The FirstStep hosting plan offers all services you expect from a webserver, like
enough webspace, email addresses, graphical access statistics, password protected
directories with user management, PHP and a local cgi-directory. With this functionality
you also can use PHP or Perl scripts on your website.
Local CGI-directory
With CGI-scripts you enhance HTML pages, you can make your website
interactive and more functional. In your own local CGI directory
you can store custom CGI-scripts you found elsewhere on the web
or you can write your own. In the ControlPanel we provide you
with a perl-script checker for syntax checking, all installed
Perl Modules, needed path-informations and resource links to
the Perl documentation, related websites and script resources.
Preinstalled FormToMail
The popular function "FormToMail" is preinstalled on our servers
and is available in each webhosting plan.
You can implement this function easily into an existing website without
knowledge of Perl or any other scripting language. Each feature of the
"FormToMail" is manageable in the ControlPanel. You also have
the possibility to customize the design as well as the mailtext.
PHP
PHP is a very popular scripting language. PHP is a Hypertext Preprocessor,
a server-side embedded scripting language for creating dynamic web pages.
The PHP commands will be parsed on request and the dynamically created page
is sent to the clients browser. In the ControlPanel we provide you with the
full PHP information and resource links to the PHP documentation, PHP
related websites and script resources.
Password protection
With the password protection you can protect directories, so that they
are accessable only with username and password. This feature enables
you to create private areas for permitted user groups. You can create
and manage the password protection and the permitted users in the ControlPanel
for each protected directory.
You can have unlimited password protected directories.
Cron jobs
A cron job executes a script of your choice at a specfic date/time.
You can have multiple cron jobs and each cron job can have different
execution times. A cron job can be entered easily in the ControlPanel
and you have full control about the automatic execution. In case of
a unsuccessful execution of your script you will be informed by email
and you can view a history of the automatic executions.
Realtime domain management
In the ControlPanel you have access to the domain ownership information
as it is shown in the WHOIS database. You can administrate the
ownership information in realtime of all top level domains we offer.
Depending on the registry the information will be changed also
immediately or if the registry does not work in realtime, modifications
are updated on registry response.
Online DNS maintanance
For most independency and flexibility we give you the possibility to
configure the DNS record of your domain. If you have special requirements
like SMTP-queuing, an own mail- or webserver, or IP-based subdomains
you need to change entries in the domain record.
You can do that easily by using a human interface in the ControlPanel,
without knowledge of the domain name service. Its just easy for you, but
if you are not sure what to do and you need assistance,
our support will help you to configure your domain for special needs.
Unlimited subdomains
Subdomains can be set up easily by using the domainpointer. You can create
a subdomain and configure the domainpointer so that the specified subdomain
points to a subdirectory of your website or to any another target URL.
You also can create IP-based subdomains with the online DNS maintanance.
Subdomains are unlimited.
POP email addresses
A POP email address is an email account with its own login and password.
You can retrieve mails for each POP account individually. Each email address
ends with your domain name. Everything before the @-sign can be created
individually. You access your POP account directly to retrieve mail
with email programs like Microsoft Outlook, Encourage, Outlook Express,
Eudora, Netscape Mail or any other email program.
With our webmail feature which you find in the navigation bar of our homepage, you are able to read your POP account also via the
webbrowser.
Unlimited email aliases
An email alias is assigned to a POP account. Per POP account you can have
multiple alias addresses. An alias is a regular email address. The difference
between a POP account and an alias is that the alias has no seperate login, because it is
assigned to an existing POP account. Lets say you have an POP email address:
michael@yourdomain.com. You can create the alias address mike@yourdomain.com,
and mail to mike@yourdomain.com will be delivered into the POP account of
micheal@yourdomain.com.
Catch-all maildrop feature
You can activate the feature to catch all emails addressed to your domain,
even if there is no POP account or alias configured.
Unlimited email forwarding
You can create unlimited forwards to other addresses for each POP account.
Additionally you can configure if you like to keep the message in the POP account
or not. If the mail is not kept, you cannot
retrieve it from the POP account, it will be available at the target address only.
If you keep the mail, it will be available in the POP account as well as at the
target address.
Autoresponder
An autoresponder replies to incoming mails automatically. It sends a prewritten
message you have set up to the sender address. A seperate autoresponder is available
for each POP account. That gives you the possibility to create a customized response
text for each email address.
Spamfilter
Spam is unsolicited email. If you receive such mails you can use the spamfilter,
to prevent to get them into your mailbox. You can configure the spamfilter
to your needs for different matching criteria.
Advanced ControlPanel for account- and service management
The ControlPanel is your management center where you manage your account and the services
of all assigned domains. All services included in the webhosting plan of each domain are
managable in the ControlPanel in realtime.
Server on a load balanced cluster
Your webserver will be set up on our cluster which is balanced by Equalizer Load
Balancers to minimize the response time while maximizing the site availability. A very fast,
high reliable RAID5-based network file system shares the data securely between the servers.
The webserver cluster ensures reliable availability and a high performance of your website.
Datacenter
In the state-of-the-art datacenter located downtown in Vienna/Austria we are connected with
dual Cisco 12000 routers directly on the redundant OC-12 backbone wich can be scaled to
OC-192 capacity to ensure complete redundancy and maximum uptime.
The world-class facility
is designed with raised floors, redundant temperature control systems,
redundant circuits, backed up with dual UPS and dual
diesel generators and redundant pre-action fire suppression systems using
FM200 gas. The NOC (Network Operations Center) stuff monitors the systems
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They can get in contact
with our systems administration at any time if necessary.
If you select this webhosting plan you can change or enhance it at any time. Upgrades
can be done easily in the ControlPanel in realtime and all modifications are available immediately.
Annual domain name fee applies depending of the selected top-level-domain. Transfer of a domain name is free of charge.