|  Chapter 1: Putting Up a Site
The Art of Scintography
Edition 3.0 © 2008 Aurora Isaac
www.scintography.com |
 1.1 The Site Startup Checklist |
 | | Checklist |
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If you are just starting to think about putting up a site, you are
probably seeing the web from a new perspective.
The purpose of this book is to introduce you to some
basic concepts of what the Internet is and what you need to consider
as you develop your site.
Use this checklist to initiate your own site startup.
This brief list covers all the essential components.
They are not neccessarily done in this order, and may need to be done recursively to achieve your goal.
| 1: | Set up your site log |
| 2: | Register your domain |
| 3: | Hire your web host |
| 4: | Collect your site content |
| 5: | Envision your site |
| 6: | Collect your development tools |
| 7: | Install a test page |
| 8: | Design your page templates |
| 9: | Implement your site |
| 10: | Install your site |
This text will take you through each of these steps,
but you will get to know them best by doing them.
Once you have explored them from beginning to end, come back to the beginning and make your site!
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| 1.2 Checklist Step 1: Set Up Your Site Log |
| | Checklist |
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Whether you prefer a log book, binder, word document, file folder, or convenient cardboard box,
you will make your life easier if you have one place to keep all your important site details.
You will want to keep records of passwords, phone numbers, procedures, and people at the very least.
Whether you make dated notes in a log book or toss scribbled notes into a box,
use the method that will work for you.
Set up this system now, and stick with it!
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| 1.3 What is the Internet? |
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To be a part of the Internet, you must know what it is.
A network is a collection of computers that can communicate with each other.
The Internet is a worldwide network of networks.
To the typical viewer, it is essentially indistinguishable
from the World Wide Web, which is a network of
hypertext documents connected by hyperlinks.
We refer to these networks casually as "the net" or "the web", and these documents as "pages".
Anyone with the right hardware
and software can connect to the Internet by applying for a network address.
An intranet, by contrast, is a private network.
Some intranets are large and complex as within a large corporation or institution.
Others are as simple as two computers able to communicate with each other.
An intranet may be separate from the Internet, or may be connected to the Internet
through a gateway server.
To put up a site on a network, you need access to a server.
Servers
The Internet is comprised of a collection of servers.
A server is a computer that runs a program that can be
accessed by other computers.
A mail server is a computer that runs a program
that processes email.
An FTP server allows files to be copied to and from
disk space controlled by the server.
A login server accepts incoming calls and
monitors your login session.
A network server runs a program that allows that computer to communicate with
other network servers.
These servers communicate in a common language, or protocol,
sending packets of data that are routed from server to server through the network
from source to destination.
Each server has a network address,
and may control disk space assigned to additional addresses.
Clients
Clients are computers that communicate with a program running on a server.
For example, the language your browser uses to communicate
with a server is HTTP. When you want to see a site,
your HTTP client program, your browser, sends a message to the HTTP server hosting the site.
The server program processes your request and sends your client program a response.
Your browser receives this response, and translates the data into a page
on your monitor.
Protocols
A language that computers use to communicate is called a protocol.
Client-server protocols that may be familiar to you include HTTP, FTP, and EMAIL.
Other protocols are used by servers to communicate with each other.
Newer browsers recognize an increasing variety of protocols.
As network application software evolves, so do the protocols they communicate with.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
is instrumental in coordinating the development of standardized protocols,
so computers on the Internet can all speak the same protocol languages.
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| 1.4 What is a URL? |
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The World Wide Web is a collection of hypertext documents.
These documents are interconnected, or networked, by hyperlinks.
Hypertext documents are text files that also contain hypertext markup language,
or HTML. Using HTML, text within one file can be linked to another HTML file on the web.
Browsers can surf the Internet by following links from document to document.
Hyperlinks are possible because every document on the web can be addressed by its own unique Uniform Resource Locater (URL).
