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web hosting FAQs General • Site Hosting • Dedicated Servers • Domain Name Services Do you have a question that's not answered here? Chat with one of our representatives live by clicking on the green "HUMAN CLICK" icon to the right or submit your question via our on-line Customer Service form.  All inquiries will be reviewed and answered within 24 hours. General: Do you offer dial-up Internet access? Do you offer web page design services? Can you help me with my e-commerce needs? Do you accept international orders? What contract and payment terms are available? Site Hosting: So how much does it really cost to host my website on OCWebSolution.com? What are the main differences between your three "levels" of website hosting? What hosting level should I start with? How long does it take to set up a new account? How much disk space do I get for my web pages and graphics? Can I resell space within my own account? Do you provide scheduled server backups? Is there a fee to retrieve a backup? Do you guarantee web server uptime? Can I depend on fast downloading speeds when others access my site? What are FrontPage extensions and do you support them? Do you offer secure server space for transferring credit card information or other sensitive/confidential information? Can I upload pages frequently? And will I have unlimited access to update my pages? Do you have any restrictions on the content that is placed on our website? What is a CGI-bin and do I get one? Will I have access to FREE CGI Scripts? What are auto-responders and how many do I get? What are email aliases and how many can I use? Do you support Real Audio and Video streaming? Does your Real Audio and Video streaming support LIVE streaming? What types of multimedia files will your hosting servers support? Will my web site be accessible with or without typing in the "www"? What about Traffic Statistical Software and Marketing Reports which analyze my site? Will I have access to 24/7 Technical Support? How do I sign up for a New Web Hosting Account? Dedicated Servers: What is the difference between a Virtual Server and a Dedicated Server? What are the advantages of a Dedicated Server? How much does it cost to own and host a Dedicated Server? When should I upgrade my Virtual Server to a Dedicated Server? Who owns the Dedicated Server hardware? Who provides system administration for the Dedicated Server? How are backups handled? What are the dedicated hosting facilities like? How is each Dedicated Server connected to the Internet? What if I need to install additional software? What if I would like help customizing my web site? How long will it take to setup the dedicated server? Domain Name Registration: Do I have to register my domain name or do you do that for me? What is the fee for domain registration? What is a "parked" domain and how much does it cost? Can I check domain name availability? Can multiple domains point to the same HTML files? How long does it take before my domain name is active? Can I transfer an existing domain name to OCWebSolution.com? Will my web site be accessible with or without typing in the "www"?   General Do you offer dial-up Internet access? No, you will need local Internet access in order to access the World Wide Web and retrieve email addressed to your site. OCWebSolution.com can assist you with this service and recommend a service provider to closely match your needs and your budget. Click on our Consultation page to learn more about how we can help. return to  top Do you offer web page design services? OCWebSolution.com offers state of the art web design backed by a team of experts that will work closely with you to ensure that your web site not only enhances your image, but is designed to ensure maximum effectiveness to market and promote your site. Please click here to learn more about our Design services. return to  top Can you help with my e-commerce needs? Yes. OCWebSolution.com offers a FREE secure shopping cart with the E-commerce Hosting Plans . All e-commerce solutions reside on a secure server using 128 bit encryption. Click here to learn more about our E-commerce Solutions. return to  top Do you accept international orders? Yes. We are pleased to have customers around the world and we're as close as your computer. If desired, we can host non-US domain name extensions. return to  top What contract and payment terms are available? We bill in monthly increments and require no minimum contract. We accept MasterCard and Visa cards, as well as personal and business checks on a quarterly billing cycle. return to  top Site Hosting So how much does it really cost to host my website on OCWebSolution.com? If you go with the Basic Hosting Plan, you will pay only $19.95 per month! Unlike the majority of web hosting companies we DO NOT CHARGE FOR SETUP. This plan includes, unlimited data transfer, CGI-bin, FTP,  WebTrends Marketing Site Traffic Statistics Reporting, FrontPage 2000 extensions, Multi-forums, counters and more. SAME DAY SETUP during business days is also available. We will also register your domain name through an ICANN-accredited domain name registrar at a discounted rate