According to the companies, the move “fully resolves” the lawsuit with each company granting each other a “non-exclusive cross-license covering the parties’ respective patent portfolios, including all patents that may in the future issue from pending applications.”

Web.com has 21 proprietary technology and business process patents and hosting companies licensing them include Hostopia and Register.com. The company bills itself as “a leading provider of online marketing for small businesses” and offers online services including Internet marketing and advertising, local search, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, lead generation, home contractor specific leads, website design and publishing, logo and brand development and ecommerce solutions.

Web Hosting News – Web.com and Go Daddy in Patent Cross-License Agreement

1&1, which bills itself as “the world’s largest web host by known servers”, is offering what it calls a “unique point-and-click solution for online marketing that generates predetermined levels of traffic to a website” at a fixed monthly rate. Through its 1&1 Advertising Package, the company “creates and manages sponsored links on Google” for its customers, designing campaigns that are “developed to address the online marketing ambitions of smaller enterprises with limited experience and resources”. The company’s “highly skilled, trained and experienced marketing agents” manage a campaign until “all clicks have been achieved.”

“With all of our advertising packages customers have the benefit of a set online marketing budget and the expertise of 1&1 marketing agents to design and implement the campaign,” explained1&1 Internet’s CEO, Oliver Mauss. “We’ve worked to make the process easy for the customer, who is guaranteed performance with no effort, at a great price.”

1&1 currently caters for 7.8 million customer contracts worldwide and manages over 10 million domain names.

Web Host 1&1 Offers Managed Online Advertising

As of last week, the HavenCo website is gone and the domain is now hosted outside the Sealand subnet.

Founded in 2000 by Bates’ son and Michael with $1m in seed money, the company initially offered an everything goes-policy along with an offshore fat-pipe data haven. Child pornography, spamming and malicious hacking were strictly prohibited, but with no restrictions on copyright or intellectual property for data hosted on its servers, file-sharing certainly looked like a possibility.

However, Bates said he would readily “turn customer information over to the authorities if there was any serious problem with our stuff”.

By 2002 the company was already in trouble when co-owner Ryan Lackey – described by Wired once as a MIT dropout and self-taught crypto expert – left HavenCo after disagreements with the Bates family over the management of the company. He also claimed HavenCo owed him $220,000 in cash and additional money in stock.

Many existing customers had left by 2003. With no investment backing bandwidth never materialised, and the location was vulnerable to DoS attacks. However, what probably scared most potential customers was the fact all internet connectivity went through the UK and that the UK claimed the platform was within its territorial waters.

HavenCo was one of many failed business ventures in an attempt to profit from the world’s smallest country. A scheme to build a hotel and gambling complex never materalised. Since last year, the principality has been put up for sale.

Last year, Swedish bittorrent search site The Pirate Bay said it was in negotiations with Prince Michael of Sealand about purchasing the principality to use it as a base for its own operations, but Bates declared he would never sell the micronation – currently priced at €750m – to a BitTorrent tracker.

Offshore hosting firm HavenCo lost at sea • The Register

The new payment model is ideal for small businesses or individuals seeking a simple, ad-free, and reliable Web presence without a continual cost. Customers can even use a free 2ip sub-domain to eliminate domain name registry fees and use 2ip’s free Web site builder tools to avoid costs associated with creating the site.

“Web sites hosted in our ‘Pay to Own’ program are designed for Web newcomers who are looking to get online without the recurring expense. With 2ip, it’s like having an electronic business card with a professional feel,” said Jimmy Tanzil, managing director of Ichthys Media LLC, 2ip’s parent company.

2ip will use high-end servers to host ‘Pay to Own’ customers. Each system is powered by Dual Quad Core processors and between 4 and 8 GB RAM. To keep hosting costs low and maximize quality, 2ip intensively uses automation and virtualization procedures to manage existing hosting accounts and provision new sign ups.

The ‘Pay to Own’ Web hosting plan is priced at $25, which allows users to host an unlimited number of domains on the account. It includes 100 MB of disk space, unlimited data transfer, and unlimited email accounts. Additional disk space is priced at one-time fees of $10 per additional 100 MB or $75 for additional 1,000 MB.

