Glossary of Internet Terms

Selected Definitions associated with our web hosting
virtual servers, web sites and UNIX systems

NOTE: These terms are provided for our customers and refer specifically to servers and web hosting on our systems. Some of the terms may not be in general use.

CGI

1) Common Gateway Interface. The communication protocol used by an HTTP server and a gateway program.
2) Abbreviation for "CGI program" or "gateway program".

Ebox

A term we use for an email box or POP account

Form

A web page or part of a web page for a user to fill out. The contents (data) of the form are then sent by the browser (client) to the server and on to a CGI program for processing.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol. A way of transferring files between computers on the internet. The language which the two computers use for this purpose.

Gateway Program

A program activated by an HTTP server. Usually this program receives input from the server (that may have come from a client) and returns results to the server. The results are often then sent to the client as part of an HTML page.

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The method of transferring hypertext files over networks -- in particular, the Internet. This is the method used for transferring web pages over the World Wide Web.

IP (IP Address or IP Number)

The number that identifies a particular computer or other device connected to the Internet. This number is used to locate, and set up communication with a computer. Example: 216.126.198.2

Location

"Where" a machine or server is located on the Internet. Each machine connected to the Internet has a unique identifier or locator assigned to it. This designates its location on the internet. The locator is the IP address.

Nameserver

A computer connected to the Internet and used to resolve domain names to IP addresses, i.e. it looks up domain names in its tables and returns the value of the associated IP address. Most web hosting companies as well as many business have one or more machines assigned as nameservers.

POP

Post Office Protocol. A way of communicating email messages.

POP account

A named email account (which probably uses POP)

Protocol

A formal way of doing something, e. g. communicating.

Registrar (Domain Name Registrar)

A company authorized to receive domain name registration requests, approve registrations and initiate propogation of registration information throughout the Internet. See List of Accredited Registrars .

Server

1) A computer which is dedicated to "serving" up web pages over a computer network, such as the Internet, as requested by web browsers. More generally, a computer dedicated to handling a variety of types of internet transmissions, such as HTTP, FTP, POP, SLIP, etc.
2) A program on such a computer which transmits data over a network. Example: The Apache web server.

Server Agent

The person who manages the Server, uploading files to it, downloading files from it, etc.

Subhosting

The use of a virtual server (V-server or M-server) as a host for web sites other than the main site associated with the server. Each subhosted web site can have its own name, domain name, and services such as ftp, http, email, etc. Subhosted accounts are often used for "starter" web sites requiring small amounts of disk space and low volume data transfers. Telnet access is not available for subhosts.

Uploading

The transfer of a file from a "source" computer to a "destination" computer. The source is often a PC or home computer; the destination is often a computer hosting a web site. Transfer is usually done using FTP (file transfer protocol). Numerous programs are available for this kind of transfer, such as Fetch, Gopher, etc. The capability is also included in some current web publishing and editing programs such as FrontPage and BBedit.

Virtual Server

A program or set of programs dedicated to sending web pages on request, on behalf of a particular web site. The word "virtual" implies that several such sets of programs may reside on a single machine, allowing them to serve different web sites independently, by sharing the machine resources.

See also

Web Hosting Services

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