One of the most frustrating parts of owning and operating an online business can be the occasional need to switch web hosting servers. Changing your web hosting provider may require that a new control panel be mastered. The most time consuming part of becoming acquainted with a new web hosting plan is mastering the new control panel with which you are provided to operate your site.

However, having a Plesk control panel can reduce greatly the amount of readjustment that may be required upon switching servers. Plesk offers the option to carry your previous control panel with you as many different providers offer Plesk as their default control option. If both the new and old hosting solution utilize Plesk, reducing the amount of downtime that your website experiences will be exponentially reduced and having your site up and running will come much sooner rather than later.

Switching Hosting Providers

One of the most commonly encountered issues with switching servers is the loss of data that can occur as a result of the move. The reason for this is simple and easily prevented. The TTL (Time to Live) of a website is not instant and during a transfer to a new server some data may be lost or possibly delayed for long periods of time. In order to prevent this from happening several settings must be changed twenty four hours prior to the move. To make the necessary changes you will need to log into your Plesk account with your current web hosting server and click on “Domains.”

After having accessed this option you will need to locate the name of the server you will be switching to if it is listed. After locating the information you need you will want to access the DNS settings. After doing this you will need to select the SOA record click. Once you have reached this point you will need to then change the default TTL to fifteen minutes or nine hundred seconds. Once all this has been done you will need to click on “Set” to ensure that your data is saved and the process is properly finalized. Doing this will ensure that any changes that occur will happen within fifteen minutes of the change, thereby minimizing on the amount of lagging data and data lost.

How to Restore your Site’s Backup

After a period of about a day or so it will be necessary to log in to your Plesk administrator desktop of your new domain and find the backup manager. After finding this option you will need to create a backup title and click “Personal FTP Repository.” Now you will need to click on “Domain Configuration and Content” and select “Backup.” All depending on the size and amount of data on your site the backup should finish in anywhere from five minutes to twenty four hours.

Finishing

All that will be left to do after backing up your web page is to contact the new host’s support company and notify them of your need to restore the backup of your old site. You will need to give pertinent information such as the name of the directory in the case of http docs. Asking for support in restoring your domain using the backup file you created can also be done and should provide a good amount of assistance in finishing the process with little to no problem.

The backbone of every web hosting solution is it’s control panel. Therefore ever good web hosting company knows that it is imperative to provide a solution that their customers will be satisfied and comfortable with. In fact, web hosts know that many customers base their decision based on the control panel alone. To expand the popularity of their business, and provide supreme satisfaction to their customers, these web hosts have decided upon a certain control panel that will give them and their end users excellent administrative control. The goal is to provide a control panel that any customer, even the most novice can become comfortable with in a short amount of time.

Although every control panel has the basic capabilities that one would expect, not all of them can provide the consistency, compatibility and simplicity that the top web hosts are looking for. Instead there are only a handful that would be considered industry standard control panels. These control panels are briefly summarized below.

cPanel

cPanel is  by far the  most popular control panel in the web hosting industry. Although cPanel does have somewhat of a learning curve, it is a very easy one, as there are unlimited video tutorials available online, teaching you how to use virtually every feature of the software. If web host’s had to choose one control panel, it would most likely be cPanel based on it’s sheer popularity alone! The web hosting providers have one primary focus in mind, and that is customer satisfaction. As long as customers continue to demand cPanel, then you can bet that the top web hosts will continue to offer it as a primary control panel solution. Cpanel’s ease of use combined with its feature-rich interface make it by far the web’s most dominating control panel.

Plesk

Plesk is right behind cPanel as a top contender in the control panel industry. Many web hosts choose Plesk based solely on it’s compatibility. Plesk is one of the only control panels that support both Windows and Linux, which is definitely a selling point for web hosts. Many web hosting providers choose to offer Plesk exclusively, in order to target the large group of webmasters that operate their website on a Linux server.

ServerCP

One of the most popular control panels offered in dedicated and virtual private hosting packages is ServerCP. This solution is a Linux solution that supports the hosting of unlimited domains, which it makes it perfect for a webmaster hosting multiple domains on a Linux server. Similar to the above control panels, this control panel is also extremely easy to use, and includes a one step installation process that even the most novice user can perform.

Every website is hosted by a web server that is responsible for storing and cataloging the website’s data. Most of the time this web server is provided by a third-party web hosting service, which also provides an administrative maintenance module for the server and your website known as a control panel.

A control panel gives you the power to oversee and adjust virtually every feature offered by the web hosting company. The administrative functions you can control include email account management, sub-domains, FTP clients, and database management. Although some web hosts give users the option of choosing their own control panel, most web hosts simply include a pre-configured control panel within the web hosting package. Usually the control panel offered depends upon the operating system the web hosting company is using, whether it be Linux or Windows.

Simplicity: The Deciding Factor

Among the most popular control panels are cPanel, vDeck, CubePanel, Hsphere and Plesk. Although all of these programs offer beneficial features, they have very different designs and user interfaces. All of them are capable of meeting the needs of most webmasters, however some are more effective at doing so, not because of more features, but because of the ease in which those features can be used. The best control panel for you, might not be the best control panel for another. Novice users may find that using a simple control panel such as cPanel suits their needs, while more experienced webmasters may want a more comprehensive control panel like Hsphere. As both off these control panels are capable of the same functions, simplicity is often the deciding factor.