In addition to the ‘Pay to Own’ model, 2ip also offers traditional subscription-based plans, which offer more features, power, and storage allotments. Subscription-based shared hosting plans start at $3.75 monthly.

Daily Webmaster News

While cybercriminals will face some short-term difficulties as they are forced to relocate their operations, the relief will be only temporary for the world’s Internet users, the researchers added.

McColo Corp., the San Jose-based company that was cut off from the Web by its upstream Internet providers two days ago, hosted a staggering variety of cybercriminal activity, according to researchers familiar with its operation. Other than spewing out huge quantities of spam — by some estimates, at times up to 75% of all spam — McColo hosted the command-and-control servers of some of the biggest botnets, hosted child pornographic sites and domains that hustled users for money by scaring them into thinking that their PCs were infected with massive amounts of malware.

Among the world’s largest botnets controlled from servers hosted by McColo, researchers have counted the Sinowal, Srizbi and Rustock networks.

The hosting service even harbored the server that RSA Security Inc. found that contained more than 500,000 stolen online bank and credit card accounts.

Paul Ferguson, a network architect at Trend Micro Inc., was one of 10 security researchers who put years of work into investigating McColo and documenting its criminal activities. "The work goes back two years," said Ferguson. "We did our due diligence and went through legitimate channels" in an attempt to get McColo to change its spots. "But they just played a shell game when they did respond, maybe change an IP address on one domain. They weren’t serious. So we decided it was time to shine a light on the darkness."

Ferguson joined nine other researchers to publish a paper Wednesday called "McColo: Cyber Crime USA" that detailed their findings. The paper is available on the HostExploit.com site (download PDF).

Spam levels remained significantly lower today than before McColo’s shutdown — according to IronPort, spam volumes are down about 58% Thursday from Monday’s numbers.

Although the shutdown may stymie online criminal activity for a time, Ferguson and others were only cautiously optimistic.

"I completely expect the criminal operators that were ‘pulling the strings’ in McColo to redeploy their operations elsewhere," said Ferguson. "That’s almost a given." He added that there are signs the criminals are already shifting their servers and domains to other hosting companies.

Ben Feinstein, director of operations for the counterthreat unit of SecureWorks Inc., an Atlanta-based security company, echoed Ferguson. "In the short term, this may have a positive effect in reducing online crime, but in the medium- and long-term, they’ll reorganize and move to other hosting providers."

Hosting firm shutdown forces botnets to relocate

Most of the complaints stem from the revamped look and feel of Windows Live Hotmail, which Microsoft started to unveil Sept. 22. The new interface does away with what had been two options: the years-old “classic” interface and a newer “full” interface that was first offered in 2006. Instead, Microsoft tossed those choices in favor of an interface that merged elements of both, and that the company claimed was much faster to render in a browser.

Users weren’t amused.

“It’s a big step backwards,” said a user identified as “Dave the Red” in a message from late October on a Microsoft support newsgroup. “I want my old Hotmail back!!”

“Don’t like it!!! Don’t like it!!! Don’t like it!!!” added an anonymous user in a comment posted yesterday to a short Microsoft FAQ on the new interface. “Everything seems to take up more space on the page. I feel like I’m looking at a book in large print for old folks! Please put it back the way it was!”

Others commenting on the same blog were a lot more blunt. “The new version is the biggest bunch of s**t, ever. I can’t do anything, I mean anything at all,” said another unidentified user.

Although there were some positive comments on the Microsoft FAQ, they were greatly outnumbered by gripes. By Computerworld’s count, only three of the 100 most-recent comments applauded the change. The FAQ has collected more than 850 comments so far.

Some users reported more serious problems than an awkward interface, claiming that they weren’t able to read, delete or print messages; couldn’t access some of their folders; and were unable to compose and send new messages. “Come on Microsoft! First Vista, now this!” ranted a user labeled as “Joey” in a message yesterday. “I’ve used Hotmail for 8 years and never experienced any problems till now,” he added, then ticked off nine problems, ranging from fuzzy fonts and missing contacts.

