What Is Web Site Hosting?

The act of making your web site available to the Internet is called hosting. Web pages written in HTML or other languages become visible to web browsers on the Internet by a computer that is running web server software. This computer is available to the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Such a system is called a web server.

NetGrafx uses a combination of DEC Alpha and Intel-based Pentium servers for web applications and web site hosting. A combination of UNIX and Windows-NT operating systems are used for various purposes. NetScape and Microsoft Web Server software is used on various platforms. We're a reseller for several back office products and incorporate various database technologies into client web sites requiring database support depending on need. NetGrafx is a VAR for Allaire's Cold Fusion products, and as such, offers Cold FUsion development and Cold Fusion hosting.  NetGrafx has developed custom code for monitoring web site performance, and develops custom code for client sites as required. We monitor and upgrade our systems as needed to provide fast response times and strong back-office capability (database engines, etc.).

There are many causes for some web sites to appear to run slow. Among these are your modem and processor speed that you use when accessing the Internet. You connect to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) who also connects to other Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide upstream and downstream Internet connectivity. So, not only your connection to your provider may be somewhat "slow", but connections from your Internet provider to the Internet may be degraded based on the capacity of the lines and the amount of other users connected to that provider at any one time. There is also the possibility that Internet backbone segments between major providers are saturated or even down. In this case, your connection to a web site may be routed through many abnormal Internet paths to reach the web server. And finally, a web server itself may be based on a system that is also providing connectivity to other dial in users such as yourself. This overhead will bog down the performance of a system as it services all the users connected through accounts on the computer.

NetGrafx can't help line degradation out on the Internet or at your service provider. NetGrafx can and does provide fast servers dedicated to web clients only - not just one web server like many companies have, but several! NetGrafx is not a full service ISP in that NetGrafx has no direct dial-in user accounts, consequently line traffic and systems overhead is dedicated to providing the fastest response time to your web site possible. We have incorporated fast internal networking (100 MB) with high-speed lines to the Internet (T1 through T3). We have had customers who just switch to us for hosting their sites indicate they felt our response time was better than other companies that advertised bigger pipes and Internet bandwidth. Since NetGrafx is one of the very few companies that offer hosting with no dial-in access, our response time to requests for web service is very fast because all our traffic is dedicated to that.

Web sites are hosted for various rates depending on the technologies involved. A basic web site generally fits within our basic hosting rate of only $50.00 a month. A 10% discount is applied for accounts that pre-pay 12 months in advance.  There is a one-time setup fee of $95.00.

A basic web site is one in which there are HTML files that compose web pages. There may be some javascript involved, and a basic mail or lead generation form provided by NetGrafx. The total disk space used by the web site is not more than 25 Megabytes. On average you can get from 10 to 12 web pages in one Megabyte depending on the amount of graphics that are also required in the site. Twenty-Five Megabytes should allow you to have up to 250 average web pages with a combination of text and graphics.

Domain name support for http://www.your_name.com, up to 25 Megabytes of disk storage, FTP access, one Email mailbox (your_name@your_domain.com) and up to 5 E-Mail Aliases (when domain names are served by NetGrafx). You also get access to our state of the art log file analysis software that graphically displays statistics about your web traffic 24 hours a day. It will even show you who's logged into your web site at any specific time you look.

There is a one time setup fee of $95 for basic web sites that covers administrative costs to set up the domain naming software, the FTP account, Email, and the file structure required to support your web site. The setup fee is waived for development clients of NetGrafx. Some web sites with unusual system administration requirements will receive a quote for setup if we believe the normal setup requirements won't accomodate your needs. An example of this is if you are hosting a database site that requires SQL Server (or other) administrative tasks.

Unlimited. NetGrafx does not charge for byte transfers for basic web sites! NetGrafx only charges transfer fees for sites requiring data streaming for audio or video purposes.

