Getting Started
Q:  What is the first step I need to take to host my website with your company?
A:  The first step you need to take is to choose a domain name. Once you have obtained a domain name you must verify the features that your website will require listed in our packages page. When you have chosen the plan you need then simply fill out the online order form. Please note that the order form is Secure, thus , you do not have to worry about your personal credit card info being displayed on the Internet.

Q:  How long does it take to setup an account?
A:  Accounts are setup within 60 minutes. At times, depending on the state of our network, it may take just a few minutes to have your account activated.

Q:  How do I transfer my domain name?
A:  It is extremely simple to have your domain name point to our servers. You should change DNS setting of your domain. DNS information is provided with a hosting welcome letter.

Q:  How do I get my files transferred to your server?
A:  All you have to do is download the files off your current host and upload them to our servers via any ftp client ( cuteftp or wsftp ) or publisher.

Q:  May I have some examples of some sites hosted by you?
A:  Ringwood Web makes a sample client page and service review page available to the public on it's website. This page has examples of virtual hosting, dedicated server, co-location, and reseller clients available.

Q:  What Are Your Technical Support Hours?
A:  Our technical support is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week via E-mail, Livechat and Toll-Free Phone Support.

COMMON QUESTIONS ASKED

Q:   What are the setup fees and monthly costs involved?
A:   Ringwood Web charges a one time setup fee depending on the size and type of webhosting package ordered. The full rate charts for available hosting packages are shown on the Web Hosting pages.

Q:  How do I set up my email?
A:  Ringwood Web web hosting clients can set up POP Accounts, Forwarders/Aliases, & Auto-Responders in the Web Browser Control Panel that comes with every Ringwood Web web hosting package. This can be done by yourself, and without any assistance from the Ringwood Web staff.

Q:  How do I upload my files?
A:  All Ringwood Web web hosting packages allow the usage of FTP, Telnet, SSH, File Manager, MS FrontPage™, and other web development publishing programs, to upload files to your website.

Q:  Is there a trial period or money-back guarantee?
A:  This is not a valid option for Ringwood Web to operate as we are in this business for the long term not just five minutes after making substantial investment in our and your future.

Q:  How fast are websites set up?
A:  Ringwood Web strives for a setup time of no more than 60 minutes per order. If an order is placed during normal business day hours, orders may be processed in only a few minutes.

Q:  Does my website get a control panel?
A:  Yes. Every Ringwood Web web hosting package comes with a web browser based control panel. The control panel includes many features including; email configurations, chat rooms, mailing lists, pre-installed cgi scripts, databases, chat rooms, and much, much, more... The Windows NT™ account control panels run on a Red Hat™ Linux backend, and feature email based features only.

Q:  How am I billed?
A:  Ringwood Web invoices you via email. You can request a monthly statement via email as well, at any time. Hard copy invoices can be mailed for those resellers that request such. You will receive an invoice for each service/account order every month on the same day the service was ordered (if it is a monthly sevice). Special arrangements can be made for custom billing requirements. Ringwood Web accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Bank Wire Transfers, Company Cheques, Personal Cheques, Money Orders, and PayPal (office@madwebdesign.co.uk). You can opt to not have your credit card charged every month, until you specifically submit a payment form each month.

Q:  How much assistance do you provide for my website?
A:  Ringwood Web will assist you with all support for services provided directly thru Ringwood Web. Ringwood Web will help you with basic settings for your email software and ftp client, as well as assist you with using the web browser control panel. Ringwood Web is not responsible for teaching you how to use another company's products. Example: Ringwood Web will assist you with the settings for using MS Frontpage™, but we will not teach you how to actually use the product itself. You need to contact the software maker in such a situation, who provides tech support for how to use their product. Ringwood Web cannot even attempt to support all the thousands of software products on the market. Ringwood Web will attempt to provide some tech support for the most popular programs our clients use. Ringwood Web is not responsible for assisting with your own programs and cgi scripts. If you choose to install your own programs and cgi scripts on your site, you are responsible fully for installing them. Ringwood Web will provide support for any program or cgi script that we provide pre-installed with your web hosting package. Ringwood Web is not responsible for designing, nor developing, your website, including HTML and/or images. Ringwood Web will attempt to give a quick look at your design/development problem, and offer a suggestion if it is a small issue. Anything complicated relating to design/development is not the responsibility of Ringwood Web.

