Frequently Asked Questions
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I noticed that some information on this website is no longer available. Will it be available again?

We will be updating regularly. The same information will have to be uploaded using Mobile-Friendly pages. We welcome visitor messages informing us what information they miss most so that we can add it first. Thank you.

Why do I need a domain and what is a domain name?

A domain is your identity online. It separates you from everyone else, your room in the web hotel - once yours, as long as you keep renewing it every year, no one else may have it. There are two parts to a domain - the domain name itself, and the TLD (top level domain) extension. The extension for South African domains is ".co.za". Many hosting companies will register a domain for you if you do not have one (it must be available though). You need to be careful that the domain is registered in your name and not theirs. The information related to you when buying a domain is publicly available. It is illegal to put in false information, so your personal information can be traced back. Having your own domain is very important for your business. It sets you apart from everybody else, and gives you a brand to work with.

How can SA WEB charge so little (R124.00 per year) for hosting? Looking around, I've seen companies asking over R120.00 per month for less space and less band width. Is there a catch?

NO! There's no catch. The reason for us to be able to be less expensive than just about everyone else (we haven't found anyone charging lower rates) is simple:
  • Hosting space does not cost that much
  • In the present economic climate, everyone should be cutting down on monthly bills. We charge early - NO MONTHLY FEES! - this leaves us with basically very little admin costs - we simply pass this saving to the client.
  • We do not provide 24/7 telephone support. We provide e-mail support and setting up easy-to-follow instructions for your e-mail boxes.
  • Everyone an every company can afford R124.00 per year - it's no big deal!

    • Why do I need a domain and what is a domain name?

    A domain is your identity online. It separates you from everyone else, your room in the web hotel - once yours, as long as you keep renewing it every year, no one else may have it. There are two parts to a domain - the domain name itself, and the TLD (top level domain) extension. The extension for South African domains is ".co.za". Many hosting companies will register a domain for you if you do not have one (it must be available though). You need to be careful that the domain is registered in your name and not theirs. The information related to you when buying a domain is publicly available. It is illegal to put in false information, so your personal information can be traced back. Having your own domain is very important for your business. It sets you apart from everybody else, and gives you a brand to work with.

    What do you mean by Hosting Space?

    Hosting space is the amount of space available for you to place your website pages on the Internet. Every page takes up space. Like an hotel room, you have to pay for the space taken up by the pages which make up your website.

    I see SA WEB offers 1GB of space - how many web pages can I fit in that?

    Normally, a web page, with all its graphics (photos, etc.) should not exceed 100KB (0.1MB). Most pages are half that size. Therefore, 1MB holds more than 10 web pages. This means that 1GB is enough space for at least 7,000 web pages.

    What is Bandwidth?

    Bandwidth is often used as a synonym for "data transfer rate" - the amount of data that can be carried from one point to another in a given time period (usually a second). This kind of bandwidth is usually expressed in bits (of data) per second (bps).
    Most hosting companies offer a variety of bandwidth options in their plans. So exactly what is bandwidth as it relates to web hosting? Put simply, bandwidth is the amount of traffic that is allowed to occur between your web site and the rest of the internet. Other companies restrict the usage of this bandwidth to a certain amount before you start paying for extra bandwidth usage. At SA WEB there are no restrictions!

    I want my website to have Flash - can SA WEB hosting handle it?

    Flash is a client side feature - it runs on the user's computer, not on your web host. As long as the user's browser has the correct plug-in installed, it will run on his/her computer.

    What is the difference between UNIX hosting and Windows hosting?

    Selecting between UNIX and Windows server hosting depends on your needs, according to the technology used to develop your website. If you need to support Microsoft products such as ASP, MS Access, or VBScript, then Windows hosting would be your choice. If you have normal HTML pages, PHP and MySQL databases, your choice should be UNIX. Just because you use Windows at home does not mean you should use Windows hosting. The two are completely different, and having a Windows system at home will not affect your ability to communicate with a UNIX server. UNIX server hosting is normally less expensive than Windows server hosting.

    Do you support cPanel Hosting?

    cPanel is not available on our web hosting packages, we provide you with FTP facility.

    What is FTP?

    FTP is a method to transfer files (documents, images, ...) over the Internet from one computer to another. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. Once you have purchased your hosting space, you have to upload your website to your domain. You are given unique username and password to log on to your domain hosting facility using FTP software. It is advisable for this to be left to the experienced persons who develop websites.