X h o s t   H o s t i n g   F A Q s

What operating system do you use?

We are almost exclusively a Windows NT 4.0 environment.

Is the software standard?

All software used for Xhost Services has been tested by us and documented before being used on our production servers.

Do your servers offer secure connections?

We can offer secure connections using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). Our servers are certified for use with secured access for data transferred involving payment methods and sensitive information.

You can use this service with or without your own secure certificate.

Can I see my access logs?

Raw access to log files is provided within your area at http://www.yoursite.extension/logfiles This area is compressed (using Microsoft's compression technology) and contains your statistics files created on a weekly basis. You may delete/archive/download your previous weeks files to minimise data space used. You should leave the current weeks file to ensure statistics integrity (all files named exyymmww.log). W3C Extended log file format is used.

We can enable custom log formats if required. Contact customer services at support@xhost.co.uk for further details.

Do my email accounts come with redirection and alias capabilities?

Yes. Each mail account can be redirected to multiple email addresses and can also have multiple aliases.

How do I use mailto.exe to send a form via E-mail?

You may use the custom cgi program mailto.exe to send the contents of any form to an E-Mail address by following the instructions given in this in-depth document. More advanced form to E-Mail facilities can be implemented using ColdFusion Form to E-Mail, or using the inbuilt facilities of Frontpage 2000..

Do you do backups and, if so, what do I need to do to have files restored?

We back up the servers every evening. To request a backup, the site administrator must send an email request (not a phone call) to support@xhost.co.uk, detailing the location of the directory/file(s) to be restored and the required date the files should be restored to. Best endeavors will be made to fulfill the restore request.

When should I upgrade to a dedicated server?

Some web sites are so complex and resource intensive that a shared server is not enough. Other sites require such tight security that they must reside on an isolated server. Xhost provides dedicated servers to meet these needs. Contact customer services at sales@xhost.co.uk for further details.

What are "nursery", "production" and staging "servers"?

A "Nursery" server is a platform where developers can try out their application before the bugs are ironed out. It is in effect a test-bed for new content. These servers are subject to higher fault rates owing to their developmental nature.

A "Production" server is a platform where web content exists after the debugging has taken place. It may link to a "nursery" server for content but is considered to be a stable tested platform.

A "Staging" server is a platform where transitional content may exist. This could be a personal web server on a developers PC.