Managed hosting often uses its own language, or languages, comprised of acronyms, proprietary names and terms that have been granted new meanings. For some it's a first language. For others it's an entirely new language. This abridged glossary is designed to assist in "translating" the more common server hosting terms into more common language.

ASP An abbreviation for “application service provider.” An ASP is an organization that hosts software applications on its own servers within its own facilities with its own staff. Customers rent the use of the application(s) and access it over the Internet. ASP’s vary from hosting specific applications like salesforce.com to providing comprehensive outsourcing solutions. (This is not to be confused with an asp, one of the many venomous snakes of Africa, Asia, and Europe-- one which allegedly bit Cleopatra, leading to her death.)

Apache One of the world's most popular Web server programs, Apache was built by a group of open-source programmers and is often used because of its outstanding performance, strong security features and the fact that it is free.

Application Infrastructure The software components that your custom application relies on for its functionality. Examples include web servers, application servers and database servers.

Bandwidth The amount of data that can be transmitted at a given moment to a server. The higher your bandwidth, the larger amount of traffic your site can handle at one time.

CGI Short for Common Gateway Interface, a small script that processes data taken from the user (such as from a form application).

Cgi-bin The directory on a web server where CGI scripts are stored.

DDoS Short for Distributed Denial of Service Attack, the most common form of attack on network devices. It overwhelms a network by monopolizing its bandwidth by flooding it with information from multiple hosts, thereby preventing legitimate network traffic.

Device Refers to the individual hardware components that make up a unique hosted configuration. This includes servers, firewalls and load balancers.

Fat client A “fat client” is the typical use of a client computer. A user's computer contains its own applications that are installed on a local hard drive and run locally on that machine. This is the typical way most people use computers. “Fat clients” are costlier to maintain, have many moving parts which reduce the lifespan of the device, consume more energy, and are prone to innumerable security threats.

Firewall A piece of security software or hardware designed to protect web servers. They are typically used to protect sites from hacker attacks/unauthorized access.

FTP Short for File Transfer Protocol, a method of allowing remote users and Web servers to exchange files.

HTML Short for HyperText Markup Language, the language by which web servers and client browsers communicate. All server-side functions (such as database processing), although they may be performed in another language, must eventually be output back to the user in HTML.

HTTP Stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol, the protocol by which HTML files move across the Internet. HTTP requires a client browser and an HTTP server (typically a web server).

IIS Short for Internet Information Server, Microsoft's server software for Windows NT/2000.

IP Short for Internet Protocol, which designates the format of "data packets" that are used to exchange information over the Internet.

Load Balancing Distributing data across a network of servers in order to ensure that a single Web server does not get overloaded with work, thereby affecting performance.

Managed Backup Refers to the copying of data for the purpose of having an additional copy of an original source, specifically storing data on separate tape media not located on the server. If the original data is damaged or lost, the data may be copied back from that source.

Name Server A server responsible for translating domain names and IP addresses.

NOC Short for Network Operations Center, a hosting company's "home base," so to speak. The NOC is usually where most administration, technical support and physical server storage takes place.

RAID Short for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, a method of data protection/backup. Data is stored over a number of servers so that information will still be accessible if a piece of hardware/software crashes.

Scalability The ability of a piece of software or hardware to expand/grow as necessary.

Service Level Agreement (SLA) A formal written agreement made between two parties: the service provider and the service recipient. The SLA itself defines the basis of understanding between the two parties for delivery of the service itself. The document can be quite complex, and sometimes underpins a formal contract. Generally, an SLA should contain clauses that define a specified level of service, support options, incentive awards for service levels exceeded and/or penalty provisions for services not provided.

SQL Short for Standard Query Language. A standard protocol used to request information from databases. Servers that can handle SQL are known as SQL servers.

SSL Short for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol developed by Netscape to handle and protect confidential/sensitive information required for e-commerce transactions (like credit card numbers). SSL addresses usually begin with 'https'.

Thin client A computer device which performs like an input/output terminal and does not do any data processing. Similar to the terminals used with centralized mainframes in the 1970s and 1980s, the thin client processes only keyboard and mouse input and screen output. All application data processing is handled in the server (colocation). Today, while offering the same Window desktop experience you expect, “thin clients” deliver a more secure interface to your data and applications with a significantly lower total cost of ownership than the typical “fat client.”

VPN Short for Virtual Private Network, a private communications network usually used within a company, or by several different companies, to communicate over a public network.

Virtualization Commonly refers to the process of partitioning a server's memory into separate and isolated "virtual machines" simulating multiple machines within one physical computer. “Virtual machines” may consist of different operating systems running concurrently on the same computer and prevent applications from interfering with one another. Virtualization allows hardware to be used more efficiently and abstracts machines in such a way that in instances of failure or disaster, near instant recovery is much easier than working with a single physical server.

Web Hosting Web hosting is a service that allows users to post web pages to the Internet. A Web host, or hosting service provider (HSP), is a business that provides the technologies and services needed for Web sites to be viewed on the Web.