13 Dec 2019

Website Hosting Speed Tips

There seems to be the preconceived notion that a small website hosting provider’s infrastructure could never stack up against the big players of the Internet. However, that’s just not the case with CloudFlare FREE.

ROCKHOST.COM, Inc. boasts over a 99.99% combined uptime in 2019. Watch live network activity through operational transparency and monitor detailed I/O, RAM, and CPU server statistics globally or on the individual account level in cPanel. Does your host provide this information? Or hide it? And why or why not? Hosting goes far beyond tier 1 data transfer and SSD disk space.

Regardless, hardware can only get you so far. The following is a list of tips, tricks and tweaks to further increase website hosting performance whether you are hosting in Mom’s basement or the cloud.

 

CloudFlare Caching

 

With all the buzz going on you might be asking yourself what is CloudFlare FREE and what can it do for my site? Well, CloudFlare is a content delivery network (CDN) that caches images and distributes files to dozens of points of presence (POP) nodes around the world. 

So, in laymen’s terms, not only can CloudFlare speed up your site through file caching and location, but by doing so it saves bandwidth and lightens resource usage on the origin server. As if that’s not enough CloudFlare mitigates DDOS attacks and protects your website. All for free!

 

 

PHP Upgrade

 

cPanel introduced the MultiPHP Manager and MultiIPHP INI Editor in a recent update. What this means for end users is that switching between PHP versions just got a whole lot easier. Want to speed up your site? PHP upgrades result in faster performance and tighter security. If the update breaks the site simply revert to the previous php version with the MultiPHP Manager and troubleshoot without anxiety.

Enable the “display_error” directive in the MultiPHP INI Editor to print errors to the browser. I find many times the error is the answer or at the very least a clue in solving the problem. For WordPress admins increasing the “upload_max_filesize” directive is often the fix for failed media library uploads.

 

Database Optimization

 

The speed of your website depends on a healthy database. When queries take too long visitors become impatient. A common example of this would be a spam ridden or revision heavy WordPress installation. If MySQL / MariaDB must parse thousands of extra table rows or columns delivery time may suffer.

Ever notice how PayPal loads slowly right before a scheduled maintenance window alert appears under the notification bell? Database optimization is taking place which locks entire tables or individual table rows (InnoDB engine) leaving them temporarily inaccessible.

 

Apache Compression

 

By clicking a few buttons and enabling the “Optimize Website” feature in cPanel (our control panel of choice), the Apache web server automatically compresses selected file types before returning http(s) requests to browsers. Thus, resulting in quicker load times.

Minimizing total HTTP requests per page is also a savvy way to speed up load times. If your website requests too many files or WordPress plugins it is likely going to be slower than the average.

03 Sep 2019
11 Dec 2018

Top Level Domains .TLDs

The three major .TLDs, .a.k.a. “top level domains”, .com, .net, .org, are no longer the only considerations in domain name ownership. In the time since ROCKHOST.COM, Inc.’s inception in 2001, more than 1300 top level domain names have been recognized. The Verisign executive summary breaks down over 350 million total domain name registrations as of the last quarter. 400 of which are available through ROCKHOST.COM, Inc.

 

www.

 

Years after the dot com explosion, a shortage of concise one word domain names lead to the addition of a hundred new top level domain names (.TLDs). Subsequently, the others soon followed suite. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see a complete listing of ROCKHOST.COM, Inc. top level domains.

 

ICANN Rules and Regulations

 

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is the entity who governs domain name registries and allocates IP addresses across the world wide web. ICANN resolves disputes over ownership and trademarks as well as imposes the following rules and regulations for the domain name system (DNS).

 

Language Restrictions

  • Minimum 2 characters
  • Maximum 63 characters
  • Alphanumeric only
  • May enclose hyphen
  • Not case sensitive

 

.TLD Time Table

  • 60 days non transferrable
  • 40 days expiration grace
  • 1 year minimum term
  • 10 year maximum term

 

Top Level Domains

The following generic top level domains are available to the public for purchase through the ROCKHOST.COM, Inc. registry. Browse hundreds of .tld extensions by category such as food and drink, the arts, lifestyle and leisure, etc. The domain name search tool will make suggestions based on your input.

 

www.