Each URL has two main components, the protocol and the address.
A viewer "follows" a link by clicking on a linked item displayed on a page in the browser.
This causes a packet of information to be sent through the Internet to the linked address.
The packet is received and processed, according to its protocol,
and a response is returned to the viewer.
URL Protocol
The protocol specification
tells the network server what program will receive the packet.
For example, the network server receiving your HTTP request may be
running both an HTTP server program and an FTP server program. The URL begins
with "HTTP://" to specify that the HTTP server program at this address will
receive the packet.
Although HTTP has become the primary language of the web, other protocols are often used.
Your browser may recognize some of these, especially FTP and MAILTO.
If no protocol is specified, HTTP is the default.
These protocols, and the associated data required for network operation,
are managed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
URL Address
The remainder of the URL includes an address specification.
This address may be expressed with three text string components such as
www.scintography.com.
The string www indicates the server program that will
process the request.
The remainder of the string is the domain name.
The string com indicates the top level domain (TLD).
Some top level domains are categorized by type, such as com for commercial, edu for educational,
mil for military, and org for nonprofit organization.
Another set of domains is categorized by country, such as au for Australia, jp for Japan,
etc.
The string scintography is the unique part of the domain name.
There is only one scintography in the .com top level domain.
There may, however, be an entirely different site at scintography.org,
and another at scintography.au. ( Though I hope not! )
This domain name is actually an alias, or nickname, for a numerical computer address.
Every site on the Internet has a unique Internet protocol address (IPA), which is a number such as 165.121.33.202.
A root domain name server (DNS) system maintains the domain name database,
and translates every domain name to its IP address as a packet is routed to or from that address.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
is responsible for assigning domain names.
They have licensed a number of organizations to register IP addresses and domain names.
Most web hosts can obtain an address for you from one of these registered organizations.
File Specification
The URL sent with a packet to an HTTP server includes a file specification.
This file may be an HTML text file, an image file,
or a variety of other types of files with formats fitting known network protocols.
A file name has two parts: name.suffix.
The suffix is used to identify the type of file.
Some computers use systems that limit the length of the suffix to three characters.
Thus, file.html and file.htm can be copies of the same file on different systems.
When no filename is specified, a default filename
is assumed, usually index.htm(l) or default.htm(l). A file specification string
can include directory information. For example, the file specification
"/helpfiles/faq.html" accesses the file "faq.html" in the directory "helpfiles".
~Sub Domain Specification
Some filename specifications include a tilde ~ . These names indicate
subdomains. For example, if you were a student named Jane Pixel at
Grand University, you might have the URL "www.GU.edu/~jpixel/".
This accesses the default.html or index.html file in the aliased subdomain jpixel
in the domain GU.edu.
#Anchor Specification
Sometimes you will see a string preceded by a # sign at the end of a URL.
This indicates an internal HTML anchor by name. For example, the file specification
"/helpfiles/faq.html#q23" accesses the file "faq.html" in the directory "helpfiles",
and puts the location within the file labeled with the "q23" anchor at the top
of your browser window.
?CGI Variable Specification
Sometimes you will see a string preceded by an ? or & sign at the end of a URL.
This is a string of variables that are being sent to a script.
A server script is a program that processes this data, generating a page that is returned to the viewer.
Several script languages use the common gateway interface (cgi) to receive data.
The format of the URL string is:
scriptname.cgi?variabe1=value1&variable2=value2etc.
In addition to .cgi scripts, you may see Active Server Pages (.asp) and Hypertext Preprocessor (.php) pages,
which use the same interface to receive data.
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| 1.5 Checklist Step 2: Register Your Domain |
| | Checklist |
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Imagine the day your site is done.
You sit down at your computer, type in your URL, and watch your site appear.
What URL will you type?
The first step is obtaining a Domain Name that belongs to you.
Give this step the same importance you give to opening a bank account.