Many of the users called for Microsoft to bring back the “classic” interface option, or asked where it had gone. “You have distroyed [sic] a perfectly good Hotmail!!!!” ranted another anonymous user. “Everything is so messed up that it is almost impossible to use. Give us back the Hotmail as it was.”

Users also disputed Microsoft’s claim that the new Hotmail was faster. Numerous comments added to the FAQ argued otherwise. “Much slower than the old,” said “JackC” late Wednesday.

Hotmail users revolt against new interface

Taking place in Barcelona, Spain through November 7, 2008, Ensim Unify Enterprise Edition, Version 2.5 is designed to allow enterprises to simplify and automate common IT challenges, such as provisioning, password management, role management, and auditing and compliance of Active Directory servers, Exchange and mobility applications through a secure web-based management portal.

The latest edition of Ensim’s Unify Enterprise platform is designed to use IT policy to standardize user provisioning and access control for Active Directory, MS Exchange, and mobile device infrastructure including BlackBerry and Windows Mobile. Available as individual tools or as a complete suite, which can be installed in less than an hour, Unify Enterprise provides a turnkey solution that allows IT provisioning policy to be centrally and securely implemented from a web-based user interface or configurable self-service portal, virtually eliminating downtime caused by misconfiguration.

Ensim will demonstrate the full Unify Enterprise suite in Booth B8 at the Centre Convencions Internacional (CCIB) in Barcelona, Spain.

Key features of the 2.5 release include:

Fine Grain Role Delegation allows system administrator roles to be restricted by organizational unit (OU).

Simplified Policy-based Provisioning automatically configures end-users’ home folder, logon script and home drive.

Customizable Provisioning Policies let system administrators customize the user account creation and provisioning process by automatically configuring approved user name and display name patterns, as well as specified AD attributes.

Change and Audit Logs track all changes made to each individual object.

Enhanced Alert Notification Capabilities allow system administrators to customize action reports, including usage statistics and end-user license alerts.
Support for Multiple Domain Controllers give system administrators the ability to leverage Unify’s preferences to access multiple domain controllers.

Ensim Unify Enterprise Edition 2.5 is available immediately from the Ensim web site at http://get.ensim.com. Currently, Ensim is offering a competitive upgrade promotion of its Ensim Unify Enterprise Edition for Quest, NetPro and NetIQ users. Any enterprise using a competing solution will receive a substantial discount when they switch to Ensim Unify. The promotion is running now through December 31, 2008.

Microsoft Tech Ed EMEA 2008 IT Professionals is the Microsoft premier technical education conference just for IT professionals. For five days, you and 5,000 of your peers will learn how to architect, plan, deploy, manage and secure a connected enterprise from Microsoft experts and industry leaders. Experience more than ever before at Tech·Ed EMEA 2008 IT Professionals.

Founded in 1998, Ensim Corporation is the leading provider of user provisioning and access control software. Ensim products are used by service providers and enterprises worldwide to accelerate and enable deployment of integrated solutions, simplify and automate secure management of complex environments, and increase user and IT productivity. Ensim is Microsoft Gold Certified, and maintains strategic partnerships with many leading infrastructure vendors including Research In Motion (BlackBerry), Hewlett-Packard, Accenture, Siemens and BroadSoft.

Web hosting Application,

Mr. Moustapha Saya Kaigama (Saya), President of NETCOM, said, “During the past weeks, preparations have been being finalized to ensure that the highly anticipated .CM domain launch is a success. This is a very exciting time for NETCOM, as we now finally have the opportunity to promote our name space to the world. With absolute delight, NETCOM is pleased to have the CM domain name space launch into a new era.”

Saya continued, “Without the tireless work put in by our partners, this launch would not be possible. I personally wish to thank the National Agency for Information Technology and Communication (ANTIC), Instra Corporation (Registrar and Validation Agent for Sunrise Application) and Council of Country Code Administrators (CoCCA). We are also quite impressed by the public interest we have received about this forthcoming launch.”

