I'm searching for a web host for a small site. No downloading of any graphics or such, just a simple 5 page site.

1. Why is having a dedicated IP addy a good thing?
2. What is anonynomous FTP?
3. What is the difference between a shared server and a virtual server?
4. What is data transfer? Does this simply mean customers downloading graphics and other stuff off your website or does it have to do with site traffic?
5. What features should I be looking for considering my simple needs?

:wavey: Welcome to WHT


1) It's not a good thing and it's not a bad thing. It's really only needed if you plan on using anonymous FTP or your own SSL certificiate

2) Anonymous FTP allows anyone to upload/download content to/from your public_ftp folder

3)Shared server is where you are placed on a server with many other clients. You generally do not have root access. With a virtual server you are allowed root access.

4) Data transfer is just that. Anything that is transferred from your server to your clients browser counts. Some hosts also charge for data going from a client to the server.

5) What kind of website do you plan on having? If it's just a basic website, a "starter" package of some sort should do. I suggest looking for a host that offers upgrades and additional features like PHP/ASP, mySQL databases etc. If you do not know what these are chances are you wont need them (but that doens't mean you shouldn't look at using them)

Originally posted by Sturm
I'm searching for a web host for a small site. No downloading of any graphics or such, just a simple 5 page site.

1. Why is having a dedicated IP addy a good thing?
2. What is anonynomous FTP?
3. What is the difference between a shared server and a virtual server?
4. What is data transfer? Does this simply mean customers downloading graphics and other stuff off your website or does it have to do with site traffic?
5. What features should I be looking for considering my simple needs?

1) You need that only if you want to run SSL (secure socket layer) or anonynimous FTP
2) An FTP account that people can freely up/download from/to without having a predined login (user/pass)
3) It's the same
4) It is all data coming to and leaving from the server
5) A simple hosting account with no PHP, MYSQL or other features you don't need

Dedicated IP is meant to help rank your site higher in search engines.

Originally posted by UH-Matt
Dedicated IP is meant to help rank your site higher in search engines.

Nope, most search engines are namebased compatible now :)

Originally posted by UH-Matt
Dedicated IP is meant to help rank your site higher in search engines.

Heh, really? :eek2: I didn't know that. Can you explain further?

Use the search button - Someone posted about this the other day.

It seems to be true.

Proftpd can use virtualhost names for an anonymous ftp

When discussing shared ips, all the articles I have read always say the main reason to avoid sharing an ip is because of the chance of sharing an IP address or IP block with sites that spam. If they ban that ip address, then you and others sharing that ip are screwed. If you can point me to a reputable article source that says sharing an ip address can have negative affect on ratings, outside of what I mentioned above, I would appreciate it.

But with so many sites out there now, I believe the search engines have gone to banning the domains now, but some may still ban by ip. I am not 100% sure on this. Best thing is to email the search engines and find out from them. (If they even reveal this information)

Article 1 (http://www.netmechanic.com/news/vol5/promo_no6.htm)

Article 2 (http://www.webposition.com/mp-0102.htm#ONE)

Article 3 (http://www.webposition.com/mp-0402.htm#THREE)

Originally posted by Rockerhard
<snip>

You have a good point there!