Functionality vs. Ease of Use

Cpanel and Plesk are by far the tow most commonly used control panels. While both of the programs are capable of carrying out the same functions, cPanel is usually seen as being a more comprehensive solution with a longer learning curve. Plesk is very easy to use, and it is also compatible with both Windows and Linux, but there are certain areas in which Plesk has not caught up with cPanel. Many choose vDeck because it combines the simplicity of Plesk with the features of cPanel. However, vDeck is not commonly included in a web hosting package.

Learning to Use the Control Panel

Regardless of which control panel you use, there is going to be somewhat of a learning curve. You can shorten this learning curve by experimenting with the demo before you decide to purchase a control panel solution. This will give you a good idea of whether or not you are going to be compatible with the user-interface of the control panel. If you are having trouble using your control panel, don’t be afraid to contact your web hosts customer service department. They will be helpful in guiding you towards the tutorials you need to get started.

All websites are hosted by web servers that must be maintained to allow optimal functionality for the hosted web site. The manual maintenance of these servers would be an extremely time consuming and complex task without the help of a simplification module.

Each day, your website’s server handles hundreds, if not thousands of tasks. Each task is executed based on the administrative preferences and settings given to the server by the administrator. Without a user-friendly control panel interface, it would be very difficult to adjust and maintain the efficacy of your website’s server manually. Even tasks as simple as creating new email accounts would become time consuming, and the complexity of tasks such as database administration or FTP account creation would be too much to handle for most novice users. The control panel is indeed the most important application associated with your web hosting account. Let us discuss three obvious reasons why having a good control panel is imperative.

1.  Database Administration

Most novice users know very little about the fundamentals of database administration, yet databases are the backbones of every website. A database is to a website what a vault is to bank. All of your website’s information is stored in databases that need to be maintained and administered to obtain maximum speed and functionality for your website.  Most web hosting services use database servers such as MySQL, that allow the user to utilize multiple databases for various reasons. Control panels allow  users to manage these databases with very little foreknown knowledge. Since well-maintained databases are so critical to your website’s performance, having a good control panel that simplifies the process of database administration is crucial.

2. FTP Administration

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a common;y used web-based protocol that simplifies the process of uploading files to your web server.  Control panels enhance the simplicity and functionality of FTP even further, by letting webmasters create individual FTP accounts for their website’s users.  These individual FTP accounts include usernames/passwords, user directories, allocated disk space and more. Using a control panel to manage your FTP functions will remove all manual work, letting you upload files directly from your control panel’s user-friendly interface.

3. Email Account Administration

Having the ability to create multiple email accounts is a standard feature with any web hosting package. Control panels automate the creation and administration of  multiple email accounts, letting you set up useful tools such as autoresponders and message forwarders. Autoresponders are applications that allow the user to automatically respond to emails with a set of preconceived messages. Message forwarders automatically send received emails to specified email addresses based on your preferred criteria. These kind of email automation tools are essential in the productivity of online businesses. Having the ability to use these tools, and easily manage multiple email accounts is another reason why control panels are so important to novice and expert webmasters alike.

Server administration would be a daunting task for many webmasters without the help of a good control panel. Thanks to the development of software such as cPanel and Plesk, even the most novice users can now enjoy the full benefits of a properly maintained and personally adjusted web server.

A control panel is the application used to maintain and administrate your web hosting account, and ultimately your domain. Control panels will allow you to maximize your website’s productivity by making server/domain maintenance and administration a simple task. There are many choices a user has in regards to choosing a control panel, however the following five control panels are considered the most popular and useful control panels in the industry today.

cPanel

cPanel is by far the most popular and maybe even the most user-friendly control panel around. Cpanel provides more services and features than any other control panel in the industry, and it’s customer service is said to be second to none. Cpanel is an all-in-one web hosting solution, allowing it’s customers to administer all aspects of domain hosting, including FTP, email creation, and database maintenance. Cpanel customers also have the option to resell the web hosting services with a reseller’s account. The cPanel interface is so well designed that becoming an expert at using it takes only a few hours at the most. Since cPanel is the most popular control panel, it also has the most tutorials available online. All of this combines to make cPanel the most favored web hosting control panel on the internet.

Plesk for Linux

The Linux version of Plesk is said to be one of the most stable and powerful control panel on the market today.  Though Plesk does not carry as many attributes as cPanel, the learning curve for this control panel is very short. In fact, most of the functions are specifically designed to automate any administration function. Plesk for Linux is capable of controlling up to thirty domains by default, but you have the option of upgrading to an unlimited amount of domains if you’d like.

ServerCP

ServerCP is another user-friendly control panel that often comes integrated with VPS and dedicated  hosting packages. ServerCP is also an extremely powerful Linux-based web hosting solution, equipped with countless useful features.  ServerCP supports unlimited domains by default and also comes with a very user-friendly installation application that lets you install various popular web hosting applications such as blogging platforms (like WordPress), photo galleries, and even e-commerce shopping carts.  ServerCP is currently available as a free edition (ServerCP Lite, or you can upgrade to the premium version of the software.

Virtuozzo Power Panel

Virtuozzo Power Panel is made by the company Parallels. This control panel is available in multiple  versions designed to support Windows and Linux VPS’s (virtual private servers).  The virtuozzo power panel allows you to access all administrative functions directly from your web browser. Some of the functions that can be accessed via your web browser include web service management processes, server reboots, backup restoring, log data viewing and server resource monitoring . The Virtuozzo Power Panel allows you to have an unprecedented amount of control via your web browser, and is said to be the most optimal control panel for users of Virtual Private Servers.