FAQ

A web host (server) is kind of like a landlord – but rather than bricks and mortar, your web host provides you with your space on the internet. You’ll need a quick and reliable computer to keep your files connected to the internet. And rather than buying your own server, which means constantly maintaining it and keep it updated with the latest software and hardware, a web host can take care of all this for you. Which means leaving you with what’s important, sharing your information with the world and bringing more business to your company. Along with providing you with space, a web host gives your site e-mail solutions and can take care of the technical requests you have. Which in the case of the majority of people is extremely important.

What is a web site?

A web-site represents the essence of your organization, your business, or you online. It’s an opportunity for you to present knowledge, ideas and products to the world. Online, you will become accessible to anybody, anywhere, at anytime of the day and you can only achieve this with a web-site.

What is a domain name?

A domain name is a very important aspect of a web site. If the internet is a map of the world, your domain name is your address. And without an address, no one would be able to contact you! A domain name, is usually represented by the name of the business or organization, many clients opt for something clever and memorable to get people interested in their site.

This becomes of paramount importance if you consider people may have common interest in the same domain name. To help matters, there are different types of domain names. The most common would be “.com” (as in yourdomain.com), but you also have the choice of “.org,” or “.net” and many others.

It is extremely important to protect your brand by registering your domain name. You can do that economically with OMS domain name service on this website.

What Exactly is DNS and What Does It Do?

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:

1. 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?”

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

See the Process in Action

If you are a Windows (XP/2000) user, click on Start, Run, and type “cmd” without the quotes, and hit enter.

Windows Vista users need to find the command prompt in their Start Menu.

A command prompt should come up after you have done this. From here, type “nslookup google.com”. If you are connected to the internet and DNS is set up correctly, you will see something like this:

dnsinaction

As you can see in my case, my router acts as a DNS server (or it forwards the request to the ISP if it does not have any record of the domain I request.) In this case, the ISP returns three addresses: 74.125.67.100, 74.125.45.100, and 209.85.171.100. All three of these addresses can be used to get to Google if you type them into your web browser – the result would be the same as if you typed in “google.com”.

What Happens if DNS is Not Working Properly?

If DNS is not working, you can not access any domain by it’s domain name, but instead must use the server’s IP address. How many server IP addresses do you have memorized? Probably not many. If you can visit most sites, but can not visit one of your own, it is possible that this is due to a DNS error. A few times over the years, one of my domains have gone down in a fluke DNS problem from my ISP. The way to test this is to ask a friend on a different ISP to try to visit your site. If he can get through, it is likely you are experiencing DNS problems.

DNS “Propogation”

A myth among internet users is that DNS has to magically “propogate” from one server to another, populating all across the world, which can take hours. In practice though, this is not true. DNS uses a caching feature set by the DNS server which sets a timed cache on a DNS query. This way, when you try to go to Google.com each time you open a tab in your browser, the computer does not have to go out and look for the IP address every time. It stores a cache of these records for a predetermined period of time to save time the next time it has to find Google.com.

Name Servers

When you purchase a domain, you have to point your domain to name servers (NS) so DNS requests can find your web server’s IP address. The NS is a record that points your domain to a particular DNS server that stores your records.

Types of DNS Records

The most common records you will find in DNS include:

* “A” record – returns an IP v4 address (the location of the web server)
* “CNAME” – returns the correct path for sub-domains
* “MX” – returns the location of a mail server for that domain

A full list of DNS Record types can be found here.

Do I really need a web site?

These days, almost everybody with a phone line has an internet connection. And with the vast amount of information available online, many people are using the internet as their primary source of researching information, companies and products. If you have something that you want people to see, a web site is a necessity.With a web site, you have constant communication with the world. From the most remote location, you can reach people anywhere and develop steady customers worldwide. You would be able to announce upcoming events, post images and get feedback at all times of the day, all over the world. There is no limit to the benefits a web site can provide.

How does a web site work?

Let’s say somebody is online and they look up your domain name (yourdomain.com). This will connect them to a web server. A web server is a very powerful computer that can store many files. When they are connected, your files will be presented in the form of your website. So in order for you to get online, you not only need OMS to design a website but also provide a server for you.

What is data transfer?

Your data transfer is the total number of data packets which are transferred across the Internet to or from your account. All reputable hosting companies impose data transfer restrictions in order to control their bandwidth usage and ensure a high standard (and speed) of service. With OMS you can easily monitor your data transfer in real time via your control panel. This gives you control and the ability to continually upgrade your requirements when the time arises.

Are there any set up fees with your hosting?

There are no set up fees, you are only charged the monthly amount of your hosting plan.

Do you put any types of advertising on my pages?

No, we do not put any types of advertising on your pages.

How much space can I use for hosting features (such as MySQL databases, CGI-scripts, PHP etc.)?

Any space used for Web Hosting Features such as MySQL databases, CGI scripts, PHP etc. is deducted from the total disk space you are allotted.

How can I see how much disk space and data transfer I have used and have remaining?

Once you purchase an OMS server account you may view sites logs through your control panel. You may view how much disk space and bandwidth you have used and have remaining.

What if I need a hosting feature not included with your hosting accounts?

If you need a hosting feature that is not listed on our Web Hosting Features page, we will endeavour to install it for you. You may need to pay additional licensing fees depending on the service requested.

How do I add new E-mail accounts/features or hosting features to my account? How long does it take to set them up?

You can add email accounts/features and hosting features via your control panel. Features are added in real time and become active instantly.

After I place my order how long does it take to set up my account?

Once your order is received your OMS server account will normally become active within 24 hours.

Can I access my site with or without the ‘www’?

Yes, you can access your site both with and without the ‘www’. For example you can access your site at http://yourdomain.com or http://www.yourdomain.com

How many domains can I host under my account?

By default, you can only host one domain under each account. However, you can request more domains by contacting support.

I am currently hosted by another company and already have a domain name; can I have my site hosted by you instead? And how do I change my domain to point to your servers?

Yes, you certainly can! After you sign up with us, all you have to do is update your domain’s name servers to point to our name servers. This can be done either by yourself or via the company from which you purchased your domain name. The transition typically takes from 24 to 72 hours. If you get stuck with this step, just contact us at support and we will be happy to help you.

What payment options do you offer?

You can pay: online (credit card, paypal), electronic transfer (payment to our bank) or by cheque. You will be billed quarterly or annually in advance (except for email only accounts which are billed annually in advance). For annual subscriptions, an additional 5% discount will be applied.

Can international users purchase your hosting?

Yes, OMS offer our hosting services to customers worldwide. We support all types of domain names.

Is there any charge to upgrade or downgrade my plan if I decide to change after I sign up?

There are no extra charges for changing your account plan – just the change in monthly billing for the upgrade starting from your next billing period.

Is technical support free?

Technical support is available free via our website to all clients. If you are having a problem with your account OMS troubleshoot it for you and if necessary correct the problem. This does not include help with development, fixing script errors or helping with your website creation in any way; if you require these types of assistance please contact us and we will be happy to provide a quote for your consideration.

Do you provide phone support?

Due to the nature of the support issues we deal with, E-mail provides the most effective medium to resolve virtually all inquiries we receive.

What sort of statistics can I find out about my website? For example, how many visitors is my site getting?

Depending which plan you have signed up for, you may be offered either Webalizer or Urchin online statistics to present very sophisticated and detailed data about your visitors.

What types of sites do you host?

We host any website that does not violate our OMS Acceptable Use Policy.