PHP with Dedicated Servers
In our previous post we provided an explanation of the version of MySQL that runs on our dedicated servers, which is any version you wish. If you have a dedicated server with iPowerWeb you have the luxury to install almost anything you wish on the server. This means that if you wish to have an older version of MySQL running on your server, you could. We try to make sure that the software technology on all shared and dedicated servers with iPowerWeb is the latest, although if for some reason we are behind - you may install the latest version at any time you wish.
So as is the case with MySQL on dedicated servers, you are able to run any version of PHP you wish. Our shared hosting servers run PHP version 4.3.10 (not to be confused with 4.3.1) and later. But this does not mean that our dedicated server users must use this version as well, all dedicated servers users may run any version of PHP on their server(s). Our current VPS servers do not run the same version as our dedicated and shared servers, therefore you should check with the product description page or Contact Us in order to receive more information. If you are on shared hosting and want a newer version installed, we may be able to do so provided that the System Administrators approve the install. Just send an email to support@ipower.com and we will look into it for you. At iPowerWeb we work very hard to make sure all of our customers are fully satisfied and have the best web hosting resources available, therefore if you ever have any questions or concerns please contact us at 888-511-HOST.
iPhone Unlocked
The iPhone by Apple has surely made an everlasting impact on celluar phones and communication. The phone was released less than 2 months ago by Apple and is strictly available to AT&T wireless customers, although this may not be for too long. This is because the phone was unlocked by 17 year old New Jersey man names George Hotz. Hotz has definitely made some buzz all over the world by explaining the entire unlocking process on his blog. AT&T and Apple have a two year exclusivity agreement on the iPhone and its service although the work of George Hotz may make a difference on how the iPhone will be used going forward. Hotz uncracked the iPhone in order to be able to use the widely popular phone on T-Mobiles wireless network, a competitor of AT&T.
George Hotz decided to put the unlocked iPhone for sale on eBay in order to fix his existing 3000GT or get a new one as well as purchase iPhones for all the people that helped him in this project. Here is the final update on Hotz's selling of the iPhone. George Hotz decided to sell the cell phone for a Nissan 350z and 3 8GB iPhones. From this perspective it seems like a wonderful deal for George Hotz, not only does he get new iPhones to unlock he will also get a Nissan 350z. Congratulations to George Hotz for accomplishing what was believed to be an impossible task and also getting a new car in the process.
MySQL with Dedicated Servers
We are regularly updating the version of MySQL supported on all of our shared web hosting plans. We are always working hard to make sure all of our products are on the cutting-edge when it comes to technology. Providing the latest version of MySQL with all of our shared hosting plans is just one example of how we go the extra mile to make sure your website is the best it could possibly be. We try our best to provide all of our users with the best software, hardware, and services in the web hosting industry.
Our dedicated server hosting plans are loaded with many great features and allow you to do almost anything you wish. The possibilities are endless with our dedicated servers, you have full control and the luxury to do whatever you wish. When it comes to MySQL, our dedicated server users have the ability to install any MySQL versions they like. If you are a shared hosting customer please contact us by phone or via email at Support@iPowerWeb.com in order to learn more about the MySQL version we support. A great thing about all dedicated server plans with iPowerWeb is that you are free to do almost anything you wish. So if you are worried about the MySQL version that comes with an iPowerWeb dedicated hosting account, don't worry - you are able to install any version you wish.
Early Termination Fees
Many of us our scared of early termination fees. There should be no reason why we have to spend additional money just to cancel a service. The idea of early termination fees are great for many companies and helps them make additional money, although it is not fair for consumers. In many cases it is cheaper to just stay a paying customer then to leave early and pay any termination fees. It is never fair to pay a termination fee especially if you have been a quality paying customer. People have reasons to cancel a contract all the time and in many cases it may not even be due to the other company's performance, rather it could be due to many other issues such as the discontinued need for a certain service. Many of our users and consumers throughout the world would agree with us when we believe that early termination fees could be unfair and in many cases are not necessary. At iPowerWeb we agree with this view and never charge our users and sort of termination or cancellation fees if they cancel. canceling your web hosting account or deciding to switch hosting providers is never a problem and we will never charge you any sort of early cancellation fee. This means that you have the choice to cancel your web hosting plan with iPowerWeb at any time. Please review our refund policy within our Web Hosting User Agreement in order to learn more about your agreement with iPowerWeb and information on how to receive a refund for services you have not used, please visit our User Agreement or give us a call at 888-511-HOST.
So if you are considering using iPowerWeb for web hosting and are worried about cancellation fees along with other hidden fees, do not worry at all. iPowerWeb plans do not have any hidden fees and we do not charge you extra for simply leaving. All web hosting plans are pre-paid and you do have the ability to receive a refund in certain cases. At iPowerWeb we work hard to please all of our customers, therefore if for some reason you are unsatisfied or have a concern please let us know. We are always here for you and your web site.
