| The Underlying Structure of Web Hosting |
The focus of this article will be the essential components of web hosting and show how it all comes together to allow you to publish your content on the Internet.
Web hosting itself is like a flea market or shopping mall. A company will purchase a large amount of space and then rent that space out to other companies or individuals. This rented space is then used by these other individuals or companies in order to sell their services and products.
In the same way, when you buy a web hosting package you are buying space that can be used as you see fit. This space is on a hard drive of what is called a web server. A web server is simply a computer that has certain software that allows web pages to be downloaded to your browser.
Web servers are connected to the Internet via data cables. There are very large data cables that circle the world called trunk lines. These trunk lines are actually multiple cables put together in order to increase the speed at which data can flow through them. The name Trunk Line comes from a tree with its trunk and many branches. All the trunk lines and data cables criss-crossing the world look like webs and is the reason it's called the World Wide Web.
A web hosting company will pay to have high-speed access to these trunk lines or backbone networks. Then they will offer this access to their own customers for a fee.
Many disparate technologies are stacked on top of each other. These technologies, both hardware and software, must work together seamlessly for web pages to be viewable on the Internet.
There are the two computers, one at each end. The other end is the web server at your web hosting company. Typically, web servers will have more RAM, multiple faster CPUs and a much larger data storage capacity than your computer at home.
The other side of the equation is your own personal computer. This holds your web browser which deciphers and presents the information sent from the server.
When you enter a domain name into your browser it transmits that request to the Domain Name Servers at your ISP, or Internet Service Provider. The correct IP address is then attached to that request and forwarded through the necessary hops in order to arrive at your web hosting company. The request is the sent to a router which has a firewall and is able to log all network traffic.
The router then forwards the request to the appointed switch. For high-end data centers the switch will often be mounted inside the rack of web servers. This ensures less data cable needs to be used and will help keep the switch cool since server racks are usually air conditioned.
The request is then forwarded by the switch to the right web server. The web server then finds the correct folder using the web server software. This software reads the data in that folder and sends it to your browser. Your web browser will then translate and present the information using a specific protocol.
Within a matter of seconds the whole process is complete and a world of information is at your fingertips.
Now you can instantly see the best web hosting providers at http://www.web-hosting-view.com
Article Source: UnArchived Articles
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