NetGrafx can provide you with as much storage as you need. For applications requiring up to 100 Megabytes of storage, the monthly hosting rate (storage plus Internet access to this data) is $20 for each additional 10 Megabytes over the first 25 Megabytes (basically $2.00/Mbyte, sold in 10 MByte chunks). If you have an application that requires more than 100 Megabytes of storage, NetGrafx will provide you with a proprietary custom quote to match your needs and requirements.  We generally fix our hosting rate at $200.00 a month for unlimited disk space and unmetered tranfers (exceptions for streaming applications only). We do have co-locations rates (see below) for dedicated server applications.

NetGrafx will be happy to sell you a hard disk that you can use for your web applications hosted by NetGrafx. (We're a reseller of many major brands of disks, memory, and even computers). Hosting rates may vary in this case and will be custom quoted. Typically, for Internet access with under 100 Megabytes, the $50/25 Megabyte rate will still apply.

Yes, for platforms supporting web development projects that NetGrafx is consulting and/or developing applications for. The general rate is $300.00/month for servers provided by the customer, $400.00/month for servers provided by NetGrafx dedicated for your use. 5 IP addresses will be assigned for your use. Other hosting rates or transfer rates may apply and will be custom quoted. Call 800-380-7477 for details.

NetGrafx offers a full range of extended hosting capabilities including secure credit card transactions, authentication, and crediting. NetGrafx is a VeriSign Hosting Partner, and has worked with CyberCash and Card Services International for credit-card services. NetGrafx can also offer audio or video streaming capability, a wide range of custom web applications capability including catalog shopping carts and database search and retrieval applications, and additional mail-boxes. NetGrafx is a Cold Fusion Solutions Development Partner and an Allaire Cold Fusion VAR.

Yes. Include your shockwave .DCR files in your file path and link to them like you would anywhere and they should run fine. The same is true for Java class files or Javascript.

No. For security reasons, with few exceptions, CGI is not supported on shared virtual web servers without prior agreement by NetGrafx. CGI development of any sort is of course support on dedicated (co-located) servers. On shared web servers, if you attempt to write and run CGI files without the consent of NetGrafx, your account may be disabled. We will allow some customer supplied CGI applications, but we will have to perform a code review of your application prior to implementing it on our servers. Code reviews are billed on an hourly basis at prevailing development rates (currently $65/hour). Specific form syntax for using the NetGrafx E-Mail Generation program can be obtained by requesting this from support@netgrafx.com .

Yes. A typical web address with a domain name would look like this: http://www.your_name.com. The "your_name.com" portion is what's known as a domain name and is a simple marketing device that allows prospects and customers to easily associate a web site with an Internet address. Also known as a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), the domain name allows people to find your site easier.

A domain name is not required. In lieu of a specific domain name registered for you by NetGrafx, your address would be something like http://www.netgrafx.com/your_name. Your hosting rate would be lower for this type of web site also. Call for details.

NetGrafx will spend time with you over the phone or in person to brainstorm domain names not taken by another company. NetGrafx will look up in the InterNIC - the body that governs domain names - database for the name you choose to make sure the name will be uniquely yours. If the name you'd like to have is available, NetGrafx will submit a domain name registration form to InterNIC. It can take hours or days for the domain name to be approved and registered by InterNIC based on the volume of submissions they receive at any given time. InterNIC will notify NetGrafx when the name registration is complete. You will own the domain name, not NetGrafx. You will have authority to move it should you ever desire to do this.

If you already have a domain name and wish to move your web site to a NetGrafx web server, you or your current web site provider will need to send InterNIC a domain name modify form that NetGrafx can provide you.

Yes. Mail comes to you through your ISP using a domain name address that looks like so: user@current_domain.com. Simply have your ISP add a reference in their DNS tables to point www.current_domain.com to the NetGrafx main domain name server IP address 208.48.63.10. NetGrafx will take the steps required to map the "www." part of the address to your web site at NetGrafx. NetGrafx can also provide the reverse service where we send mail addressed to your_domain.com to other service mail handlers if you use these services (where they may not be providing domain name service).