of only $15.00 per name! return to  top What are the primary differences between your three "levels" of website hosting? The main differences between the three plans offered by OCWebSolution.com are: disk space, number of e-mail accounts, e-commerce functionality and marketing/promotion tools. Click here to review our Hosting Plan Comparison chart. return to  top What hosting level should I start with? This is a decision you must make for yourself based on the level of functionality, such as Secure E-commerce ability, real-audio/streaming video, the amount of exposure you plan to give your website as well as the amount of information your website provides. Due to the generous disk space limits provided by OCWebsolution, most e-commerce sites choose the affordable E-commerce Hosting Package and others start with the Basic Hosting Package. Upgrading website hosting levels is a breeze and you only pay the difference from one hosting level to the next when upgrading - there are no set-up fees involved! return to  top How long does it take to set up a new account? Orders submitted before 6pm (PST) which include payment information will be processed the same day! Once an account is set up, an activation notice will be sent to you via email including a user ID, password, email set-up instructions and FTP hostname. You can begin uploading files to your new web site immediately. Domain account users will be given a temporary URL to access their site via the web prior to the completion of either domain registration or transfer. return to  top How much disk space do I get for my web pages and graphics? Depending on the hosting plan you ultimately sign up for, you will have from 50MB up to 150MB of web space! Your account can hold as much as 8,000 pages and files! Click here to review our Hosting Plan Comparison chart. return to  top Can I resell space within my own account? Yes, you can resell space within your account. However, you will be responsible for its content and data transfer. It will not be possible to acquire multiple account passwords for FTP access. return to  top Do you provide scheduled server backups? Is there a fee to retrieve a backup? Yes. OCWebSolution.com backs up the entire contents of its servers on a regular basis. Backups are guaranteed to be kept for at least one week. There is, of course, no guarantee that a backup will not be corrupted (one of the reasons we keep multiple weeks on hand). We encourage our customers to maintain backup archives of their web sites on their own hard disks. OCWebSolution.com excludes files with extensions such as .o, .tgz, .tmp, .tar, .bak and a few others from our backup. There is a $25 fee to retrieve a backup copy of your website. We will make every attempt to have your backup to you within 24 hours. return to  top Do you guarantee web server uptime? Yes. OCWebSolution.com guarantees a 99% uptime. 1% of a month is approximately 8 hours. Although it is hard to summarize the data for the web servers in our Network Operations Center (NOC), we estimate our server uptime to be 99.7% over the past year (plus or minus 0.1%). If for some reason your website is down for 1% or more of the month, OCWebSolution.com will credit (15) day's worth of website hosting service to your hosting account. If you choose to leave at any time, a refund for any full months remaining on your account will be promptly issued. OCWebSolution.com is not responsible for outages elsewhere on the Internet that hinder access to your account. The Internet is a vast web of fiber shared by many providers and OCWebSolution.com can only guarantee what it can control which is our links to our upstream provider, our routers and servers. return to  top Can I depend on fast downloading speeds when others access my site? YES! We employ multiple Dual Processor Intel Pentium servers with each system running on either an Apache or IIS Web Server with load balancing. We are also currently running redundant OC3 connections. Unlike other providers that may utilize their bandwidth for dial-up accounts, ISDN, and frame relay, we dedicate ALL bandwidth to our hosting customers! return to  top What are FrontPage extensions and do you support them? If you use Microsoft FrontPage 2000 to publish pages to the Net, you will need FrontPage 2000 extensions supported. This is included in each and every Hosting plan we offer.  For more information on FrontPage, view the Microsoft FrontPage 2000 web site. return to  top Do you offer secure server space for transferring credit card information? YES! Our servers are equipped with the latest SSL technology so your customers can safely order your products or services online! Normally, any text sent from your browser is sent as plain text. This means that a hacker could potentially intercept the information sent from your browser and read it. However, by using the secure server (SSL), the information is encrypted before it is sent. return to  top Can I upload pages frequently? And will I have unlimited access to update my pages? Each account comes with one FTP/Telnet account. You have full, unlimited access to your space via FTP* 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week, via