Q:  What if the hardware fails?
A:  Ringwood Web stocks replacement parts for all servers. Ringwood Web is always building new servers for our shared hosting clients, as well as our dedicated server clients, so a full inventory of parts is maintained. Hardware failures are uncommon, but they do happen, and are a part of the hosting business. Ringwood Web repairs all failed hardware promptly, to minimize any downtime caused by such.

Q:  Are there any hidden costs?
A:  No. All costs are stated plainly on our website. We do not hide fees in fineprint, or in our terms of service pages. The only costs that are commonly found to occur beyond your expected flat monthly rates per service, are those due to increased disk space or bandwidth usage. Pricing for such is plainly stated on our website. Ringwood Web very often will allow you to upgrade your packages to the next size up, should you see an increase in disk space levels or bandwidth usage for the current month, and not want to pay for such additional usage. Disk space usage and availability, as well as estimated bandwidth usage, is available to you in the majority of the control panel versions included with the hosting packages.

Q:  What is Cpanel™? Do you have a Demo?
A:   CPanel™ is the brand name of the web browser control panel software that Ringwood Web utilizes on its web hosting packages.

Q:  What happens if I decide to leave Ringwood Web
A:   You are free to leave at any time.

Q:   Is there a discount if I pre-pay for several months in advance?
A:  Ringwood Web offers 2 months free for all yearly advanced payments. Pay for 10 months of service, and receive 2 months free.

Q:  May I have some examples of some sites hosted by you?
A:   Ringwood Web makes a sample client page available to the public on it's website. This page has examples of virtual hosting, dedicated server, co-location, and reseller clients available.

Q:  Does my website have their own IP number or is it shared?
A:   This depends on the type of hosting packages you order. Traditionally all Ringwood Web hosting packages come with a dedicated IP address. Ringwood Web dedicated servers have the ability to utilize IP based, or IPless, virtual hosting configurations.

Q:  What type of support do you offer? Average Response Time?
A:   Ringwood Web offers support to our clients 24/7/365 via web based ticket system, email, IC. A pager number is also available for dedicated server clientele. We strive for response times of no more than a few hours. Response times of just a few minutes are quite common during normal business hours. Ringwood Web has recently implemented a web based support ticket system, which integrates all incoming support email into it. The ticket system tracks support inquires by "time waiting" for response from the support dept. The Ringwood Web administration carefully monitors that the Ringwood Web support staff maintains a fast response time, with courteous and helpful service.

Q:  What are the hardware specs of the servers?
A:   Every server at Ringwood Web has different specifications. Whenever a server reaches what we feel to be the limit, another server is built. Ringwood Web is constantly upgrading the server hardware on our network. If more drive space, memory, or faster processors are needed, they are added in at that time. The average shared server is a QUAD XEON processor system, with 4048MB RAM, and RAID hard drive(s). All Ringwood Web servers run spare hard drives for backup requirements.

Q:  Can I have adult content on my website?
A:  Yes, you can have adult content on your websites.

Q:  May I view your Terms Of Service?
A:  The Ringwood Web terms of service (TOS), including policy and service guidelines, are available online.

Q:  Do you support International domain names and clients?
A:   Ringwood Web can host all international domains on its servers. Ringwood Web can accept foreign clientele, just please be advised that all correspondence must be conducted in English. The client is responsible for handling the registration process of foreign domain name(s). This must be pointed to nameservers on the Ringwood Web network as assigned, or you can use other nameservers and route the domain name to the IP address you are assigned. Ringwood Web cannot handle the foreign domain registration process for you, due to the fact that we do not speak all of the potential foreign languages that may be involved. Ringwood Web will assist you however, with any technical information need to accomplish this.

