Id Protection On Domain Names

0

When you register a domain such as a .com or .net, your registration details are made publicly available by default. This is the standard for most domains.

ICANN, is the main center for domains and they set the standards for how this information should be dealt with. This is how ICANN describes WHOIS services

WHOIS services provide public access to data on registered domain names, which currently includes contact information for Registered Name Holders. The extent of registration data collected at the time of registration of a domain name, and the ways such data can be accessed, are specified in agreements established by ICANN for domain names registered in generic top-level domains (gTLDs). For example, ICANN requires accredited registrars to collect and provide free public access to the name of the registered domain name and its nameservers and registrar, the date the domain was created and when its registration expires, and the contact information for the Registered Name Holder, the technical contact, and the administrative contact.

However it is possible to protect your identity when registering certain domains. If enabled, this ID protection redirects anyone who is trying to find out who owns a domain to another website where they can send an email to the admin contact of the domain without knowing any of the specific details of the owner. This way the ICANN standard is met, but also your personal information is kept safe.

To take advantage of this feature, simply click the tick box that is labelled “Id Protect” when ordering a domain name. This service is free of charge.

The Gumblar Virus: protect yourself and your data

0

The Gumblar Virus
Malware and viruses are continually being developed to try and exploit inexperienced users and also any weakness within Operating systems and commonly used programs. A common malware / virus that is infecting a lot of web sites is the JSRedir-R or gumblar virus. This virus basically sits on an existing page and redirects you (a visitor the page) from the page you thought you were visiting and takes you to a site that then attempts to download malicious code onto your computer.

consequences
If your pc, or a pc of someone who has your ftp details on their computer becomes infected with this virus, it is highly likely that your web site(s) will also become infected. What this means in real terms, is that your web site will infect the computers of your customers and others who visit it. Eventually Google and other search engines will figure this out and they will then list your site as one which is spreading malware.

solutions and preventative measures
To learn how you can protect your pc and your web sites why not take a look at our page on Ftp security

Why Eset Antivirus Software is among the best available

0

Fastest & Most Effective
Nod 32 is the fastest, most effective antivirus software that you could choose to protect your computer from viruses and spyware. Nod32 Antivirus software, sits in the background while you work with your pc and constantly monitors for virus attacks without slowing your PCs performance.

Multiple Award Winning
Nod 32 is the world leader in the “Virus Bulletin 100% Awards” having won more awards than any competing product.

Key Features

  • ThreatSenseT technology – a single optimized anti-threat engine for analyzing code to identify malicious behaviour, such as viruses, spyware, adware, phishing and more
  • Unprecedented heuristic (experience-based techniques ) analysis capable of discovering new malware threats as they emerge
  • Powerful virtual PC emulation technology enables unpacking and decryption of all types of archives and run-time packing
  • Able to clean active malware running in memory
  • Protects at multiple infiltration points, including HTTP, POP3, SMTP and all local and removable media
  • Removes infections from files that are locked for writing (e.g., loaded DLL file)
  • Prevents infected files from being opened and executed, and warns on creation of infected files
  • Automatic execution on system startup
  • Supports multiple Terminal Server environments
  • Supports scanning of mapped network disks
  • Find out more about the Eset range of pc protection products on our Eset Nod32 Antivirus software page and also on out Eset Smart Security Page

Website security SSL certs & Https

0

So you want to set up an on line store and sell your products to what is after all a global market place. Internet security and privacy is a very important issue that effects all the users of the web from the casual browser to the webpage owner.

Web users are becoming increasingly aware of the various security issues associated with the web and they are increasingly looking for the common security features within a website.

The main one of these is the presence of HTTPS on any sensitive part of the website. Normally when you browse to a website, you will see http:// However when you move to a secure area of the website, you will see https://.

Areas that should be protected by HTTPS include anywhere that sensitive and personal data is being transmitted through the website. Payment areas and signup areas are good examples of where an SSL Cert should always be used.

So what exactly does it mean when you see the HTTPS? Basically what it means is that the website owners have decided to install an SSL (secure socket layer) cert onto their website.
An SSL cert uses highly secure encryption methods to scramble the data being passed between the server ( where the website is) and you or your web browser. All of this is handled by your web browser (firefox , google chrome) and the server that the site you are visiting is on.

Having an SSL cert installed provides your visitors with confidence that they are on a legitimate site that isn’t just looking to steal their credit card details or their personal information.

So what if you own the site and want to install an SSL Cert. Well if your site is hosted by us, then all you will need to do is purchase an ssl cert . We will then do all the complicated work behind the scenes and soon afterwards you site will be secured by SSL.

If your site is not hosted with us, you can still purchase an SSL Cert from us, but you will need to have a CSR
generated for you from your host. A CSR is a certificate signing request.

Find out more about SSL certs and the different kinds that are available on SSL Certs

Dedicated Windows Servers

0

Our Windows Dedicated servers come with either windows server 2003 or windows server 2008. They are also fully scalable and upgradable. They start at €140 per month with windows server 2003 or €145 per month for windows server 2008.