a unique password, so you can update your site at any time. As such, you can create and maintain your web pages on your own computer and upload files to your web site at your leisure. * What is FTP? FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is the most popular way of transferring files across the Net. return to  top Do you have any restrictions on the content that is placed on our website? OCWebSolution.com has only one true website content restriction and that is we do not host adult entertainment websites. return to  top What is a CGI-bin and do I get one? Will I have access to FREE CGI Scripts? A CGI-bin is where you can store CGI scripts. These "scripts" are used to generate online order forms, guestbooks, shopping carts, counters, and more! YES, every account comes with a local CGI-bin with access to our on-line CGI Library of FREE scripts such as: • Guestbook - allows for visitors to log comments and feedback on your site • Multi-Forums - create multiple discussion forums and chat rooms • FormMail - allows the information of a web form to be sent through email • Site counters • Survey / Poll Script • Date & Time Scripts • Search This Site • Tell A Friend- allows your visitors to send a link to your site to their friends and colleagues. • More! - New CGI-scripts are being added to the CGI Library regularly return to  top What are auto-responders and how many do I get? You can set up auto-responders to automatically respond to incoming email. For example, if you had an order form which your customers email to you, you can set up an auto-responder to email the customer a confirmation message. They're also known as Infobots. There are many other uses for auto-responders/infobots, such as giving information to people who don't have access to the Internet but still have an email account. An unlimited amount of auto-responders can be created with each web hosting account! There is no limit to the number of auto-responders you can have. return to  top What are email aliases and how many can I use? Email aliases are email addresses that you make up (whatever@yourdomain.com). Any mail sent to these "aliases" would automatically be forwarded to your existing POP email account or redirected to another third party account. With our advanced mail system, you can have unlimited email aliases when you sign up for the eCommerce Hosting Plan.  The number of e-mail accounts that are included in your monthly web site hosting fee is based on the plan you sign-up with. Click here to review our Hosting Plan Comparison chart. What is E-MAIL FORWARDING? If you move, you fill out a card for the US Postal Service. This card tells them to forward all mail from your old address, to your new address. This same idea can be applied to electronic mail. We can forward all e-mail from your domain name to your current e-mail account. What is a POP3 E-MAIL BOX? POP3 account is equivalent to a "PO Box" on the 'Net! It is a separate e-mail box to which you connect over the Internet. You still need dialup Internet access connection to reach your POP3 e-mail box. How is my e-mail configured? Your e-mail is configured through a web interface. This interface is accessible from your on-line site administration area. You can create both POP3 and e-mail forwarding accounts instantly. How do I access my POP3 E-MAIL BOX? Quite simply! We provide access and will configure your e-mail account and give you the necessary tools to setup your local user email accounts.. return to  top Do you support Real Audio and Video streaming? Yes. We support Real Audio and Video streaming for an additional fee. This service can be "added on" to all hosting packages. return to  top Does your Real Audio and Video streaming support LIVE streaming? No. You can not stream live content through our servers without licensing a live streaming server from Real Networks. Our administrators are well versed with the Real Network products and we can assist you in doing virtually anything you wish. return to  top What types of multimedia files will your hosting servers support? Our servers will support files such as MP3 (.mp3), MIDI (.mid), Vivo (.viv), Waves (.wav), AVI (.avi), QuickTime Movies (.mov), Shockwave, Flash, and many others. return to  top Will my web site be accessible with or without typing in the "www"? Yes, your site will be accessible with or without the WWW being typed in front of your domain name. This is called "aliasing". For example, you will be able to access your domain name by typing in "mydomain.com" or by typing "www.mydomain.com". return to  top What about Traffic Statistical Software and Marketing Reports which analyze my site? Traffic analysis software comes pre-installed with every web hosting account! OCWebSolution.com utilizes one of the best Statistical Reporting Tools available called, "WebTrends". It includes detailed information, bars and graphs on the number of visitors to your site by the month, day and hour, keywords that were used to find your site, search engines utilized, most popular pages, average length of time visitors spent on your site... simply too much to list! Click here to view a sample report. return to  top Will I