 

.ac, .acadamy, .account, .accountants, .actor, .agency, .airforce, .am, .apartments, .archi, .army, .art, .asia, .associates, .attorney, .auction, .audio, .band, .bar, .barcelona, .bargains, .bayern, .be, .beer, .berlin, .best, .bet, .bid, .bike, .bingo, .bio, .biz, .black, .blackfriday, .blog, .blue, .boston, .boutique, .build, .builders, .business, .buzz, .ca, .cab, .cafe, .cam, .camera, .camp, .capital, .cards, .care, .careers, .casa, .cash, .catering, .center, .ceo, .ch, .chat, .cheap, .christmas, .church, .city, .claims, .cleaning, .click, .clinic, .clothing, .cloud, .club, .co, .com, .coach, .codes, .college, .cool, .coffee, .community, .company, .computer, .condos, .construction, .contractors, .consulting, .cooking, .country, .coupons, .courses, .credit, .cricket, .cruises, .cymru, .dance, .date, .dating, .de, .deals, .degree, .democrat, .dental, .dentist, .desi, .design, .diamonds, .diet, .directory, .digital, .direct, .discount, .doctor, .dog, .domains, .download, .earth, .education, .education, .email, .energy, .engineer, .engineering, .enterprises, .equipment, .es, .estate, .eu, .eus, .events, .exchange, .expert, .express, .exposed, .fail, .faith, .family, .fans, .farm, .fashion, .film, .finance, .financial, .fish, .fishing, .fit, .fitness, .flights, .florist, .flowers, .fm, .football, .forsale, .foundation, .fr, .fun, .fund, .furniture, .futbol, .fyi, .gal, .gallery, .garden, .gift, .gifts, .gives, .glass, .global, .gmbh, .gold, .graphics, .gratis, .green, .gripe, .group, .gs, .guid, .guitars, .guru, .hamburg, .haus, .healthcare, .help, .hiphop, .hockey, .holdings, .holiday, .horse, .hospital, .host, .house, .how, .immo, .immobilien, .in, .industries, .info, .ink, .institutes, .insure, .international, .investments, .io, .irish, .it, .jetzt, .jewelry, .jp, .kaufen, .kim, .kitchen, .kiwi, .la, .land, .lawyer, .lease, .legal, .lgbt, .li, .life, .lighting, .limited, .limo, .link, .live, .loan, .loans, .lol, .london, .love, .ltd, .ltda, .maison, .management, .market, .marketing, .mba, .me, .media, .melbourne, .memorial, .men, .menu, .miami, .mobi, .moda, .moe, .mom, .money, .mortgage, .ms, .nagoya, .name, .navy, .net, .network, .news, .ninja, .nl, .nyc, .okinawa, .onl, .online, .ooo, .org, .osaka, .paris, .partners, .parts, .party, .pe, .pet, .photo, .photography, .photos, .physio, .pics, .pictures, .pizza, .pink, .place, .plumbing, .plus, .poker, .press, .pro, .productions, .promo, .property, .properties, .pub, .pw, .qpon, .quebec, .racing, .recipes, .red, .rehab, .reise, .reisen, .rent, .rentals, .repair, .report, .republican, .rest, .restaurant, .review, .rip, .rocks, .rodeo, .run, .ryukyu, .sale, .salon, .sarl, .school, .schule, .science, .scot, .services, .sg, .sh, .shoes, .shiksha, .shopping, .show, .singles, .site, .ski, .soccer, .social, .software, .solar, .solutions, .soy, .srl, .stream, .studio, .study, .style, .supplies, .supply, .support, .surf, .surgery, .sydney, .systems, .tattoo, .tax, .taxi, .team, .technology, .tel, .tennis, .theater, .tienda, .tips, .tires, .today, .tokyo, .tools, .top, .tours, .town, .toys, .trade, .training, .tube, .tv, .uk, .university, .uno, .us, .vacations, .vegas, .ventures, .vet, .vg, .viajes, .video, .villas, .vin, .vip, .vision, .vodka, .vote, .voto, .voyage, .wales, .watch, .webcam, .website, .wedding, .wiki, .win, .wine, .work, .works, .world, .wtf, .xyz, .yoga, .yokohama, .zone

23 Jun 2016

What Is Icecast?

What is Icecast? Icecast servers are the most diverse software for streaming radio broadcasts online. Even though not the most popular, candidly, Icecast servers can run circles around Shoutcast servers or any other streaming media out there. Read more on that topic in our Shoutcast versus Icecast article.

The Icecast configuration file itself is completely comprehensive: listener authentication, burst on connect, queue size, mountpoints, fallbacks, master relay, etc. Installation is somewhat difficult due to dependencies. Yet, then again, that’s why the compatibility of so many audio formats play nice: MP3, AAC, WebM, Ogg, Theora, Real, the list goes on and on, you name it. Of course, as an Icecast server hosting provider, ROCKHOST.COM, Inc. deploys Icecast servers for the end user.

