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Web Hosting - Changing Web Hosts, Pitfalls and Planning At some point, nearly everyone finds it necessary to change web hosts. It may be just a migration to another server, or it may be changing web hosting companies entirely. Either way, the process is fraught with potential dangers. But there are ways to minimize the odds of problems and maximize your changes of a smooth migration. Plan, plan, plan. Make a very detailed list of everything that is on your current system. Review what is static and what changes frequently. Note any tailoring done to software and files. Be prepared to remake them if the systems aren't transferred properly or can't be restored. Keep careful track of all old and new names, IP addresses and other information needed to make the migration. Backup and Test Backup everything on your system yourself, whenever possible. Web hosting companies typically offer that as a service, but the staff and/or software are often less than par. Often backups appear to go well, but they're rarely tested by restoring to a spare server. When the time comes that they're needed, they sometimes don't work. Do a dry run, if you can. Restore the system to its new location and make any needed changes. If you have the host name and or IP address buried in files, make sure it gets changed. This is often true of databases. SQL Server on Windows, for example, picks up the host name during installation. Moving a single database, or even multiple ones, to a new server is straightforward using in-built utilities or commercial backup/restore software. But moving certain system-related information may require changing the host name stored inside the master database. Similar considerations apply to web servers and other components. Accept Some Downtime Be prepared for some downtime. Very few systems can be picked up, moved to another place, then brought online with zero downtime. Doing so is possible, in fact it's common. But in such scenarios high-powered professionals use state-of-the-art tools to make the transition seamless. Most staff at web hosting companies don't have the skills or the resources to pull it off. Prepare for Name Changes One aspect of moving to a new host can bedevil the most skilled professionals: changing domain names and or domain name/IP address combinations. When you type a URL into your browser, or click on one, that name is used because it's easier for people to remember. www.yahoo.com is a lot easier to remember than 209.131.36.158. Yet the name and or name/IP address combination can (and does) change. Still, specialized servers called DNS (Domain Name System) servers have to keep track of them. And there are a lot of them. There may be only two (rarely) or there may be a dozen or more DNS servers between your visitors' browsers/computers and your web host. Every system along the chain has to keep track of who is who. When a name/IP address changes, that pair has to be communicated to everyone along the chain, and that takes time. In the meantime, it's possible for one visitor to find you at the new place, while another will be pointing to the old one. Some amount of downtime will usually occur while everything gets back in sync. The Little Gotchas But even apart from name and IP address changes, there are a hundred little things that can, and often do, go wrong. That's not a disaster. It's just the normal hurdles that arise when changing something as complicated as a web site and the associated systems that underlie it. Gather Tools and Support Having an FTP program that you're familiar with will help facilitate the change. That will allow you to quickly move files from one place to the next to do your part to get the system ready to go or make repairs. Making the effort to get to know, and become friendly with, support staff at the new site can be a huge benefit. They may be more willing to address your problem before the dozen others they have to deal with at any given moment. Ok. On your mark. Get ready. Go.

