Web Glossary

Below are some commonly used terms which have various meanings applicable to web hosting:

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the measurement of data transfer capacity your host supports for your web site. Bandwidth is generally measured on a monthly basis.

CGI-bin

A CGI bin (or Common Gateway Interface) is a directory found on web servers that allows for the use of .cgi and .pl files. CGI files/scripts are commonly used to provide such things as web site counters, guest books, response forms, and databases.

CHMOD

CHMOD is a set of permissions you assign to a file. Scripts and files can be chmod to read, write, or execute or a combination of all of the above.

cPanel

cPanel is a custom, web-based control panel designed to help you administer and control all the functions related your web hosting from email addresses to ftp accounts to parking and pointing domain names.

Domain Name

A domain name is a set of alphanumeric characters followed by .com, .net, .org, .info, or one of quite a few other top level domain extensions. 'johnclarkeconsulting.com' is an example of a domain name.

DNS

DNS (or Domain Name System) is a translation between domain names and IP addresses that allows for your site to be viewed online.

FTP

FTP (or File Transfer Protocol) is the easiest, most secure way to transfer files over the Internet. By using an FTP program, you'll be able to securely transfer files from your local computer to your web hosting account, and back again.

IMAP

IMAP (or Internet Message Access Protocol) is a method of accessing email or newsgroup postings which are stored on a server. By utilizing IMAP, you are able to download email and newsgroup postings to your local computer, while also retaining a copy of the original on the server.

MySQL

MySQL is a database management system that holds a structured collection of data. SQL databases are commonly used to store information such as forum postings, news stories, guest book comments, survey results, and more.

Nameservers

Nameservers (eg ns1.johnclarkecounsulting.com and ns2.johnclarkecounsulting.com) are essentially addresses, much like your house address, which point your domain to the proper web hosting server so that when someone enters your URL, your web page is displayed correctly in their browser. Each domain is required to set of two nameservers, which your host provides.

Propagation

Propagation is the time it takes for your DNS settings to register across the Internet and become completely active.

POP

POP (or Post Office Protocol) is the Internet standard for inbound mail from your web hosting account. POP technology allows you to retrieve email from your web hosting account and download it to your local computer via an email software program.

SMTP

SMTP (or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the Internet standard for host-to-host mail transport. SMTP servers control all the outgoing mail from your domain based web hosting account.

SSL

SSL (or Secure Socket Layer)works to establish an encrypted link between a web site and a client's browser. Communication between the two parties is encrypted and information is therefore protected from being intercepted. Secure sites utilizing the power of SSL will have URL's that begin with "https://", confirming for you that the site is secure.

Sub domain

A sub domain is an address which operates just below your top level address. Sub domains are easy to remember addresses that serve as extensions of your top level domain name. A sub domain looks like this: anything.mydomain.com

URL

A URL (or Uniform Resource Locator) is a web address, which can be typed into your browser. By typing the address "www.johnclarkeconsulting.com" into your Internet web browser, you'll be taken to the johnclarkeconsulting.com web site

Webmail

Webmail is an Internet address associated with your hosting account, where you can go to send and retrieve your email, rather than downloading it to your local computer.

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