You may have someone else managing your money, but you want that bank account and pin number to belong to you.
You may decide to have someone else develop and maintain your site, but you want your domain name to be registered as yours.
| 2a: | Select a domain name |
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Your domain name is part of your identity.
The combination of your selected domain name and top level domain category ( mydomain.tld ) must be unique.
Go to
http://www.internic.net/whois.html
to check for your domain availability.
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| 2b: | Select a domain registrar |
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If you are ready to hire a web host, you may want to do Step 1 and Step 2 together.
Most web hosts work with a domain registrar, and offer a discount if you combine domain registration and web hosting.
This can be very confusing if you choose to move to a different host.
Your domain registrar does not move with your site.
Regardless of who you choose as your registrar, make sure they are
accredited by ICANN and appear on the InterNIC list of registrars:
http://www.internic.net/regist.html
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| 2c: | Register your domain |
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In order to activate your domain name, you must have an IP address.
This will be assigned by your web host.
If you are not planning to hire a web host soon,
you should consider registering and "parking" your domain name until you are ready to use it.
This will keep someone else from taking it in the meantime.
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| 1.6 What is a site? |
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A site is a set of files placed on disk space controlled by a network server.
This disk space is accessed by a URL.
A site may be static or dynamic.
A static site is passive, and does not respond or react to the viewer.
A dynamic site interacts with the viewer.
The simplest site contains a single HTML file that presents a static page.
More complex, dynamic sites may contain many directories of HTML files,
image files, cgi scripts, etc.
The job of implementing a site includes some tasks associated with the site content,
and other tasks associated with the site platform.
The content includes all the files specific to a site.
The platform includes the hardware and software that contain and support a site.
For example, an HTML file and some image files ( the content ), may be placed in a site directory on a machine running an Apache server on a Linux operating system ( the platform ).
The tasks associated with a site include:
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TO SET UP A SITE
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SITE CONTENT
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SITE PLATFORM
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DESIGN
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Determine what text and images or other multimedia components
will appear on your site. Determine what information, if any, will
be collected from the viewer, and how it will be processed.
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Based on estimates of disk space and site activity,
determine what hardware and software will be required to contain and support the site.
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IMPLEMENT
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Obtain the software needed to prepare the text, images, or other
multimedia objects for the site. Write the content text, create
the graphics, prepare the images, write cgi scripts, etc.
Put all files in the site
disk space and test the connections and scripts.
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Obtain, install, and configure the network hardware and software,
and additional appropriate server programs. Make sure all components are
compatible and operate smoothly.
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MAINTAIN
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Update time dependent content as needed. Fix errors in content or scripts
as found. Replace obsolete content as needed.
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Keep site software and hardware running. Debug failures.
Make regular backups. Track net usage.
Update software with new versions as they become available.
Replace obsolete hardware and software as needed.
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| 1.7 What is a Web Host? |
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Your access to the Internet is provided by a service provider.
This includes the ability to view web pages through your browser.
To put up a site of your own, you will need a different kind of access to the Internet.
Now you will be hosting the part of the web that is within your domain.
A web host
provides the hardware and software for presenting, or hosting, web sites.
This means your web host will take care of the above platform tasks for you.
Unless you are in the computer business, need complete control of your site security, or plan to have a large site,
you will probably not want to be your own web host.
A web designer
will assist with the creation of your site content.
Services provided by web designers vary from implementation of web pages
to complete design, implementation, and maintenance of your site.
With the assistance of these professionals, the tasks surrounding your site will probably look like this:
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TO SET UP YOUR SIMPLE SITE
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SITE CONTENT
Web Designer
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SITE PLATFORM
Web Host
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DESIGN
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Decide what you want your site to say. Select some images to scan.
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Contact your web host and find out what services are available to you.
If you already have space for a site, find out what you need to do to put files on your site
and activate your domain.
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IMPLEMENT
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All you need to create a simple, static site is a text editor.
