Can I Host My Own Website & Email?

Problem:

If you don't know what email hosting or web hosting is, how it differs from Internet access, or why you need it or why you pay for it, then this article is for you!  Hopefully this article will de-mystify this new phenomena that has spread across the world in such a short time, and give you a good idea of why it is best to pay someone a small monthly fee to provide this service!

Internet Access:

Let's take a few seconds to review what Internet access really is.  Internet access is nothing more than someone providing you with a gateway to the Internet.  This gateway doesn't give you an email address or a web site.  The company providing Internet access to you is considered your Internet Service Provider (ISP).  This service allows you to surf the Internet and interact with websites.  The ISP that you use might include a complimentary email address or addresses for you with your service.  This email address or web site will contain their domain name.  They own it and allow you to borrow it.  You can get Internet access by dial-up modems, Cable modems, DSL modems, or business class T1 services.  Each having different pricing structures and speed options.

Domain Name Registration:

Now that you are paying someone for Internet access, you decide that you want your own domain name, like www.compdevsys.com.  First you need to register that domain name.  When you 'register' the domain, you don't actually own it, but you pay an annual fee to rent it.  When you hear someone say that they own a domain name, that isn't entirely correct.  They too are are renting it.  When you register a domain name, you get just that... the domain name, no email or website come with it.  Depending on the length of time you register the name for, the cost can be anywhere from $9/year up to $45/year.  Registering a domain name is similar to registering a vehicle with your state.  You don't get a vehicle with your registration, you get a license plate with a unique phrase on it.  You still have to pay someone to make the car for you and you need to drive the car, or what is the point of owning one?

Hosting the Domain Name:

So, you have Internet access, and you registered your own domain name that you rent annually.  You now need a company that will HOST your domain name by managing your DNS information, and setup a website and email server.  Whoa... What is DNS?

Look at it this way... The Internet is a huge tangled web of servers, computers, and routers. Hence the name, world wide web.  Computers are run by you, the individuals surfing the Internet.  The traffic goes through the routers (cute little name) that route the information to the correct destinations.  The destinations are the servers that contain the email, websites, or files that you will be downloading or using.  Each computer, server, and router on the Internet has at least one Internet Protocol (IP) Address assigned to it.  These numbers are long, and not very nice to memorize.  DNS is a method that computers use to translate human readable names, like www.compdevsys.com, into an IP Address.  The computers can then locate the destination by the IP Address.  (The actual destination goes one step below IP Address, NIC Address, but it isn't necessary for us to review that.)

You need to run a DNS server and properly register your domain name with the given IP address assigned to your name (check the note below for more info on IP Addreses).  Using DNS, you then point this name to a specific IP address.  The IP address you point to will be the server that has your email and website services are setup on.  Now that your DNS and servers are setup, you are officially 'Hosting' a domain. Guess what?  This still doesn't mean you have a website or email.

Note:  IP addresses are assigned by ARIN (www.arin.net), which is the organization responsible for controlling the Internet Address Spaces.  There are one-time AND annual fees associated with registering IP addresses.  These services start at $500, and requires a minimum of two T1 Internet connections at your facility.  Ouch! Very pricey!

Hardware & Software Requirements:

A server must be running special software to 'serve' data to users.  This server software can be very expensive, depending on the manufacturer and version purchased.  The servers must be running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to serve information to users around the world and must have very fast business class Internet access to serve many people at once.  In addition, these servers must be updated regularly to avoid security risks and virus attacks.  Often, you get what you pay for when you purchase server software.  The more expensive server software is usually updated more regularly, and therefore is more secure.  Microsoft Windows 2003 Server, Web Server Edition, starts at $400.  Server software also isn't very easy to configure, and one slipup can compromise the server and all the data on it.  It isn't nice when someone hijacks your server and locks you out of it. 

You should also keep in mind that the equipment required to host reliable websites and email services isn't cheap.  It normally costs thousands of dollars by the time you get the the server software, antivirus, backup solution, and server hardware purchased.  Often, monthly expenses for 1 server, 1 block of IP Addresses, and 2 T1 Internet connections will run approximately $1200.00 per month.

Website & Email Setup:

Now that you have the software and the hardware configured properly, you need to setup the email and website software that will run your website.  There are different manufacturers and different versions, so it requires someone with a lot of free time to do research, or someone that already has the experience.  We suggest the latter.  These individuals have already learned from their mistakes.

After thorough testing and configuration changes, you can begin developing the website and fill it with content and post it on your new web server...

What?  You thought all of this was going to be easy?

Summary:

So you ask, 'Why can't I host my own website, instead of paying someone else?'  Well you can, but you may want to read the entire article again before you decide to do it on your own.

We brought you down a path that was really, really long and complicated.  That was our point.  It isn't as easy as it sounds to host a website.  There are a lot of technical procedures that must take place, a lot of expensive software, hardware, setup/registration fees, and Internet connections that are necessary to complete this task.  Isn't it just easier to pick up the phone or send an email to your IT consultant and say; "Please register www.compdevsys.com for me and set it up?" and then pay them a small monthly fee of around $20.00?  And then all you have to worry about is what data you want in your website!

Computer Development Systems, LLC can register your domain name, setup your email accounts, and post a "coming soon" website that all becomes affective in less than 12hrs.  Initial one-time setup costs start at $95, with a hosting fee starting as low as $20/month.

Visit www.compdevsys.com!