Find Free Stuff Online by Visiting the FreeStuffOnline Website Whatever it is somebody is searching for, he might be able to find it on the FreeStuffOnline website. The FreeStuffOnline website is a page that offers links to other pages that have products that are free off charge available to anybody. Pages like this one collect links and web addresses that offer free products and then publish it as a great resource to the broader public. The links offered by FreeStuffOnline leads to a variety of different topics and offers and there might be just what someone one is looking for. The web page offers categories such as educational freebies, which includes Study notes, Encyclopedias, books and more. Family freebies have categories for babies, children and parents. For the computer world there are free products such as free antivirus software, freeware programs, games and graphics, shareware, music and screensavers. For the cell phone fanatic, there are links to free cell phone ring tones and short message programs. A seasonal freebie category holds anything that relates to the major holidays in the United States, such as Christmas, Halloween, Easter and more. The category “internet” offers links to free web hosting pages, e-mail providers and much more. The way such pages work is by the various masters that take care of adding and removing links. As a matter of fact, anyone can add freebie links to the page. This is one of their most important tools to keep such a freebie page working. Anyone who finds a good freebie that is not a fraudulent page should go to the FreeStuffOnline web page and add the link. Other people will benefit from the link just as much as the person that added it. To keep such sites possible the effort of anyone that is looking for freebies is necessary. There are many organizations out there that specialize in providing help for the ones that do not have a wealthy family to pay for all of it. Organizations that specialize in literature offer PDF files of books of world famous authors such as Shakespeare, books that anybody should have the chance to read. Other pages specialize in children’s songs. Downloadable MP3s, legal downloads of these songs are available to make music an integral part of young children’s lives. Even for the new craze of sharing pictures, files and other important date there are links that guide the user to pages that will offer such services for free. Sharing pictures with loved ones should be easy and free and available to anybody. Whether it is the grandparent that lives hundred of miles away or a father that serves in the army, these pages offer the opportunity to anyone to share important data such as pictures over the distance. Using an online file sharing web page also has the advantage of speed over regular mail. Until the pictures are sent to their destination by mail, it can take days, but on the Internet the process takes a few seconds and the person at the other PC can see the data almost instantly. When these files are shared there is always the possibility to have the pictures printed at one of the photo stores and the person will still be able to hold printed pictures in their hands. One other important fact to know about these free online pages like FreeStuffOnline is that whenever you come onto a link that is not working, let them know, only by people telling the web master that the link is not working it can be removed. Helping to maintain the page by alarming for broken links can reduce the frustration to other that was trying to check out the link.

Get Free Healthcare Items through the GSK Company Website Ready for the best in free healthcare items? If so, turn to the GSK company website for your share of healthcare freebies. GSK is an acronym for the GlaxoSmithKline Company, which is a major manufacturer of many healthcare and personal care products and items. If you are a fan of this manufacturer, or you simply wish you had access to more affordable health and personal care items, you will be glad to know that this company often runs special promotions. The company's special promotion often includes discount coupons and free samples. Some of their most popular offers include a handy $20 coupon book, as well as free samples of their most popular products, including Tums. What You Have to Do to Gat Access to GSK Special Offers If you are interested in getting access to the best of GSK special offers, here are some hints and tips so that you always get the free personal and health care items you desire. First, you should know that the GSK healthcare company is host to a special site where you can keep track of all their special offers and promotions. The GSK healthcare site is known as HealthySpecials.com. As the name indicates, this is a website dedicated solely to the special promotions that are being ran by the GSK company at any given time. Get to know this website, and a good idea is to bookmark it for easy future reference. When you get to the website, click on any of the deals or promotions. A special details window will open from the login page. If you are having trouble viewing these promotions, make sure that your Internet surfing preferences is set so that you allow pop-up windows. If you are not seeing the details of the promotions, there is a good chance that you have turned on pop-up blocking. Also, you will need an account to access some of the deals and promotions. If you don't have an account, simply click on the setup link and fill out the whole registration form. This should not take long, and it will allow you easier access to all the promotions on the website. Understanding the Availability of GSK Special Promotions Once you become familiar with the special promotions on this website, you will find that the offers will come and go. However, there is nearly always at least one highly desirable promotion, such as a free sample or coupon offer. Most of the availability of these offers will be limited to the United States. Also, make sure you read all the details, as many coupons and offers carry overlapping expiration dates. Avoiding Risks When Choosing GSK Special Offers and Promotions Are there any risks associated with actively seeking GSK offers and promotions? As with most Internet activity, there is always some risk involved in divulging your personal information. Never give out more personal information than you are comfortable giving. However, GSK is a well-known and respected company that offers visitors access to their privacy policy. Their privacy policy states that they will not share your personal information with partner companies or vendors. They ask for a phone number, but it is not required to take advantage of most offers. You will also be asked to enter your date of birth on the initial registration form. For the most part, you will not have to worry about privacy issues when dealing with this well-known and regarded company. However, always make sure that the company or website that you are dealing with offers you a look at their privacy policy. It is a bad sign if the company does not have any sort of privacy policy. As always, use your better judgment when releasing your personal contact information.