Glossary & FAQ

Glossary

Web Space: The amount of space available to store your web site and all associated data (e.g. databases, pictures, etc.).
Data Transfer / Traffic: The amount of data that can be transfered from your web site in any given month.

The number of visitors this equates to depends on the size of your web pages. For example, with a 10GB per month data transfer quota and an average web page size of 30kB, your site will support approximately 330 page views per month.

Please note that if your account exceeds its quota in any given month, it will be locked until either the end of the month, or you upgrade to a package with a higher quota.
Shared / Personal SSL Access: SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard method for transmitting encrypted information over the internet, a necessity for e-commerce sites.

Raindust Internet hosting accounts from Starter and above come with shared SSL access, meaning that if your web site is normally accessed via http://www.yourdomain.co.uk/, you will be able to access it securely via an address similar to https://www.secure-secure.co.uk/yourdomain.co.uk/.

Personal SSL access is available as an extra on these accounts, meaning that you would be able to access your site securely via https://www.yourdomain.co.uk/.
Mailbox: Individual email accounts that can be accessed via webmail or through email software such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird.

Raindust Internet hosting accounts have the facility for multiple mailboxes, meaning that separate mailboxes can be set up for each member of a business or each family member.
MySQL database: A database is a storage repository that can be updated and accessed easily by your website.

Databases are commonly used by blogging and content management system software to store their content, and by e-commerce software to store their catalogue of products.

All Raindust Internet Hosting Accounts include at least one MySQL database, allowing you to use blogging or CMS software easily. Blogging, CMS and e-commerce software can be installed at the touch of a button from your control panel.
FTP: FTP is a protocol used to upload files to your account. This requires FTP software on your computer.

If you are not comfortable using FTP, you can use the graphical file manager in your control panel to perform the same tasks easily and simply.
SSH: For advanced users only. Provides access to the Linux shell.
Control Panel: Your online account control panel is where you can easily and quickly configure your hosting account.

From here you can set up your email, install software, configure databases, design your website using easy tools and much more.

A separate domain control panel for each domain you register allows you access to the domain configuration.
Webmail: Allows you to access your email accounts over the web from anywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which payment methods do you accept?: Our online system uses Google Checkout to process credit/debit card orders securely. Through this, we accept payment by most major credit/debit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, Maestro/Switch and Solo. We are also able to accept payment by Cheque, simply select 'Cheque' at the checkout stage and you will be provided with the relevant information. Please note that if you choose to pay by cheque, it will take a little longer to set up your services, as your payment must have been received and cleared before the order will be processed.

Do I have to register a domain name with my hosting account?: A hosting account must have at least one domain name associated with it. This can either be a new registration, a transfer of an existing domain from another hosting provider, or a domain you have previously registered with us. When you order any Raindust Internet hosting account, we include a free .uk domain name (or £6.99 off any other domain type).
Can I register more than one domain?: Yes, this is very common. We include free domain mapping on all of our hosting accounts, allowing you to have more than one domain name pointing to the same web site. For example, you could register yourname.com and yourname.co.uk and users who browse to either name would both view your website. You will also be able to set up email accounts on each domain.
I would like to reserve my domain name but I don't want to order hosting yet. Is this possible?: Yes, you can order domain names without a hosting account. In fact, it is recommended that you register your name as soon as possible, before someone else registers it! You will have access to a domain control panel, which will provide full control of nameserver and whois records, etc.
I'm not sure what my requirements are going to be in the future. Will I be able to upgrade/downgrade to a different account at a later stage?: Yes, we can upgrade or downgrade your account easily and quickly. However, please note that any invoice paid is not refundable in the event of a downgrade or cancellation. If your would like to upgrade or downgrade, please email us at support@raindust.co.uk.
What happens if I exceed my traffic quota?: If your account exceeds its traffic quota in a given month, we reserve the right to disable the account until either the start of the next month or the account is upgraded to one with a larger quota.