Reference & Manual > Glossary > S

S/MIME
Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions - a way of making email messages more secure. S/MIME uses digital certificates to attest the message origin and encryption to ensure that message could not be read while in transit.

SAFILE-UP:
In some cases, you may want the ability for visitors to your site to UPLOAD graphics or files. While you can accomplish this by giving them your FTP (FRONTPAGE) username and PASSWORD, this would mean they could also delete and modify files. The ASP COMPONENT SAFile-Up allows visitors to your site to upload files directly from your website, without sharing your username and password.

Scripting Language
A programming language in which programs are the series of commands that are interpreted and then executed one by one. Doesn't require the compilation phase, for the price of lower performance.

Scripts
Anytime CODE is written that performs a specific task, that is called a script. Scripts can range from a simple ASP page that sends email to a script that creates and configures mailboxes.

Search Engine
An Internet service that stores a vast number of web pages and allows for fast searching among them. Also, a piece of software that implements a website search functionality.

Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization is a process or strategy designed to improve a webpage's relevance ranking on a search engine result page (SERP).

In the early days of the web, optimization involved carefully crafting metadata, setting up link farms and building reciprocal links to improve a website's popularity? Google, for one, factors the number of links that point to a webpage (incoming links) into it's relevance ranking (PageRank). Now, with the paid placement and submission fees to guarantee a listing, economics seem poised to triumph over content.

Secondary Server
The name server will be used as a backup for the primary name server in the event that the primary server becomes unavailable.

Secure Server SSL Manager
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a transaction security standard that provides data encryption, server authentication, and message integrity. SSL is usually used on sites that accept credit card numbers or other private information. The SSL Manager application will help you set up SSL security for your website. This application will allow you to choose between using our generic SSL certificate or creating one of your own.

Security Certificate
A chunk of information (often stored as a text file) that is used by the SSL protocol to establish a secure connection.

Security Certificates contain information about who it belongs to, who it was issued by, a unique serial number or other unique identification, valid dates, and an encrypted 'fingerprint' that can be used to verify the contents of the certificate.

In order for an SSL connection to be created, both sides must have a valid Security Certificate.

Secure Shell
A program that allows you to log into another Linux computer over a network, to execute commands in a remote machine, and to move files from one machine to another. It provides strong authentication and secure communications over insecure channels.

Self-extracting Archive
A compressed (archived) file that is also an executable program. The file(s) that were archived are extracted automatically when the program is run without the need for an archive utility like WinZip. 

Server
A computer, or a software package, that provides a specific kind of service to client software running on other computers. The term can refer to a particular piece of software, such as a WWW server, or to the machine on which the software is running, e.g. Our mail server is down today, that's why e-mail isn't getting out. A single server machine could have several different server software packages running on it, thus providing many different servers to clients on the network .

Server Objects Component Bundle
The Server Objects COMPONENT Bundle includes ASPMAIL, ASPHTTP, ASPPOP3 and ASPIMAGE.

Server Logs (Traffic Logs)
This is raw statistical data stored on the server. It contains information such as how many visitors accessed certain pages of your site, what web sites referred those visitors to your site, and the domain name of the visitor. This information is very useful in determining which sections of your web site are more heavily traveled and what sites are referring traffic to yours.

Server-Side
With server-side scripting, completing an activity involves sending information to another computer (server) across the internet. The server then runs a program that process the information and returns the results, typically a web page. Search engines use server-side processing. When a keyword is sent, a program on a server matches the word or phrase entered against an index of website content. (To complete the same search as a client-side process would require the browser to download the entire search engine program and index.) Server-side scripting languages include ASP and PHP.

Server Side Scripting and Programming Languages
A variety of scripting and programming languages is available to you in order to give greater function to your web site. Some of the primary examples are: Unix, Perl, shell script, Server-Side Includes (SSI), PHP, Miva (formerly HTML Script), NT, Cold Fusion, and Active Server Pages (ASP).

Service Provider
A service provider is a company who supplies Internet services to personal users or business. Among other things they provide access to the Internet or somewhere to place Web Pages making them available to the WWW. You pay the service provider a set fee.

Session
All the data exchange between two terminals, starting when the connection is established and ending when connection terminates.

Setup fee
Initial fee charged by a host to set up your hosting account.

Shared IP
An IP address shared by multiple websites.

Shared Server
Shared web servers are a very popular way of providing low-cost web hosting services. Instead of requiring a separate computer for each site, dozens of sites can co-reside on the same computer. In most cases, performance is not affected and each web site behaves as if it is being served by a dedicated server.

Sharepoint
SharePointT Team Services from Microsoft is a team website solution that is designed to significantly improve the way your team manages information and activities. Now you can easily create a website that serves as the central repository of all project information-documents, contacts, tasks, discussions, and much more.

Shell Access
Shell access is a Linux feature that allows you to connect to your website securely to change permissions, edit scripts live, etc.

Shell Account
Something experienced computer users often request. Permits you to edit your files online in real-time, rather than making changes to your site offline and then uploading the changes. Unless you intend to manage the web server your site runs on, a shell account should not be needed.