Q:  How do I transfer my domain name?
A:  Ringwood Web will attempt to file the necessary electronic forms for your domain name transfer with InterNIC. If Ringwood Web is unable to file such with your specific domain name registrar, Ringwood Web will send you instructions on how to do such yourself, including all necessary technical details. Clients may opt to not have Ringwood Web handle the domain name transfer, or to delay doing such, as an option on the web hosting order form required for signup.

Q:  What if my site breaks your "acceptable usage policy" rules?
A:   Users' sites may be suspended for violations of policy, or if extreme, or second time offenders, sites may be cancelled. Each occurrence is dealt with on a case by case basis, and we try to work things out with every client. Notifications will be sent, if Ringwood Web takes any action on your account.

Q:  What if I want to upgrade my website?
A:   You may upgrade or downgrade your Ringwood Web web hosting package at any time. You will be required to pay the difference in the setup fee for your current plan, and the plan you are upgrading to, should you decide to choose a larger plan. You will then pay the new monthly fee for the new account package that you select. Transfers between operating systems (ie..Linux to Windows NT™) will require a setup fee to be paid.

Q:  How is my website monitored?
A:  Ringwood Web maintains internal and external monitoring systems for every server in the Ringwood Web Data Center. The servers are checked every 5 minutes via network monitoring software. Ringwood Web monitors uptime as well as individual features and services running on each server. Ringwood Web staff is notified via alarms, email, screen popups, and paging, if a problem occurs.

Q:  What is the uptime?
A:  Ringwood Web strives to maintain a 99.5% network and server uptime service level. This uptime percentage is a monthly figure, and does not include any scheduled hardware/software upgrades, nor "Acts of God". Our definition of "Act of God" includes; fire, flood, tornado, earthquake, telco fiber issues (ie...Verizon™ cutting a fiber line somewhere), backbone peering point issues (ie...UUnet™ having a router go down in Virginia that wipes out internet service for the entire East Coast), hard drive failure (faulty hardware is rare, but cannot be predicted nor avoided), as well as network floods, hacks, and attacks. If Ringwood Web fails to meet it's 99.5% uptime guarantee, and it is not due to one of the above reasons, partial downtime credits will be made available to each client, upon request, on a case by case basis. Ringwood Web does not credit a full month's service if we only have 99.4% uptime. This would not be financially healthy for Christchurch Web, and in turn would only negatively affect the service level Ringwood Web provides to you. "Partial refunds for partial downtime" is our standard policy.

Q:  Do you have a Service Level Agreement (SLA)?
A:  The Ringwood Web terms of service (TOS), including policy and service guidelines, are available online.

Q:  What is your connectivity to the Internet?
A:  Ringwood Web are associated with one of Chicago's premier hosting provider, providing reliable, scalable solutions for customers of all sizes and services. Located in the carrier-neutral Equinix Chicago Data Center, Ringwood Web has access to all the major carriers in Chicago without the need for local loop circuits. Fore more information check this page.

Q:  Do you have battery backups and generators?
A:  Our Network Operations Center is backed up and protected by UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) systems. In a very rare case of utility outages, our auto-start generators start automatically, taking over for the UPS system and supplying all necessary power for our Network Operations Center. APC™, Tripp-Lite™, & Liebert™ UPS Systems provide the power backups, along with Kohler™ generator systems.

Q:  What kind of security does the Christchurch Web Data Center have?
A:  The Ringwood Web Data Center in Chicago, IL USA is a high security facility. Double metal security doors, with interior gating, protect the main entrance to the facility. The windows-less facility has advanced security, fire, temperature, and flood alarms, directly piped into the Security Monitoring Company via phone, cellular, and internet connections. A 16-camera digital video system monitors the interior and exterior of the Data Center. This video system is monitored internally at the facility and externally from the Ringwood Web Sales/Support office. The video data is recorded live both on and off site, and stored for several months ahead. Visitors cannot gain access into the facility without employee escort. The physical servers and equipment area is secured from the visitor's area by huge metal doors, as well as metal sheeting and bulletproof glass walls. Armed guards are planned for the future, but not a necessity at this junction.