With this you can create your HTML files.
If you want images, you will need access to a scanner and some image processing
software to crop and size your images.
If you don't want to learn some basic HTML,
obtain a software program that lets you arrange your page while it writes the HTML for you.
If you want help implementing your site, consult a web designer.
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Your web host has already got the system up and running.
Find out what features are available, such as counters, standard cgi scripts, etc.
If your web host does not have what you want, it may be
available elsewhere on the Internet.
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MAINTAIN
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If you have a static site, you will not need to do anything to maintain the site.
Be sure to check in every once in awhile to see that the site is still working properly.
If you have any scripts, make sure to process any data you are collecting.
Some web designers will be available for help with making updates to your site.
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Your web host will keep things running for you. Most web hosts
also provide some usage statistics so you can track activity at your site.
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If you are planning to implement your own site and are just beginning, start with a test site.
Your ISP may have facilities for handling subdomains without obtaining a registered domain name.
Once you have put up a sample site, you can better decide just how simple or complicated your next site will be.
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| 1.8 Checklist Step 3: Hire Your Web Host |
| | Checklist |
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When you are ready to put your site online, you will need a server.
If you do not plan to maintain your own server, you will need to "rent" space on a web host server.
Your web host will maintain the physical presence of your site,
but you are responsible for its content.
| 3a: | Know what resources you need |
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You may not know right now what scripting languages and other resources you will need a year from now, especially if you are just beginning.
Most web hosts offer either a Microsoft or a Linux platform, some hosts offer both.
If you are planning on developing and maintaining your own site, you should research these options.
They each offer a different, and potentially incompatible path of development.
If you are planning on starting small and expanding over time,
choose a web host that can offer you a startup host package with a variety of upgrade options.
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| 3b: | Select a web host |
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Finding the right host can be confusing.
Ask your friends and colleagues about their web host experience.
Explore the Internet, keeping in mind that "review" sites may not review all web hosts.
This review site seems to have some good information:
http://www.webhostmagazine.com
Consider the following issues as you select your host:
Security
Somewhere in the world is a site server that will hold your site files.
You will rely on your web host personnel to respect and maintain both the physical and virtual security of your files.
Availability
As you have probably already figured out, computers are fallible.
If your server needs help, you are counting on your web host to fix the problem quickly and keep your site up and running.
Accessibility
How accessible will your web host be to you?
If you have a question or problem, will your web host be there for you?
Resources
Do the resources offered by your host match or exceed what you need?
Flexibility
How easy will it be to upgrade the resources available to you?
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| 3c: | Hire your selected host |
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It may not always feel like it, but, like your bank, your web host is working for you.
Have your domain name ready when you talk to your chosen web host.
If you are registering your domain at the same time as you are hiring your web host,
you will come away from this conversation with three important pieces of information:
your IP address, your domain login name, and your domain login password.
You will need these to upload your site files and access your site maintenance tools.
Hopefully, you will also have an 800 number to reach your host at any time.
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If you haven't already started keeping records, this is a good time to start.
Add your domain registration and web hosting information to your site log.
Keep your renewal dates readily accessible,
and make sure you meet these deadlines if you intend to keep your site going.
Now you are ready to design your site.
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| 1.9 References |
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1
The Internet Asigned Numbers Authority
http://www.iana.org/numbers.html
2
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
http://www.icann.org/
3
: Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
http://www.icann.org/general/glossary.htm
4
: InterNIC Registry of Domain Names
http://www.internic.net/
http://www.internic.net/alpha.html
5
United States Department of Commerce: (memo)
Management of Internet Names and Addresses
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/6_5_98dns.htm
6
Web Host Magazine & Buyer's Guide
http://www.webhostmagazine.com/
7
: Web Host Reviews - Host Buyer's Guide
http://www.webhostmagazine.com/bg/index.asp
8
WC3 World Wide Web Consortium
http://www.w3.org/
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