What are File Permissions
It is quite difficult to know absolutely everything located in our HelpCenter, which even in the case where a person does have great knowledge about web hosting and our support features, he or she may still have questions regarding their web site and hosting account. This is one reason why we offer 24/7 support and are always available via email to help you with your hosting needs. Here we will talk all about file permissions.
All files that you upload to the server have specific file permissions set. These permissions decide if a file can be: executed (in case it has scripting), read, or written to and modified. File permissions work differently on different servers. On unix based servers, you have read, write, and execute. Below, you will find a breakdown of these permissions and what they mean.
First, we will break down the three parts of a files permissions. We have the owner permissions, the group permissions, and the world permissions. The owner permissions decide what a user can do when logged in with their username. The group permissions decide what members of a group can do regardless of username. The world permissions decide what people on the internet can do with a file.
If this sounds confusing, look at the example file permissions below for a file called index.php:
-rwxr-xr-x username grpname index.php
* The - represents the placeholder for file type.
* The blue rwx are the permissions for the owner that logged in.
* The green r-x are the permissions for the group the user belongs to.
* The purple r-x are the permissions for the world, which are people on the internet accessing the file.
The values for the letters and dashes are below:
* A - is a value of 0.
* An r is a value of 4 and means READ access is allowed. This means that the file can be read.
* A w is a value of 2 and means WRITE access is allowed. This means that the file can be written to and modified.
* An x is a value of 1 and means EXECUTE access is allowed. This means that the file can be executed (only if it is a script).
When we examine the permissions for the index.php file, we find the following:
1) We are dealing with a file. The first - is left a dash to indicate that this is a file we are dealing with. If this were a directory, instead of a -, you would see a d.
2) The rwx means that the user for this file (the owner) can read, write, and execute the file. When you add the values together, r (4), w(2), and x(1), you get 7. So the permission for the owner of the file is 7.
3) The r-x for group means that any member of the group associated with this file can read and execute the file but they cannot write to it or modify it. When you add the values of r(4), -(0), and x(1), you get 5. So the permission for the group of the file is 5.
4) The r-x for world means that people visiting the site and accessing the file may read the file and execute it, but cannot write to it or modify it. When you add the values of r(4), -(0), and x(1), you get 5. So the permission for the world of the file is 5.
You put the 7, the 5, and 5 together and say that the permissions for index.php are 755. A 755 permissions for a file such as INDEX.PHP is required if you intend to run the PHP code and have it output HTML.
IMPORTANT NOTE: NEVER SET A FILE OR FOLDER TO 777 unless you know why you are doing it. GIVING 7 to WORLD will allow visitors to write, modify, or remove your files.
Copy of Your Credit Card and I.D.
Security, particularly with the Internet and eCommerce, is essential and valued highly by many people. Even to this day people are worried about shopping on the Internet because of security issues and the fear of having their identity stolen by hackers and fraudulent companies. At iPowerWeb we take security and the identity of our customers very seriously. We are always working extremely hard to protect all of our customers, especially at the point of purchase. Signing up for an iPowerWeb hosting account is very simple and can be done fast from anywhere in the world. We intentionally make it a simple process although we do find cases where people try to abuse the system and provide us with false and fraudulent information.
If you order a hosting plan from within the United States you may get an email from us after the submission of your order requesting that you provide us with a copy of your credit card and your photo I.D. This does not occur too often for U.S. citizens although it can happen and we do our best to protect the identity of all web hosting users. The amount of fraudulent orders we have received has increased in the past few years. At iPowerWeb, protecting our customers is our top priority. Since most of our orders are through an online form, there is no person to person interaction and therefore we cannot stop hackers and people practicing Internet fraud from placing an order for an iPowerWeb product or service. This makes it easy for someone who is not the credit card holder to place the order. Since no items are shipped, credit card companies find it difficult to trace the criminal who used the card fraudulently.
Sadly credit card fraud is a reality and it occurs on a regular basis all over the Internet. Research studies have shown that most criminals using stolen credit cards do not actually have the plastic credit card on hand. Instead, they have documents of stolen credit card information. In many cases where we suspect fraudulent activity, we may ask the person who ordered the account to provide us with a copy of the credit card via fax or email in order to confirm that the card is actually of the person who placed the order.
We require a copy of your government issued ID and credit card. If you send this information to us via email, our representatives will print the e-mail and destroy the electronic copy. We take pride in protecting the information of all of our customers at all times. All of our web hosting servers and computers have security measures to prevent against hacking. The printed emails and faxes are all locked in a cabinet for safe keeping and access is only available to authorized personnel. It is quite obvious that no person likes to have their personal information or identity stolen, therefore many of our customers appreciate the extra measures we take in making sure that they are protected and that no hosting account is purchased using stolen credit card information. If you ever wish to receive more information on our billing security procedures, please contact us at 888-511-HOST.
