Web Server Administration - Lecture 5

These flashcards cover key concepts and definitions related to web server administration, hosting options, and domain name system administration.

What are the three broad categories of web hosting?

Shared Hosting, Collocated Hosting, Dedicated Hosting.

What is shared hosting?

Renting space for your site on a server that hosts many sites on the same machine.

What are the two categories of shared hosting?

Simple shared hosting and virtualized shared hosting.

What is a major disadvantage of simple shared hosting?

Lack of control, poor performance, and security threats.

What type of access does virtualized shared hosting provide?

Root access on a virtual server of their own, instead of a home directory on a shared server.

What is dedicated hosting?

Renting an entire server to yourself within a data center.

What is collocated hosting?

Building, owning, and managing the machine yourself.

What is the main advantage of collocated hosting?

Full control over the OS, software version, and the physical machine.

What are the main advantages of cloud hosting?

Scalability and redundancy of a distributed solution.

What is the purpose of the Domain Name System (DNS)?

To map domain names to IP addresses for user-friendly access.

What initial step must one take to register a domain name?

Lease the right to use the name exclusively for a specified period.

What does WHOIS provide?

A database of registrant information for a domain name.

What are MX records used for in DNS?

To provide the location of SMTP servers that receive email for a domain.

What is the purpose of TXT/SPF records in DNS?

To reduce email spam by validating mail servers for a domain.

What does the term 'Reverse DNS' refer to?

Determining a domain name from an IP address using PTR records.