This article describes technology behind multiple server hosting and how you may utilize it to maximize your site's security and uptime.

Hosting of websites has essentially become a commodity. There is very little distinguishing one hosting company from next. Core plans and features are same and price is no longer a true determining feature. In fact, choosing a host based on cheapest price can be more expensive in long term with respect to reliability issues and possible loss of sales as a result of website downtime.

Selecting a host from thousands of providers and resellers can be a very daunting task, which may result in a hit and miss approach. But although hosting may have become a commodity, one distinguishing feature that you must always look out for is reliability.

If you don't know uptime of your site, or its performance level, try a website monitoring service.

At heart of any hosting company's reliability is redundancy. This ensures that if a problem exists at one point, there will be an alternative which ensures continuity as seamlessly and transparently as possible.

Most hosts do employ redundant network connections. These are high speed pipes that route data from server to your web browser. But, redundant 'multiple web servers' have been extremely rare and very expensive, requiring costly routing equipment which has previously been used only in mission critical applications of Fortune 500 companies.

However, a very neat but little known Domain Name Server(DNS) feature called 'round robin' allows selection and provision of a particular IP address from a 'pool' of addresses when a DNS request arrives.

To understand what this has to do with server reliability it's important to remember that Domain Name Server (DNS) database maps a host name to their IP address. So instead of using a hard to remember series of numbers (IP address) we just type in your web browser www.yourdomain.com, to get to your website.

Now, typically it takes at least 2 to 3 days to propagate or ‘spread word’ of your DNS info throughout internet. That's why when you register or transfer a domain name it isn't immediately available to person browsing web.

Original URL (The Web version of article) --------------------------------------------- http://www.defendingthenet.com/NewsLetters/YAWNA–YetAnother WirelessNetworking

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Title ----- YAWNA - Yet Another Wireless Networking Article Wireless Network Security ------------------------------------------------------ The consumer-level wireless networking market has exploded over past few years. Unfortunately, manufacturers have been lax in explaining potential security risks associated with their products. Typical instructions bundled with consumer products are geared towards getting you up and running as quickly as possible. Only recently has consumer equipment begun shipping with basic security measures enabled. Unfortunately, this effort is flawed by fact that all devices typically ship with same default configurations, making effort wasted.

Do People Really Care About Wireless Security -------------------------- While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of articles currently available on how to secure a wireless home network, they frequently address only steps involved, ignoring reasoning behind them. Of course most obvious reason is to protect data on your own network. Believe it or not, many people don’t see this as enough incentive. One of my own family members (who has an IT background, no less) once expressed to me that security of his network wasn’t of concern because he knew his individual machines were safe. He was right with regards to his systems; they were pretty secure. However, his belief that someone intruding on his network was there for his stuff was flawed.

Using Your Wireless Network For Fun & Profit ----------------------------------- Your bandwidth alone is a significant motivator for less than scrupulous. Your unsecured wireless network can provide ultimate “anonymizer” for illicit activities. You may be facilitating a glorious “hacker” techno-battle, such as those portrayed in movies and television. Perhaps an international spy needs to transmit secret data back to her superiors and decides to borrow your network to fulfill task. While not likely, you never know. Little Johnny Wants A New Toy ---------------------------------------------- Here’s a more realistic scenario: