onweb Pty Ltd

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Presales

What is Virtual Web Hosting?

We specialize in Virtual Web Hosting which means that you can find a home for your web site on our active SGI web servers and establish a presence on the internet. We can help register your own domain name which will become your unique address on the World Wide Web. Having your own domain name does not suggest that you are renting web space, and, since email can be addressed to your domain (eg. sales@yourname.com.au ) you will not have to announce a new email address if you change internet providers.

Will I be able to access my domain name with or without the www.?

Yes, you will be able to access the domain name with or without the www. in front. For example, you could access the domain name "mydomain.com.au" by going to "www.mydomain.com.au" as well as "mydomain.com.au".

How do onweb’s plans match my business needs?

Our perception of who best fits each of our plans has been given a great deal of consideration. We believe that there are several stages in the evolution of businesses adopting internet technologies. Some businesses choose to start slowly and move through each stage in succession, and others leap in at a higher level. How you choose to approach this is entirely up to you.

We believe that the various stages in business internet evolution are as follows:

  • Advertiser
  • Marketer
  • Simple Trader
  • Extended Trader

To explain these terms and to place them in the context of onweb’s hosting plans, let us consider each term.

  1. The Advertiser. This is often the first step taken by a business when getting their own web site. It involves creating a web page or several web pages to advertise your business, and promote the goods and services that you offer. The nature of the pages can be very simple or quite elaborate depending on what you see as the best for you. If this is where you want to be, then onweb’s Personal Plan is probably sufficient for you.
  2. The Marketer. Marketing involves both advertising and more directed efforts arising typically from obtaining feedback from visitors to your site. In marketing jargon, you are interested in qualified leads. While you can get visitors to send you an email under the personal plan, you can expand on that by preparing forms that your customers complete, giving you their name and contact details along with their area of interest when using our Plan 1. Additional features such as an in-built search mechanism can allow your customers to search for particular things in your web site. The forms entry would also allow you to receive simple order requests from your customers.
  3. The Simple Trader. An increasing number of internet users are looking to actually purchase goods over the internet. To achieve this you need to start building a database of at least your key products. The first steps are typically to present your database of products/services and through provided software such as the shopping cart, allow the visitors to place an order for those goods. Your own in-house procedures then take over to confirm orders, arrange payments etc. Some people then print the order, insert their credit card details and fax the order through. Alternately, you can introduce electronic commerce arrangements and acquire credit card details over the internet. Usually you need to offer your customers the comfort of secure transaction processing for this to be successful. All these features are available in onweb’s Plan 2.
  4. The Extended Trader. Typically the extended trader offers their full product range over the internet and has established secure transaction processing. Naturally this requires more substantial database activity and probably more space. If our Plan 2 is not sufficient, then you may need to move into a Plan 3 or 4 to obtain these expanded features appropriate to your requirements.

Do you offer dial-up internet access?

No, you will need local Internet access in order to maintain your web site and retrieve email addressed to your site. Providing a specialized service means that we do not have hundreds of modems to maintain enabling us to devote more time to our customers and to the addition of enhancements to the entire site. Our Silicon Graphics web servers are connected to the Internet via multiple T3 lines to ensure a high level of performance.

Do you offer web page design services?

onweb has developed a network of suitable specialists who can assist you in developing your own web pages. Depending on the workload at the particular time, we will either utilise our in-house expertise, or call upon one or more of our associates. If you feel that you have very particular web page design needs, we will gladly send you a list of companies that offer web page consulting, web page development, and/or custom scripting services. You will be able to contact one or more of them to discuss design and pricing. For more information, see our Website Design Services page.

How do I upgrade from one plan to another?

You can upgrade from plans by sending your request to sales@onweb.com.au or calling us at 08 8358 6000. All plans have a one-time $75 set up fee.

Can I check domain name availability?

Yes. You can check domain availability direct from our web site.

Does onweb handle domain registration?

Yes. We will contact the AuNIC or InterNIC once your account is activated to request either a new domain name registration or transfer. You do NOT need to submit a registration or modification template to AuNIC/InterNIC as this will only delay your request.

Can I transfer existing domain name to onweb?

Yes. Whether you place an order by telephone or via our online order form, be sure to specify that you are requesting a transfer and NOT a new domain. You should keep the service at the present site while waiting for AuNIC/InterNIC to complete the transfer. We will provide you with a temporary IP address so you can mirror the site on our server. All email and web pages will still be accessed from the current site. When AuNIC/InterNIC announces the completion of the transfer there is a 72 hour propagation period where visitors could go to either site. At the end of the 72 hours you should contact the previous host to have them delete the old domain from their records and update their DNS record. If you use this same provider for your Internet access you will not be able to access your domain site at onweb.com.au until they update their DNS.

How long does it take before my domain name is active?

Once the AuNIC/InterNIC announces that your domain name has been registered (or transferred, if applicable), it usually takes about 72-hours before it is active. All internet providers must update their records (DNS tables) to reflect new site locations. This is called propagation.

What is the AuNIC/InterNIC fee for domain registration ?

In Australia, the AuNIC fee is presently $125 (under the standard registration procedure - 10 days maximum) to register a domain name for commercial entries (typically the .com.au domain). This fee covers the first two years. It must be paid up front before the registration process can proceed.

The InterNIC charges $US70 to register a new domain name. This fee covers the first two years. They currently bill at a rate of $35 per year. The InterNIC will send you an invoice via email between 3 -6 weeks after the domain is registered.

Is 4000/MB of data transfer going to be enough to support my web site ?

Our experience has shown that 4000MB/month will be more than enough bandwidth for the average web site. Depending on the quantity and sizes of your files, this could support many thousands of hits per month. Note that only 1%-2% of our customers have exceeded the 4000MB of data transfer threshold. Domain plan 2 accommodates 5000 MB of data transfer.

How do I transfer files to my web site ?

Files may be transferred to the web server via File Transport Protocol (FTP). If you have a PPP internet account and need FTP software, you can download a program for either the PC or Mac from our site. Internet providers such as MSN and Compuserve may have a built-in FTP interface. An FTP tutorial is available for first time users.

If your web site is Frontpage Hosted do NOT use regular FTP (such as WS_FTP) to upload files to the server. This may corrupt the extensions, requiring that all files be removed to reload the extensions.
NOTE: The one exception to this is when loading custom scripts to the cgi-local directory on your site.
Using WS_FTP, go DIRECTLY to the cgi-local directory, transfer the file in ASCII, then right click on the ftp window, select FTP commands, SITE. Then enter:

chmod 755 <file_name>

This will properly upload and set permissions for the script.
Please NEVER DELETE any FrontPage related file or directory unless consulting with us.

Will I have unlimited access to update my pages ?

You have unlimited access via FTP 24-hours a day. As such, you can create and maintain your web pages on your own computer and upload files to your web site at your leisure.

Can multiple domains point to the same HTML files ?

Yes, we offer a "Domain only" service whereby additional domain names can point to an existing Plan 1 or higher web hosting account. The domain which serves as a pointer will point to the IP address of the existing domain web hosting account. (ie. the main home page, index.html) Domain only pointers cannot be set up to point to a subdirectory of an active domain account. This service does not include email related services or an IP address. There is a one-time $50 setup fee and $20 monthly fee for each domain pointer.

Can I use my account for commercial purposes ?

Yes, you can use your account for commercial purposes. The World Wide Web has become a most efficient and cost-effective means of making information available to the users of the internet community. If desired, secure processing is available under domain Plan 2 which provides an environment whereby payment information (such as a credit card number) can be transmitted from web browser to web server in an encrypted mode.

Can I resell space within my own account ?

Yes. You can resell space within your account. However, you will be responsible for its content and data transfer. It will not be possible to acquire multiple account passwords for FTP access.

Do you accept international orders ?

Yes. We are pleased to have customers around the world and we're as close as your computer. If desired, we can host non-Australian domain name extensions.

How long has onweb been in business ?

onweb is part of an international organisation founded in 1995 which has since grown to a multinational corporation with tens of thousands of customers world wide. Our rapid growth is the direct result of our strong commitment to quality and our guiding vision of being the world's best web hosting company. onweb Pty Ltd was established in Australia in 1997.

What contract and payment terms are available?

We bill at quarterly increments and require a minimum three month contract. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Bankcard (Australia only) cards as well as personal and business cheques.

Do you offer technical support to customers ?

Yes. We encourage our customers to send email to support@onweb.com.au with questions or concerns about their web site. We are relatively quick to respond to support email up to about 10pm CST on week days. If we cannot offer a solution to a concern within a reasonable timeframe, we will invite you to call us or we'll call you directly. We also provide an interactive discussion group and web-based bulletin board for customers wishing to exchange ideas, post web related questions, or assist others.

How long does it take to set up a new account ?

Typically an order that includes full payment information will be processed within 24 hours of its receipt. Usually you should have an email forwarded to you with your new account information on the morning following our processing. Once an account is set up an activation notice will be sent to you via email including a userid, password, and FTP hostname. You can begin uploading files to your new web site immediately. Domain account users will be given a temporary URL to access their site via the web prior to the completion of either domain registration or transfer.

How do I place an order ?

You can place an order for a Virtual domain account directly from our web site 24 hours a day or by calling 08 8358 6000 between the hours of 9:00am-5:00pm Monday through Friday. CST.

For more information, please email sales@onweb.com.au

Copyright © 1997-2003, onweb Pty Ltd. ACN 078 878 163. All Rights Reserved.