There are no additional monthly fees for a virtual domain name by NetGrafx. There is a one-time registration and setup fee of $50.00 from NetGrafx. InterNIC will bill you $50 a year for administering the domain name, two years in advance the first time you register it. (In other words, InterNIC will bill you $100 for two years of domain name registration.)

When you set up an account with an Internet Service Provider you will have access to at least one mail account. This mail account can receive mail from your web site. Also, when you set up a web site with a virtual domain at NetGrafx, you will receive the use of one complementary mailbox at no extra charge. Either mailbox - the one at your ISP, or the one provided by NetGrafx - can be used to receive Email from your web site. In either case, you'd point your Eudora (or other) Email program to receive mail from the appropriate POP server.

If you require additional Email accounts from NetGrafx, these are available for $5/Month per account. If you do not have a web site with NetGrafx but are just looking for a mailbox, these are likewise $5/month.

E-Mail aliases are basically fake addresses that relate to real mail accounts. Up to 5 aliases can be set up if NetGrafx is serving your domain name. An example of typical mail aliases would be info@your_name.com, sales@your_name.com, and support@your_name.com . In these cases, mail sent to any of these addresses could be made to go to the same mail address at NetGrafx or at your ISP, or to different mail addresses depending upon your requirements. Call NetGrafx to set up aliases for your Email.

No, NetGrafx provides up to 5 aliases as part of the basic hosting rate. The only requirement is that NetGrafx must be serving a valid domain name for you (your_name.com). Aliases are a convention that users with local mail accounts (or offsite mail accounts) can use to make it look as if there are more mail accounts (usually for support reasons) than really exist. For instance, support@your_name.com may actually alias (or point to) joe_bob@your_name.com. At the current time aliasing for accounts is maintained by NetGrafx Customer Service but this will probably change. During the account setup, you can give us a list of aliases to assign for you.

All of NetGrafx servers use the file name default.htm or index.htm to represent the home page. From this file, any other HTML file can be linked using whatever consistent file name strategy you'd like. Note that the extension on the home page file is .htm, not .html.

NetGrafx maintains some backup support that requires DOS file name conventions be strictly enforced since not all backup software uses long file name support. This allows for a file name that is 8 characters long with a 3 character extension (also know as 8+3 filenames). You may use longer filenames, but NetGrafx will not provide any inherent backup support for these files. In all cases, please allow for your own site backups (maintain copies of files in your web site at your site).

Yes. All HTML is fully parsed.

Yes. NetGrafx is one of the few providers that can offer completely secure credit card transactions including authentication and account crediting! Authentication takes at most 45 seconds (real-time) at which time your account will be credited. Funds will be available for your use within 48 hours of a transaction. NetGrafx can even offer a manual credit card entry interface in your web site (under username/password) to eliminate the need for separate phone lines or manual verification terminals!

We use Secure Socket Layers (SSL) combined with a direct connection to a credit card clearing service that provides totally secure and immediate authentication of credit card numbers through many credit card service bureaus. NetGrafx differs from many services providing SSL security in that most web hosting companies provide an SSL layer between a customer's client browser (like NetScape or Internet Explorer) and their web server only. The credit card order still has to be processed and usually the data is not encrypted from their server to you to manually process the credit card and order. For true security, NetGrafx provides an SSL layer from the browser to the server, and from the server to our credit card processing service directly. When the card has been approved, we return a verification to the customer, and send you the order with a credit card verification statement. You don't even have to post the credit card. All you have to do is ship the product. Your prospects and customers will feel secure knowing that neither you nor NetGrafx actually ever sees the credit card number. And unlike many other encryption schemes, people surfing your site that want to order products or services do not need to download special software, they just point, click, and order securely!!!

You must have a pre-existing credit card merchant ID to sign up for this service. (In other words, you must already be accepting credit cards.)

There is a one time setup fee of $995 to provide all the linkages required for the real time authentication and account crediting. This is a per client charge to NetGrafx by our service bureau that we have to cross charge to you. This is a separate charge from the $95 account setup for a basic web site. Contact NetGrafx for more details.

