Hosting / Domain Tutorials
Fix WordPress CRONs on Media Temple (dv) Servers
When I switched from Dreamhost shared hosting to Media Temple (dv) server hosting, I had a hell of a time trying to figure out why CRONs weren't working correctly on the website. I had database backups being sent via CRON jobs so making sure CRONs were working was imperative. What's great is that the way to make these Wordpress CRONs work was by...setting up a CRON.
Fixing mod_rewrite and .htaccess on GoDaddy Hosting
I recently launched a new website on GoDaddy shared hosting. The website required mod_rewrite for SEO-friendly URLs. GoDaddy provides mod_rewrite but every time I tried to hit a two-deep URL, I would get a 404 error. Here's what I had:
Important Notice: GeoCities is Closing.
I just got the worst news of my life:
GoDaddy, cURL, HTTP, and 403 Errors
I was recently coding PHP cURL functionality for a GoDaddy-hosted website and I kept running into an annoying 403 error. Essentially, GoDaddy's proxy server (which they force you to use for cURL) was giving me a "Forbidden" error and wasn't trying to hit the necessary server. Here's the code that GoDaddy tells you to use for cURL transactions:
PHP, Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL), and IIS: Connect and Query with ODBC
I was recently thrown a real curveball of a project. Instead of using a fresh MySQL database to pull information from, the customer required that we pull information from their new Microsoft SQL Server 2005 server. This isn't the most desired method of PHP->Database interactivity but that's what the project called for and that's what I needed to do. Here's how to get things going.
WHOIS Searches Using Cygwin’s whois
I used to do all of my WHOIS searches at a really popular website that I wont name here. I had to stop using the site because they decided to make you pay to use their tools. Next up was GoDaddy, who doesn't charge for WHOIS searches but does make you complete a CAPTCHA for each search. After hearing my bitching criticisms of GoDaddy's CAPTHAs, a friend of mine showed me how to use Cygwin to execute WHOIS searches.
Amazon.Com WHOIS = WTF?
I was doing some research on domains and WHOIS information today when I stumbled upon a peculiar results for Amazon.Com. Take a look at the server name in the image below.
Know Your Environment: PHP Server Module Reporter
Jeremy Martin gave me the opportunity to guest post on his blog so I dropped a little PHP knowledge on his audience. I've created a script that analyzes a hosting environment and returns a list of installed PHP modules. What's missing? What's there? What else do I get?
Freeeeeedoooooooooooom!!
One gangsta policy used by many domain registrars is to hold on to a domain for months after its expiration for "convenience and security purposes." Sure. Right. Uh huh.
Tips for Choosing The Right Web Host
Having created over 100 websites for my current employer, I've "worked" with probably close to 50 different hosting companies. I use the term "worked" with loosely because a majority of the hosting companies have been incompetent, showing no regard for their customers and accepting no responsibility for sub par hosting and uptime. Before launching a website, we generally move our customers to a host we prefer and know we can work well with.