Abuse Complaints
When purchasing a shared web hosting plan with iPowerWeb you can be sure that you are receiving the absolute best hosting services on the planet, regardless of price. We work hard to make sure that your site is always working properly and is housed in a safe environment. Should you ever find that you have any abuse related questions or comments, please send out Abuse Department an email at Abuse@iPowerWeb.com. You should also contact our Abuse Department immediately if you find that your account has been suspended. Generally, accounts are suspended if they are in bad standing with our Billing Department and must be paid or some sort of abuse has gone on with the account that requires further support to resolve the matter. In either of the two cases, please email our Abuse Department at Abuse@iPowerWeb.com.
What is Zend Optimizer?
Due to the fact that we host many web sites, we have many different types of customers. All of our customers have different wants and needs, therefore we work extremely hard to cater to all of our users. One common issue that is highly important to our users is that they want their web site(s) to load as fast as possible. This is a very common concern that is worthy of discussion, no person likes a web site that loads slowly. When our potential new users call our Sales Department, they regularly ask us about the speed at which iPowerWeb hosted sites load. A program that helps speed up Zend Encoded PHP applications. According to the creator's website, it increases speeds by up to 40% Zend Optimizer definitely helps although by simply hosting your site with iPowerWeb you will have your web sites load at very fast speeds - Naturally! All iPowerWeb hosting accounts are housed in our state-of-the-art data centers, which specialize in storing and operating web servers. All sites within our data center load at extremely fast speeds, generally independent of the size of the website being loaded. The only thing you must remember is that all web sites must be accessed via the Internet and therefore you will need a connection to the Internet. A significant determining factor for figuring out the speed at which a certain site would load has to do with your Internet connectivity speeds. So if you are looking to have your site load quickly you will need two things:
1. Have a fast Internet connection
2. Host your web site with iPowerWeb
Control Panel Access to a Web Hosting Account
As you are most likely aware shared iPowerWeb hosting accounts come with a vDeck control panel and our dedicated servers come with a Plesk control panel. Our most popular products are our shared hosting solutions although we do find many customers needing more and setting up a dedicated server in order to meet their needs. We provide our users with wonderful tutorials regarding our web hosting accounts although we still receive many calls to our Support Center asking our team for help - which is no problem at all, we love our users. One common issue is regarding Plesk control panels and how to gain access to a web hosting account. In order to gain access to a web hosting account please follow these steps:
Step 1:
After adding a domain (hosting account), you can FTP in and upload files, and you can use FrontPage if you enabled it. But to have control panel access, you need to enable it. Log into Plesk and click Domains.
Step 2:
Click the name of the domain you added from the domains listing.
Step 3:
Click the Domain User button.
Step 4:
Check the box to allow domain user access. Enter a password for that user. The username is the domain name. If you want to allow multiple sessions, check that option.
Step 5:
Decide if you want to allow crontab or backup functions. You can also type in the domain user's information.
Step 6:
When you have completed inputting the information requested, click OK.
Step 7:
You will be sent to the domain's management page. You may now log into the control panel with the domain name as the username and the password you chose.
Ultra Cheap Laptops
A great way to attract new users to your site and gain large amounts of traffic is by having great content (as we previously mentioned) and by creating buzz. Asus, a technology company, has just announced that it will be selling Linux laptops for only $199 and it will begin shipping these systems in this year. Asus is already known for its ultra-hip Lamborghini laptop and now they will be hitting the market with a highly affordable laptop. The PC will be known as EEE, the three E's stand for "Easy to learn", "Excellent Internet", and "Excellent mobile computing experience." The EEE will be available at different price levels, ranging from $199 - $369. Asus' $349 model will target the US mainstream market. Overall specifications on the EEE are as follows:
* 7" LCD Display
* 900MHz Celeron-M ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) 353
* Intel 910 Chipset
* 512MB DDR2-400 RAM
* 4, 8, or 16GB solid-state storage
* ASUS-customized, Xandros-derived Linux OS
* Dimensions: 225x165x21-35mm
* Weight: ~2 lbs
* Colors: White, Black
By concentrating on the $349 model first, Asus seems to be focusing on establishing a brand and market presence in the sub-notebook market first, rather than attempting to go head-to-head with the OLPC's mandate of providing a useful computer to the developing nations of the world.
The announcement of this laptop will definitely increase traffic and create buzz in favor of Asus. The only thing Asus needs to worry about now is that its web hosting servers are able to handle the traffic.
When you are looking to make an impression with your business and want to gain traffic remember about this example of Asus. A relatively quiet company in the US laptop market could now have a greater impact due to its very low priced laptops.