The community is great too. Contacting the developer(s) is as simple as reaching out the forum. I don’t know how many problems I’ve solved thanks to its moderators and members.

Icecast servers are continually being improved by a proactive web dev. Icecast isn’t so much of a product as it is a labor of love. Please donate.

How to Icecast? Well, ROCKHOST.COM, Inc. welcomes you to our Icecast hosting family, where, Icecast server hosting experts help guide newbies every day.

Icecast hosting packages start for as little as just $9.99 per month.


18 Sep 2014

Writers Write

I’ll never forget the methodic tick tacking and pecking of my Father’s electronic typewriter each morning as I woke before school. As the son of a French and English teacher I was planning to inherit these skills. But, apparently, I’m not a writer. Or, not much of one anyway, because I haven’t checked in on this blog for a half year easy. The goal was to amp up ROCKHOST.COM’s social media and SEO strategies with keyword rich content like “band web hosting” and “shoutcast server hosting”, but I’m done chasing Google search down the rabbit hole. It is what it is. You need a spark, a hit, popularity. That’s what lands first page listings, plain and simple. And should, I suppose, but that doesn’t help me, the little guy.

Instead I wisely chose to take a break and come back fresh. The Be Heard newsletter is practically dead. Then again, a little revival never hurt anyone.

01 Oct 2013

Shoutcast Reseller Hosting

When I grow up I want to be an audio engineer. Ok, I admit it. Don’t tell my wife. Yes, I am a thirty eight year old child. I sit at the card table with my nieces amid adults on Thanksgiving. I still play with toys: Transformers, Star Wars Legos, etc.

Sound though, sound is something magical for all ages that you can not touch or see. Some say music is a drug. I am an addict. Before I could legally consume alcohol, before I had hearing loss, I was a student of The Recording Workshop in Chilicothe, OH. Not exactly glamorous surroundings, the locals were violent hillbillies…Still, the twelve hour sessions stuck. I learned a trade.

I didn’t exactly hit the big time, fumbling my resume from studio to studio begging for an internship. Then again, I use the skills to my advantage all the time. During tracking, mixing, or the most recent example shown here – The new ROCKHOST.COM Shoutcast reseller hosting promo. Lots of effort went into the voiceover, yes that’s me, and background music which I’d like to personally and publicly thank Steve Hammond for sharing. It’s gold Stevie, gold. If there was ever one guy who I’d like to see “make it”, it’s you.

The concept for this marketing video came to me as I was standing in my garden, in Kansas, in the summertime…The script wrote itself. Enjoy!

13 Sep 2013

Don’t Deal With Dead Air

When consuming Internet content, no one wants to go to a website that is inefficient. As a heavy Internet user I often come across streaming audio and video websites that offer the service I desire but I when hit the play button I see buffering and the spinning wheel of death. This is one of the most frustrating times for me as I purposefully bought the high speed Internet access from Time Warner Cable in my area. I can download at 50 mbps and upload at 5 mbps so there is no reason I should see a website slow to download audio or video content. Fortunately, for websites that serve streaming audio or any type of media there are Shoutcast server hosting options available at ROCKHOST.COM, Inc. Avoiding downtime or buffering could help a website increase viewership tremendously.

Internet Users Love The Music and Radio

When I was in college in the early 2000s I can clearly remember downloading WinAMP and trying to find music online. There were very few band websites. Music websites that would allow you to play music straight from a web browser were non existent. This was back in the day of Netscape Navigator and Webcrawler. Google, Apple and Facebook were not players yet. In fact, Google was just getting off the ground and Facebook wasn’t even an option. Apple was digging out of the brink of bankruptcy and the Internet was a free for all.

Things have changed drastically in the last decade. Many bands recognize that they need to promote some of their music online through a streaming option. When looking for the right type of hosting or servers many of these bands will seek out Shoutcast servers as it will allow them to avoid dead air or downtime. If a potential fan finds a band’s website and they cannot listen to the music it is comparable to going into a movie theater and none of the movies will actually roll film. Would customers walk into a Target and be pleased if they couldn’t buy a pack of chewing gum? These are problems that can be alleviated with the right type of hosting and customer support.

Hosting a Website with Music and Streaming Audio

A novice webmaster may go online and search for the cheapest possible hosting to get a website up and running. There are many common players in the industry but they offer a variety of products that may not be suitable for a website that has streaming audio files. Rather than taking the chance on a cheaper hosting plan it is a very wise decision to do the research up front. Having downtime on a website means that fans will be unable to listen to their favorite songs. Most Internet users have been on YouTube or another streaming video service when it does not work well. It can be very frustrating and we, as users, miss out on the experience of enjoying the tune or the moment.

