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What To Look For In
An ASP Hosting Account
What Is ASP?
ASP, short for Active Server Pages, is a technology that
allows webmasters and programmers to create interactive
content for websites. It was originally developed by
Microsoft and executed using Internet Information
Services (IIS). It effectively allows a web page to be
created by combining elements of HTML, XML, scripts, and
COM components. While the resulting page has the exact
appearance of any HTML page they are quite different in
the way they are controlled by the server and your
visitors’ browsers. The main distinction is that unlike
an HTML page an ASP page cannot simply be opened with a
browser and display the appropriate results. The page
request must be made through an ASP browser hence the
name Active Server Pages.
Why Developers Use ASP
The end result of using ASP is dynamic or interactive
content, or even a fully functioning, highly complex web
application that is easy to manage and update. It is
possible for Windows users to program in IIS on their
own computer because IIS comes packaged with Microsoft
1998, 2000 and XP. Non-Windows platforms can also use
software applications to interpret the ASP results on
their own computer without having to use a web server.
However, for visitors to view pages coded in ASP there
must always be an ASP server.
ASP Hosting Availability
A lot of hosts offer ASP support. Shared hosting
accounts include this and many other features to try and
attract new customers. This means that if you do require
ASP hosting you are left with a lot of options and a lot
of features to choose from. Obviously budget will always
play a part but it is important to check that your
hosting plan includes everything you need it to.
Obviously you should first start by discounting any host
that does not offer ASP hosting.
Disk Space Size
Bandwidth and disk space are always important factors
when choosing a web host but especially to you, as an
ASP developer. Because the ASP is hosted directly on the
server this means that your dynamic, interactive pages
will generally be a fairly hefty size. Check the amount
of disk space you need and compare this to the amount
being offered by each host. It is likely that as you
further develop or enhance your website you will
increase your disk space requirements. Every new page
and every new application will require a little more of
your storage allowance so plan ahead and choose
carefully.
Amount Of Bandwidth
Bandwidth is another important factor for the ASP
developer. While most of the work is done at the server
end, the addition of dynamic and interactive content
will usually mean more pages requests are made. With
every new page request and every use of any web
application you include on your site you will be
increasing your monthly bandwidth. If you reach or
surpass your original quote then you will either have to
pay extra to receive a higher monthly allowance or, far
worse, you will need to find a new host to serve your
website. There may come a time when you should look
beyond shared hosting accounts to a more powerful and
customizable but also more expensive solution.
Using Dedicated ASP Hosting
Dedicated hosting offers a lot of power. Instead of
sharing a single server with numerous other websites you
essentially rent a server from your host. No other
websites will be hosted on this server giving you much
more control, bandwidth, and disk space. Another
advantage with dedicated hosting is that you can
generally have the server customized to meet your
expectations and requirements. You can certainly ensure
that you are able to include ASP pages on your site.
Using Your Own Web Server
Owning your own server is generally an option that only
large or specialist organizations can afford or warrant.
As well as buying a server in the first place it is also
necessary to provide adequate housing that must be the
right size and provide optimal conditions. A stable
power input (preferably two separate inputs) must be
provided and you should also be able to insure that the
location is completely secure. If you do use your own
server you will also need to take remote backups to
prevent data loss in the event of fire or server
corruption.
Conclusion
ASP hosting offers a level of website interactivity and
dynamic content that it is otherwise difficult to
achieve. ASP hosting can be afforded through affordable
shared hosting plans, powerful dedicated hosting, or
through having your own server. It is impossible to open
an ASP web page that doesn’t use ASP hosting but
developers can use the Microsoft IIS application on
their computer to program and test any content or
applications.
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