Glossary
.htaccess - an Apache Web server control file that configures many customizable features on a web site
Anonymous FTP - an FTP connection that does not require a username or password
Apache - a very popular open source web server program. Known for being free, reliable, and secure.
Application - Software that provides functionality to your server.
ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange; the standard letters, numbers, and symbols that can be included in text files.
Autoresponder - an email feature in which an automatic reply is sent back to the sender whenever and email is received.
Bandwidth - The amount of data that can be transmitted from a given server, solution, or data center.
Byte - usually represents a single character, or 8 bits.
CGI - Short for Common Gateway Interface - a script that processes data taken from a user.
Cgi-bin - The directory on a web server where CGI scripts are stored.
Client - a program that works by interacting with a server.
Colocated Hosting - A hosting solution in which the customer owns and maintains the servers, which physically reside at a hosting facility.
DDoS - Short for Distributed Denial of Service Attack - a common form of attack on network devices in which a network is flooded with information from multiple hosts, preventing legitimate network traffic.
Dedicated Hosting - A hosting solution in which a server is dedicated to a single customer. Dedicated hosting servers are owned by the hosting company in which they reside.
Device - a hardware component that makes up a hosting solution. This could include servers, switches, firewalls and load balancers.
DS-3 - a fiber-optic Internet connection with a capacity of 45 Mbps.
Firewall - a software or hardware device that protects servers from unauthorized access, usually by blocking ports.
FTP - Short for File Transfer Protocol - a protocol that allows files to be transferred between two servers.
Gigabyte - 1,073,741,824 bytes
GigE - a high-speed fiber optic Internet connection with a capacity of 1,000,000,000 bps.
HTML - Short for HyperText Markup Language - the language with which web servers and client browsers communicate.
HTTP - Short for HyperText Transfer Protocol - the protocol with which HTML files move across the Internet, generally implemented on a web server.
IDS - Short for Intrusion Detection System - a device that monitors network traffic for security breaches.
IIS - Short for Internet Information Server - Microsoft's version of server software.
IP Address - a unique, numeric address used to identify a device on the Internet.
IP - Short for Internet Protocol - the protocol that designates the format of data packets that are used to exchange information over the Internet.
J2EE - Short for Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition - a programming platform that runs distributed multi-tier architecture applications.
Kilobyte - 1,024 bytes
LAMP - Short for Linux, Apache, MySQL, Perl or PHP - a set of common open source software programs used together in dynamic web sites.
Load Balancer - A device that distributes data across multiple servers in order to ensure that a single Web server does not get overloaded with traffic.
Mailing List - a group of e-mail addresses in which all recipients receive the same e-mail message.
Managed Backup - A duplicate copy of data from an original source kept in an alternate media, oftern on tape or on a different server from the original. Managed backup services are services in wich the Service Provider oversees and maintains the backup processes.
Megabyte - 1,048,576 bytes
MySQL - a popular, free, and stable open source database solution.
Name Server - A server that associates domain names and IP addresses.
NOC - Short for Network Operations Center - the part of a Data Center in which most administration and monitoring of the servers occurs.
OC-12 - a fiber-optic Internet connection with a capacity of 622 Mbps.
OC-3 - a fiber-optic Internet connection with a capacity of 155 Mbps.
Packet Switching - The way that data is exchanged over the Internet.
POP - Stands for Post Office Protocol - a popular protocol for downloading e-mail.
RAID - Short for Redundant Array of Independent Disks - one of many data protection options, in which data is stored on multiple hard drives as a precaution for single drive failure.
SAN - Short for Storage Area Network - a hosting solution in which servers are attached to multiple disk arrays, tape libraries, or other storage devices.
Scalability - The ability of a solution to to increase in capacity according to the needs and growth of the project.
Server - a computer that processes requests and serves data to clients or end users.
SLA - Short for Service Level Agreement - an Agreement between a Service Provider and a Customer defining the level of service offered for a given solution.
Shared Hosting - A hosting solution in which multiple customers use the same server at a hosting facility. The customers' web sites are "shared" on the same devices rather than on a server "dedicated" only to one customer (see "Dedicated Hosting.")
SMTP - Short for Simple Mail Transport Protocol - the protocol with which email is sent.
Spam - a popular term for marketing e-mails that are sent to mass numbers of recipients and are not solicited by the end users.
SQL - Short for Standard Query Language - A protocol in which information is requested from databases.
SSL - Short for Secure Sockets Layer - a common security precaution; a protocol in which the secure server sends and receives encrypted data.
Traffic - The amount of data transfer associated with a single hosting solution.
Unix - a robust, stable, open source operating system used for a wide range of Internet hosting solutions.
VPN - Short for Virtual Private Network - a private communications network in which users communicate over a larger public network.
Web Hosting - A service that allows users to post web pages to the Internet.
XML - Short for Extensible Markup Language - a language in which web developers create their own markup tags.