To avoid this downtime it is suggested that webmasters look at the best options available with Shoutcast hosting. There are services available and finding the best option could be the difference in growing a fan club by 50% or losing fans. There are millions of websites that have irked potential fans so much that they will seek other options. From personal experience, I would rather go to a very well done, well hosted website even if the music is not the best. At least I can listen to an entire song or an entire album without having to see my browser jump to different parts of the song solely because the website server is not up to par.

It is important to note that bands play a big part in Shoutcast hosted websites but radio stations can benefit from this type of service. Year in and year out millions of diehard sports fans seek out radio broadcast options that are available online. This is especially true in small towns where the sporting events are not aired on TV. As consumers of content, Americans have accepted that it is now easier to find streaming audio or radio options online rather than bringing out the old fashioned radio and looking on the AM or FM dials.

Sports websites have realized this and they are willing to invest a little more money to gain access to premium hosting services. If there are any type of lengthy audio files on a website it is best to look at Shoutcast server hosting.

ROCKHOST.COM also offers a “Band Hosting” option that will make life much easier on a webmaster that wants to stream audio files. There are only so many hours in the day and band members and radio stations do not want to have to deal with the hassles of a website that is providing dead air rather than amazing music. These hours of the day should be put into creating the best music possible, not having to call customer service of a hosting company because a website is having issues handling the work load.

The Next Step

By contacting ROCKHOST.COM you will find there are quite a few options that will help fit your needs. To make life easier on bands and webmasters RockHost offers an option to submit a ticket and check server status. Being an experienced webmaster, I can assure you that some of hosting websites will force you to just wait out an issue. This is not the case at RockHost. There is also a pre sales contact form that will allow potential customers to ask any question that might be of importance. Rather than frustrating fans it is wise to get a server that will hold up during those peak traffic days.

17 Mar 2013

The Dot Com Domain Name

I’m not a big blogger, but it’s down to either this or my 2013 taxes. So, hello, good morning, and thank you for reading.

With all the confusion as of late regarding new land rush domains, .band., .bike., etc., soothe yourself with peace of mind. Now is a better time than any to invest in .com and .net. Both TLDs are the most widely recognizable in the world. Take out the guess work. Register today.

I’m proud to say I own the .com for my band and business.

01 May 2012

KC/DC Highway To Hell

Hello citizens of ROCKHOST.COM,

Last week I had the chance to roadtrip, server in tow, up to an undisclosed Kansas City datacenter which shall remain unnamed as I got myself into a minor social media conspiracy via a Foursquare check-in. The military like cold war secrecy of technology does exist. I can tell you that much first hand from the tour. Hell, I had to bring a passport just to get in the front door and separate premade key card for full access to the racks. The drama wasn’t exclusive to location, but rather that I identified myself in a picture against a node of mysterious hardware otherwise known as the cloud.

Now what kind’a rock n’ roll outlaw would I be if I didn’t rebel a little? ;^)

Pretty interesting field trip for a guy who works from home. Thanks to Tom L for the handshake and warm welcome.

\m/,

Seth

23 Aug 2011

A Decade Dot Com

This month marks the 10 year anniversary of ROCKHOST.COM. Been a long time comin’, that’s for sure. Since our inception, the Internet has grown rampantly, expanding much like the universe. No literally, by about one zettabyte, or ten to the twenty first power, to be exact (NERD ALERT!). Datacenters now use 1/5 of the world’s energy. Humanity’s dependency on technology is an addiction stronger than foreign oil or the coffee at NASA. And I’m no better. I’m not gon’na lie. I sleep with my iPhone. On the rare occurance there is a server outage I receive a 911 SMS alert – a kind of pop culture pager for geek emergencies I suppose. Meanwhile, my teenage son is sending over 10,000 text messages a month. That’s a 16 year old male people. The times they are a-changin’.

In 1982 the Commodore 64 was introduced for $595 and held 320 kilobytes of data per floppy disk, which most notably had to be flipped like a record – 160 kilobytes per side. Oh, and the memory you ask? Take a wild guess (hint: 64 ???). Nowadays devices come with 1,000 times the storage if not more. Over the past decade web hosting standards have dramatically escalated as well, bringing us to what I can only describe as an excess amount of disk space at our disposal. So long story long, if you are an old school ROCKHOST.COM customer and would like to request an account review we may be more than willing to increase your disk quota and possibly your bandwidth limit free of charge. Please hit us up through the Client Portal by opening a new Support Ticket.

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