The Basic package comes with:
1x 250GB 7200rpm
SATA Hard Disk
Dual Core Xeon 2.33Ghz
4MB Processor
2GB ECC
Dual Channel RAM
2000 GB of Bandwith Transfer

There are several options for add-ons to the dedicated server which include SQL Server 2008 and CDP server backups.

If you’re interested in a Dedicated Windows server, you can find out more information on ourwindows dedicated server hosting page.

.com.au domain names Australian domain now available

0

We are now offering .com.au domain names. This is the Australian tld and is available for €160 for a two year registration.

The .com.au domain name has some restrictions on who can register them. You will need to have an ABN/ACN (Australian Business Number) and the domain must relate to a service, product or feature you offer.

If you are interested in a .com.au domain name, then you can check availability for .com.au domains here

When is a Vps (virtual private server) Needed?

0

Busy Website
If you have a website that has become popular and is quite busy, then the website may need more resources in order to serve the website quickly to every visitor that hits one of its pages. Vps servers offer more resources than standard shared hosting and they also offer greater configuration options.
vps hosting information

Multiple Websites
If you are interested in setting up multiple websites, a vps can be a good way to achieve this. This is especially true, if you were to opt for one of the Hosting Management software packages such as WHM ( web host manager) or HELM for windows. These packages allow you to easily manage your vps through a simple web based interface. Each account created also has its own Cpanel or Helm interface so that each individual account can be managed quickly and easily.
vps hosting information

Specific Code Environment
Some projects may require a specific version or setup of PHP or ASP for example which may not be available to you through a shared hosting account, a vps lets you configure these environments exactly how you need them.
vps server information

Server Configuration
With a vps you are in control. If you want to run a particular type of software on your server then you can do this. There are also several packages which you can choose to have installed on your server such as Softaculous and R1soft CDP Continuous Data Protection & Server Backup

Guide to searching for a domain name

0

When your looking for a domain name for a new website, it sometimes can be difficult to find one that suits.
Here are some suggestions to help you in finding a good domain name.

1.) Try using a different tld (.ie try .info or .net). It is important to remeber that the country specific tlds will be treated differently by Google.
2.) Try rearranging the words or using synonyms for eg change “domainsearch.com” to “searchdomains.com” or using a synonym “domainfinder.com”
3.) If you need specific keywords in your domain try adding in another word for eg “searchfordomains.com”
4.) Try adding in a hyphen for eg “domain-search.com”, but try to avoid to many hyphens though as this can make the domain difficult to remember and to type.

If your looking for a domain name you can use our domain name search tool.

VPS Platform Information

0

Introduction
It is important when ordering VPS Hosting to ensure that the VPS you order has sufficient resources available for the task you have in mind. Fortunately though, if the initial specifications turn out to be insufficient, the VPS can have its resources increased with only a small amount of downtime required. Unfortunately the same is not true of the platform that your provider chooses to run your VPS on, a fact which can be easily overlooked. The host machine that your VPS runs on as a guest is part of the smooth operation of your VPS.

Memory and swap space
The most important factor in the smooth operation of a VPS is the amount of memory (RAM) available to it, the swap (Virtual RAM) it has available should only be used in exceptional circumstances, as in the event of unexpectedly high traffic.

Some VPS providers may offer a comparatively large quantity of memory, but this may be because the memory is being shared with every other VPS on the host machine, but the VPS will not perform in the same way as with dedicated RAM.

If your host machine offers dedicated memory for the VPS then you have an amount of memory to use that no other VPS on the same host has any access too, which is clearly an advantage.

Host machine processors
It is essential for host machines to have a processor with multiple cores, so that all of the guest machines will have access to a processor core when they require it.

Our host machines have more than one multiple core processors so that each VPS can have access to two or more processor cores, so that each VPS has plenty of processing power available when they need it.

Virtual Hardware
Some VPS providers do not use true hardware virtualisation, but instead use a software layer with which the guest machines must communicate. This software layer must then relay the commands to the operating system. This approach causes a reduction in performance as the software layer is shared among all of the guests on the host machine.

Our host machines use true hardware virtualisation, so that the guest machine accesses to the hardware as directly as possible, which adds a significant increase in performance.

File System
Some VPS solutions use a single file in the host machine’s file system as the disk for the VPS. This approach decreases the performance of disk activity in the guest VPS, particularly as the size of this “file system” file increases. For this reason we offer direct disk access wherever possible.

Conclusion
It can be very difficult to pick a VPS solution that you can rely on for solid performance and a reliable host machine. At Hosting Ireland we pride ourselves on high quality products and fantastic after sales support, if you are interested in a VPS I highly recommend that you take a look at the VPS offers we have here, and if you have any questions then post a comment or send an email to info@hostingireland.ie

Philip Brookes

Server Technician