have access to 24/7 Technical Support? We provide unlimited 24/7  support, and if that's not enough you can access a "live" representative by clicking on the "Human Click" icon located throughout the site during regular business hours of 8:30am - 6:00pm (PST). You can also email us at support@ocwebsolution.com and we will respond within 24 hours. For emergency purposes (i.e. if your site is down and don't have access to email), you may dial our voice number at (949) 643-2445 and a representative will be notified immediately via a pager. return to  top How do I sign up for a New Web Hosting Account? You can place an order directly from our web site 24 hours a day or by calling (949) 643-2445 between the hours of 8:30am-6pm Monday through Friday, PST. return to  top Dedicated Servers What is the difference between a Virtual Server and a Dedicated Server? A Virtual Server resides on a computer that also hosts other Virtual Server accounts. This means that the computer's hardware resources and associated bandwidth are shared among multiple sites. A Virtual Server is an excellent solution for small to medium sized businesses that want to create a powerful Internet presence. By contrast, a Dedicated Server is an "industrial-strength" system of hardware, operating system software, and web server software which you control and to which you have exclusive access. All of the server's powerful resources and bandwidth are allocated entirely to your Internet site, enabling you to offer features and service levels to your customers, employees, and suppliers that go beyond the standard power capabilities of a Virtual Server.  Click here to learn more about our Dedicated Servers. return to  top What are the advantages of a Dedicated Server? A dedicated server gives you the ability to build an interactive web site capable of handling hundreds of thousands of hits per day. This is the ideal solution for high traffic sites that have high bandwidth and server requirements. On-line malls, high-profile software repository sites, and large e-commerce businesses generally require at least one dedicated server to maintain top performance levels.  return to  top How much does it cost to own and host a Dedicated Server? OCWebSolution.com's turn-key server which includes all hardware, software and configuration  (a complete "ready to go" system that you own!) is a one-time cost of $995.00 and Server hosting fees are only $249 per month. return to  top When should I upgrade my Virtual Server to a Dedicated Server? You should consider migrating to a dedicated server when your Virtual Server traffic grows to more than 20,000 hits per day. When traffic reaches this level, the performance of a Virtual Server degrades and a dedicated server becomes necessary to ensure availability and performance. return to  top Who owns the Dedicated Server hardware? You own the server and the content that is installed during the build. We own the hardware that the server resides on, i.e. the router, LAN, fiber cabling and backbone. You benefit from this because if a piece of hardware fails we have the spare parts on hand along with the knowledge of the configuration to repair any problems immediately. This provides you with complete administrative control of the Server without worrying about hardware problems and support issues.  return to  top Who provides system administration for the Dedicated Server? With a Dedicated Server, you have total administrative control of the server, as if you were hosting it on your very own server at your location. This means that you have the flexibility to configure the system and the applications to meet your unique business requirements. If you should need assistance with system administration, our expert engineers can provide you with remote "eyes and hands" support on a consulting basis.  return to  top How are backups handled? Although it is not included with our package price, a mirrored hard drive and tape backup unit can be installed on every Dedicated Server, enabling you to have access to daily backups of your data. Contact sales@ocwebsolution.com for assistance or give us a call at (888) 996-9336..  return to  top What are the dedicated hosting facilities like? Your server will reside in a state-of-the-art hosting center utilizing the latest technology, environmental controls, and access-restriction. These facilities utilize hot-swap redundant hardware, multi-homed redundant Internet connections, redundant internal networks, 24 x 7 monitoring, large UPSs, and power generators.  return to  top How is each Dedicated Server connected to the Internet? Each Dedicated Server has a dedicated 10 Mbps connection to our network which utilizes redundant Internet lines through multiple bandwidth provider.  