Shopping Cart
Software that allows users to select products from a Web catalog, modify their choices, calculate prices, review their choices, and order them. Many hosts with e-commerce plans offer installed shopping carts, but you can always get a shopping cart of your choice instead.

SHTML
Server Side Includes (SSI) allow a web page to 'include' content from another source before sending the page to the browser to be displayed. SSI pages are identified by the file extension .shtml. SSI are useful to display content from one source on multiple pages within your website. This means that you only need to update one file in your website instead of multiple files if you wish to make a change. The most common use for SSI pages is for including content that will be the same on every page of your site such as page headers or navigation bars.

SHTTP
Secure HTTP. A version of HTTP protocol that uses encryption to assure that the traffic between the server and the browser cannot be eavesdropped on. Should be considered mandatory for all e-commerce applications.

Signature
A few lines of text that are automatically attached at the end of each email message by the email client. Usually it's some personal identification or an (un)interesting quote.

Site Monitoring
A service that regularly checks a site and alerts the administrator in the event of a problem.

SLIP
(Serial Line Internet Protocol) -- A standard for using a regular telephone line (a serial line) and a modem to connect a computer as a real Internet site. SLIP is gradually being replaced by PPP.

SMDS
(Switched Multimegabit Data Service) -- A new standard for very high-speed data transfer.

Smileys
Characters used in text-only communications to convey emotions. Example :) :-) ;-) :O :(...

SMTP
Short for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, a protocol for sending e-mail messages between servers. Most e-mail systems that send mail over the Internet use SMTP to send messages from one server to another; the messages can then be retrieved with an e-mail client using either POP or IMAP.

Snail Mail
A normal paper mail delivered by the Post Office.

SNMP
(Simple Network Management Protocol) -- A set of standards for communication with devices connected to a TCP/IP network . Examples of these devices include routers , hubs, and switches.

Socket
When your computer is on the Internet via a SLIP connection, a socket is a conversation your computer is having with a computer elsewhere on the net. You may have one socket for an FTP session, another socket for a Telnet session, and another socket taking care of getting your mail.

Software
Computer-related items that you cannot touch, such as programs, files, etc. Software is usually stored on HARDWARE, such as CDs.

Spam (or Spamming)
An inappropriate attempt to use a mailing list , or USENET or other networked communications facility as if it was a broadcast medium (which it is not) by sending the same message to a large number of people who didn't ask for it. The term probably comes from a famous Monty Python skit which featured the word spam repeated over and over. The term may also have come from someone's low opinion of the food product with the same name, which is generally perceived as a generic content-free waste of resources. (Spam is a registered trademark of Hormel Corporation, for its processed meat product.)

E.g. Mary spammed 50 USENET groups by posting the same message to each.

Spider
An automated robot program that searches the Internet, usually retrieving information from web pages for storage in a database.

SQL
Structured Query Language - a standardized language used to access databases.

SSH
Secure Shell. Developed by SSH Communications Security, it is a standard for encrypted terminal Internet connections. SSH programs provide strong authentication and encrypted communications, replacing less secure access methods like telnet.

SSI
Server Side Includes.Commands that can be included in web pages that are processed by the web server when a user requests a file. The command takes the form <!--#include virtual="/path/to/file"-->. A common use for SSI commands is to insert a universal menu into all of the pages of the web site so that the menu only has to be changed once and inserted with SSI instead of changing the menu on every page.

SSL Support
Secure Sockets Layer, or SSL, support allows the transfer of data in a secure environment.

Static (or dedicated) IP
If a host offers a static IP, it means that your site will be assigned a unique and unchanging IP address.

Statistics
Many hosting companies run software on their web servers that collect usage information about your web site and compile it in a user-friendly, easy-to-read format for you to analyze trends about your web site. Having access to statistics is critical if you need to know how many visitors are coming to your site, which web pages receive the most attention, and how much time people actually spend browsing your site.

Streaming
Playing multimedia files (audio and video) from an online file without requiring a full download. Audio and video are compressed but they still may require a lot of bandwidth. Popular streaming formats inclue Real Media, Quicktime, and Windows Media.

Sub Domain
Typically known as a "domain within a domain", sub-domains are individual Web addresses built upon a pre-existing domain name (such as clientname.yourhostingcompany.com). As a reseller, you will have the option of assigning sub-domains to clients if they do not choose to have a domain name.

Support for Real Time Credit Card Processing
For ecommerce websites, this applications indicates the hosting package will support real time credit card processing and secure transactions.

Surfing
Using world wide web is often referred to as "surfing the web".

Switch
A switch is a network device that forwards packets to other devices on the same networks. Switches are more intelligent than hubs and typically place each node in its own broadcast domain eliminating collisions and improving overall performance. 

Sysop
(System Operator) -- Anyone responsible for the physical operations of a computer system or network resource. A System Administrator decides how often backups and maintenance should be performed and the System Operator performs those tasks.