Q:  What about software upgrades?
A:  Ringwood Web handles all software upgrades/patches on the shared hosting servers. We fully follow all trends in the industry, and monitor all support/bug announcement groups. If a new bug or security vulnerability is found, Ringwood Web immediately upgrades our systems. Microsoft™ regularly release patches for the Windows™ based systems, and Ringwood Web auto-updates the Linux systems every night from security patch websites. As new software is released, including new versions of operating systems, Ringwood Web evaluates the new software. If the software's new version does not have any security issues, or bug problems, the upgrade is implemented.

Q:  What if the server my website is on gets hacked or attacked?
A:   Individually hacked websites are rare. If such occurs, usually they are a target for a reason; hate sites, pirated software, etc... Ringwood Web does not host such websites. If such material is found on a Ringwood Web server, it is deleted immediately and the user's account cancelled. Usually the target is the whole server itself. Hackers usually go after a server just to say that "they did", or to use the server to bounce off of to hack something more important. Rarely are any users' files on the server damaged, erased, or modified. For this reason, once a hacker is detected, a server can usually be cleaned up and the hacker locked back out within a matter of hours. At that time the server is restored to full security levels, as if the hack has never occurred. Most hackers get into a system thru valid user accounts. We recommend you use complicated passwords for your account. Ringwood Web strictly reviews all orders for new clients, to make sure they are legitimate. Unfortunately, some fake orders do get thru the system, and that is one way a hacker can gain initial access. Ringwood Web runs security checks on the servers daily, so even if a hacker does get in, they are found and dealt with quickly. Most hackers are not malicious, they are just playing or testing their abilities. If an individual attacks the whole Ringwood Web Data Center, measures are in place to cut off such floods and attacks automatically at the backbone level and the router level. Ringwood Web also uses firewall technology to fend off most common methods of flooding and attacks to the network.

Q:  How is extra bandwidth billed?
A:  Ringwood Web maintains software on every server and on the switches to monitor individual website usage and server-wide usage. Bandwidth is billed per Gigabyte (GB) over your monthly allocation, rounded up to the nearest Gigabyte. Usually between the 3rd and 5th of the month you will receive your bandwidth overage billing, if applicable, for the preceding month's usage.

Q:  What is included in my website package?
A:  Ringwood Web provides full hardware, software, support, and system administration for your Ringwood Web shared hosting solution. The software provided includes the operating system, ftp & email software, web server software, and a control panel. Ringwood Web even includes free e-commerce shopping cart software. Everything you need to conduct business on the Internet, or maintain a personal website, is included in your Ringwood Web hosting solution. Ringwood Web will provide basic support on services/software that we provide you with your account. Ringwood Web does not develop your website for you, nor provide tech support on how to use software products that we do not provide to your directly...even if we do support them. We are always more than willing to help you if we can though with external issues, time permitting...

Q:  How many sites are currently running on per server?
A:  Ringwood Web does not have a set quantity of domains running on each machine. We find that ten domains can utilize more resources than 200 others. Ringwood Web monitors each server's performance levels and attempts to maintain a low server load average and high cpu availability. As needed, Ringwood Web will upgrade the hardware, to increase server performance. Individual domains that become to much for the server to handle, and utilize too much server resources, are moved to servers set up specifically for such resource intensive accounts.

Q:  Why should I choose Christchurch Web as my webhost?
A:   Simple. Ringwood Web maintains one of the most feature rich hosting packages on the market, so advanced that many hosting companies cannot compete. Ringwood Web was one of the first hosting companies in the industry to offer technical support via ICQ & AOL Instant Messanger, as well as to offer high bandwidth packages (20GB+ per month) to the general public. Christchurch Web offers Cpanel™ & WebHostManager™ on it's packages, the premier software in the business. Ringwood Web offers a 30 day full money back guarantee for new clients that sign up...so you really cannot loose by selecting Ringwood Web. Ringwood Web has won several awards for providing some of the most complete hosting packages and support levels available.

Q:  How do I get started?
A:  Simple! Just fill out one form....the Secure New Account Order form! You will receive details shortly afterwards about how to proceed with your new Ringwood Web Hosting Account!