return to  top What if I need to install additional software? A Dedicated Server gives you the ability to add unique functionality to your site by installing today's hottest third-party applications, such as advertisement management software, streaming multimedia capabilities, and specialized statistics packages. We provide a wide range of software that's included with the server that you can install remotely. For the physical installation of additional software that cannot be installed remotely, we provide two options. You may schedule an on-site appointment during regular business hours at our supplier's facility and install the software yourself at no charge. Alternatively, you may mail or drop off a CD, and we will coordinate installation with the on-sight tech staff. The charge for this service is $125.00 per hour with a one-hour minimum. return to  top What if I would like help customizing my web site? We understand that your web site is unique. We can provide assistance with adding custom functionality to make your web site stand out from the rest. Please visit our Design area for more information. return to  top How long will it take to setup the dedicated server? Dedicated Server setup will range from 48 hours to a maximum of 2 weeks depending on configuration requests, and receipt of executed Dedicated Server Contract and initial fees. return to  top Domain Name Services Do I have to register my domain name or do you do that for me? We can register your domain (www.yourname.com) for you! OCWebSolution.com registers all domains through an ICANN-accredited domain name registrar (ICANN is the new non-profit corporation that is assuming responsibility from the U.S. Government for coordinating certain Internet technical functions, including the management of Internet domain name system). If you choose to register your domain name on your own, we can transfer your domain name to our server at no additional cost when you sign up for one of our affordable hosting plans. return to  top What is the fee for domain registration? The current fee for registering a domain name is only $15.00 per name - for one-year! The renewal fee after the one year is only $15 per name.  This fee is discounted compared to Networksolutions.com's and Register.com's current rates and OCWebSolution.com does not charge any additional fees to set-up or transfer your domain name(s). In fact, we'll even purchase your domain name for FREE when you sign up for the bizEstore System.   return to  top What is a "parked" domain and how much does it cost? Once you've registered your domain name(s), you have the option to "park" them until you're ready to build your website. OCWebSolution.com will allow the usage of our web server DNS information which is required when a name is registered.  It's like a "holding" place to keep your domain name safe and parked until you're ready to use it.  OCWebSolution.com offers this service for a one a one-time $20 fee per domain name. If/when you sign-up for one of our hosting plans this fee will be credited back to you. return to  top How can I check domain name availability? You can check domain name availability by entering your query below and clicking "Search." http://www. return to  top Can multiple domains point to the same HTML files? Yes, we offer a service whereby you can use a domain name as a "pointer" to another domain name of an active domain account. The domain which serves as a pointer will point to the IP address of the existing domain web hosting account (i.e. the main home page, index.html),. It cannot be set up to point to a subdirectory. This service includes one e-mail account, but does not include an IP address. There is a one-time $25 setup fee and $10 monthly fee for each domain pointer, however, there are no Domain Name Registration fees! return to  top How long does it take before my domain name is active? Once your domain name is registered (or once a transfer request is submitted) it usually takes about 72-hours before it is active. All internet providers must update their records (DNS tables) to reflect new site locations. This is called propagation. You can begin uploading files to your new web site immediately. Domain account users will be given a temporary URL to access their site via the web prior to the completion of either domain registration or transfer. return to  top Can I transfer an existing domain name to OCWebSolution.com? Yes. Whether you place an order by telephone or via our on-line order form, be sure to specify that you are requesting a transfer and NOT a new domain. You should keep the service at the present site while waiting to complete the transfer. We will provide you with a temporary IP address so we can make a mirror copy of the site on our server. All email and web pages will still be accessed from the current site. Once the transfer is completed there is usually a 72 hour propagation period where visitors can go to either site. At the end of the 72 hours you should contact the previous host to have them delete the old domain from their records and update their DNS record. If you use this same provider for your Internet access you will not be able to access your domain site at OCWebSolution.com until they update their DNS. return to  top Will my web site be accessible with or without typing in the "www"? Yes, your site will be accessible with or without the WWW being typed in front of your domain name. This is called "aliasing". For example, you will be able to access your domain name by typing in "mydomain.com" or by typing "www. mydomain.com". return to  top I return to  faqs page