IP address. Most service providers will provide you with an IP address that changes at preset intervals. This make it difficult to host your own Web site because the identifier for your computer on the Internet keeps changing.

One answer to this problem is a service known as Dynamic DNS, or DDNS. Using DDNS, you can create a name for your computer on the Internet, and when your IP address is changed by your service provider, the DDNS service gets updated and continues to redirect the name you choose to your new IP address.

Many DDNS service providers are available, but one of the most popular (probably because it is free) is DynDNS.org. Once you set up an account with DynDNS.org, you simply update your account when your IP address changes. DynDNS.org will give you a name to use (such as mySite.homeip.net) to access your computer.

Another great benefit of configuring DDNS on your computer, even if you aren't going to host you Web site on your own machine, is that you can use it to access your computer from anywhere on the Internet. Using either Terminal Services for Windows 2000 or Remote Desktop Connections for Windows XP Professional and Windows Server 2003, you can remotely control your home computer from any other computer on the Internet. If you configure this on your computer, make sure that you follow directions for your firewall to keep your computer as secure as possible.

TIP

Many broadband routers will support the configuration of DDNS. Those that do will automatically update your DDNS record whenever your IP address changes. This allows you to set up the account with your DDNS provider and then forget about it.

Because of the way the Internet works, there is always a short delay between the time your IP address changes and the time that your DDNS redirects your name to the new IP address.


Hosting Your Site with Your ISP

Many Internet service providers provide free Web space where you can place your Web site. Although the cost for such Web space is certainly attractive, the downside of hosting your Web site with your ISP is that you don't get to use your own domain name. In other words, instead of using http://www.mysite.com to get to your Web site, people will have to enter in a hard to remember Web address assigned by your ISP.

If you simply need a Web site to share pictures with family members or if you feel that you might not be up to maintaining a Web site forever, hosting with your ISP might be the perfect solution. The cost of the Web space it provides is built into what you pay for your Internet service, so you might as well put it to good use.

Hosting with a Free Service

Many free hosting services are available, and some of them even offer support for FrontPage Server Extensions. Tina Clarke, owner of the AccessFP Web site, provides an exhaustive list of free FrontPage hosting sites. You can access Tina's list at http://accessfp.net/freefp.htm. I don't classify these free hosts as real hosting companies because they don't host your domain name. Instead, you get a URL that they assign to you.

Free hosts usually run servers that are overloaded and a bit slow. Additionally, you might have to contend with banner and popup ads. If you can't live with those inconveniences, a hosting company might be just what you need.

TIP

Even if you don't want to host your site with a free service, these companies are still great for testing out your site. You can create as many accounts as you'd like, and it provides you with a free real-world environment to use for testing.

FrontPage 2003 also ships with coupons for limited-time free hosting on Web servers that provide Windows SharePoint Services. By using these free trials, you have the opportunity to check out some of the very cool features that are added when you host against Windows SharePoint Services.


Hosting Your Site with a Hosting Company

If you are going to share your Web site with more than just a few people, hosting it with a hosting company is your best option. Most hosting companies offer a full range of services and can register your domain for you and host your site.

Prices vary widely depending on what services you need. When choosing a hosting company, pay careful attention to what services are offered and what services you require. For example, if your Web site uses FrontPage's Database Results Wizard, you will need a Web server that supports ASP. If you are using features from the Data menu in FrontPage, you will need a host that supports Windows SharePoint Services. Careful review of a host will prevent you from paying for more than you need to.

For more information on using the Data menu in FrontPage, see "FrontPage and Web Parts," p. 735.


Most hosting companies will offer both dedicated hosting plans and shared hosting plans. Dedicated hosting plans consist of a dedicated computer just for your Web site, and they are typically very expensive. Unless you are operating a very high volume Web site or a Web site that requires a high level of security, a shared hosting environment is usually a better option. You can find shared hosting options with full-featured hosting for very little money.

NOTE

Your initial choice of hosting might not be your last. It's common for Web sites that offer enticing content (such as Web sites with popular forums) to grow beyond the original expectations of the designer.


Most hosting companies provide you with a guaranteed level of service. Most hosting companies guarantee uptime (typically 99% uptime) on their Web servers, which means that they guarantee that your Web site will almost always be available. The hosting company will also take care of backing up your Web site on a regular schedule.

Another advantage to a hosting company is that it typically provides you with many email addresses that are all personalized with your domain name. For example, you can have an email address for webmaster@mydomain.com, suggestions@mydomain.com, and so on. If you want to provide an image of professionalism, a hosting company is the only way to go.

To find a hosting company that meets requirements for your Web site, click the Click here to learn more link in the Remote Web Site Properties dialog.



Special Edition Using Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
Special Edition Using Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
ISBN: 0789729547
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 443

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