Currently there are 83 financial companies that we can provide direct secure credit card authentication and account processing through. Many are national service bureaus. They are listed alphabetically here:

AFFN, ALERT, AMERICAN EXPRESS, AMEX PCARD, ARJAY, BANKMA TE, BENCHARGE, BT NORTH AMERICA (MCI) , BUYPASS, CARD SERVICE INTERNATIONAL (CSI), CCA, CERIDIAN (CDC), CES, CHECK AMERICA , CHECK FREE , CHECK RITE , CHECKS, INC. , CHECKTECH , CHECKTRONIC , CNET , COMMLINK , COREDATA , CROSS CHECK , CSA , CVE , DISCOVER/NOVUS , DMGT , DPI , ECHO , EFS , ENVOY EXPLORE , FCS , FDR , FDR-AVS , FHB , FIRST USA , FNBO , FTB , GECC , Generic VISA-1 , Generic VISA-2 , GENSAR (TRANSNET) , GENSAR UTF , GULFNET , HONOR , ICCA , INSTA-CHECK , INTERLINK , JBS , KBDRUGS , LYNK , MAC , MAPP (BANK NET) , MAPP TERM , MASTER CHECK , MDI (Modular Data) , MERCANTILE , MESA GRANDE , MOST , MPACT , NABANCO , NDC (National Data) , NOVA 1.0 , NOVA 2.0 , NPC , NYCE , POSTECH/HONOR , PREFERRED CHECK PULSE , REDBOOK , SELECT CHECK , SHOPPERS , SPS(Sears) , STAR , SUPERIOR BANKCARD SERVICES , TELECHECK , TELECREDIT (Equifax) , UNICHECK , US BANCARD CENTER , URUGUAY VISA , VALICHECK , VISA K/A , VISA J/5 , VISANET , WELLS FARGO , YANKEE 24

This list is subject to change at any time. If you do not see the name of your credit card service bureau on this list, contact NetGrafx to see if we can get them added to this service.

Absolutely. In fact NetGrafx has passed hundreds of thousands of dollars of orders through it's servers to our clients with catalogs for over 2 years, and we continue to do so today. The secure application option is available for those clients that believe having the secure application will yield better sales (from people concerned with inputting their credit card number in an unsecured environment) with less manpower requirements since the credit card processing is done in advance of passing the order on.

We constantly monitor our log files for anomalous entries indicating someone may be trying to tamper with our systems. We also have removed many applications from our servers that are known to have security holes which may allow someone to gain access or entry surreptitiously. We also engage security experts to audit our operations periodically to verify the integrity of our systems and processes.

NetGrafx provides backup and restore services as a protection to our development and database clients who allow us to host their sites. "Hosting only" clients that FTP changes into their web sites are encouraged to keep a redundant backup of their web site environment at their own discretion since we can't guarantee that we'll have saved the site since your last changes. Should a system failure arise that requires rebuilding a disk containing your web site, we'll make every effort to restore it as best we can but cannot guarantee that we had a complete backup.

NetGrafx employs several UPS systems - power conditioners and battery backup devices - for our servers. Although we cannot guarantee uptime, we've never had an unscheduled outage as a result of NetGrafx facilities issues. (The Internet has effectively died a couple times in the last 5 years we've been in business and there wasn't alot we could control about this!)

In the past we provide log reports to our clients with each monthly statement. This proved to be unwieldy as we grew in size. We now offer state-of-the-art log file analysis that is graphical in nature and is web based so you can access it 24 hours a day to check on your site's traffic. It will even tell you who's logged on your site when you go and check your statistics.

Yes.

NetGrafx does not and will not host sites promoting alcohol products, tobacco products, or pornography. NetGrafx will not accept or support web pages or content containing negative civil-rights ideologies ("negative" to be defined at our discretion). NetGrafx will also not accept or support web pages or content that specifically promotes or denounces issues of abortion or sexual orientation.

General forms of political or religious discussion and promotion when done in a positive forum are acceptable. NetGrafx reserves the right to accept or deny hosting services to any party, and to amend or modify this policy at any time. Please contact NetGrafx for any clarifications.