Due to .CM domain name’s close resemblance to the most popular Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) name space in the world — .CN of China — significant type-in traffic can be expected. Up to today, NETCOM has formed a prestigious team of accredited registrars including Instra Corporation, IP Mirror, Ascio, EnCirca, CSC, Register.IT and MarcaRia.com.

.CM Sunrise Period will be closed on Oct. 31, 2008. Following is the challenge period of Sunrise applications. General Registration Period kicks off on Nov. 15, 2008, providing opportunities to all audiences throughout the world.

For all NETCOM policies, including the registrar accreditation process, Sunrise rules, and registration regulations, please visit http://www.netcom.cm.

About NETCOM

Founded in 2008, NETCOM.cm Sarl is the official registry for the Country Code Top Level Domain of the Republic of Cameroon.

NETCOM is committed to providing cutting-edge IP services to Central Africa including countries such as Cameroon, Niger, Gabon, Chad, Burkina Faso and more.

Apart from Domain Name Registrations, NETCOM is embracing new technologies such as ENUM over WiMAX into remote African areas.

NETCOM .CM Domain Registry Begins Sunrise Period

Windows, With 8 Months of Cloud Server Delivery Data, Is Selected More Often in the GoGrid “Control in the Cloud™” cloud computing platform. Windows Cloud Servers accounts for approximately two-thirds of all Cloud servers deployed by customers within the GoGrid infrastructure.

GoGrid Windows Cloud Servers saw enthusiastic adoption since the initial launch of GoGrid in March with Windows Server 2003. In mid-August 2008, GoGrid was first to market with Windows Server 2008 in the Cloud. GoGrid parent company, ServePath, is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and SAS70 Type II certified which includes the GoGrid products as well.

Back in March, 2008, it was critical for us to launch a complete Cloud infrastructure in order to capitalize on that tremendous Windows demand. GoGrid is currently the only Cloud Infrastructure Provider offering a complete Windows environment in the Cloud. We’re thrilled with the ‘you can do this now’ state of Umbraco on GoGrid. We looked at all the offerings and found that only GoGrid provides the flexibility to run the Umbraco web services on IIS/Windows and the Umbraco database on mySQL/Linux.

GoGrid will be exhibiting at the upcoming Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2008 (PDC) where it will announce exciting developments and features specifically targeted towards Windows developers. The PDC is Microsoft’s premier gathering of leading-edge developers and architects and is the event to learn about the future of the Microsoft platform, exchange ideas with fellow professionals and hear about upcoming Microsoft Server related products.

GoGrid provides Cloud Hosting solutions for Windows developers and partners with a wide variety of Windows 2003/2008 Cloud Servers. On GoGrid, Windows Servers can be instantly provisioned with options that include:

* 32 and 64-bit Windows Server 2008
* 32-bit Windows Server 2003
* IIS 6.0 & 7.0
* ASP.NET
* Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express, Workgroup and Standard Editions

“The demand for providing Windows in the Cloud is incredible” says GoGrid CEO, John Keagy, adding “Back in March, 2008, it was critical for us to launch a complete Cloud infrastructure in order to capitalize on that tremendous Windows demand. GoGrid is currently the only Cloud Infrastructure Provider offering a complete Windows environment in the Cloud.”

Keagy’s statements have been echoed by Paul Sterling, 2008/2009 Umbraco MVP and principal of Motus Connect who was searching for a Cloud provider to support Umbraco, a Windows-only Content Management System (CMS) based on Microsoft’s ASP.NET.

“We’re thrilled with the ‘you can do this now’ state of Umbraco on GoGrid” said Sterling, evangelist for Umbraco as a platform. “We looked at all the offerings and found that only GoGrid provides the flexibility to run the Umbraco web services on IIS/Windows and the Umbraco database on mySQL/Linux.”

Because Windows users and developers frequently leverage the rich Windows user interface, GoGrid web-based portal provides the familiar and easy-to-use environment that Windows users are accustomed to. The GoGrid Graphical User Interface (GUI) and iconography allows for “point and click” deployment of complex, instant and flexible network infrastructures, which includes free load balancing and multiple web and database servers, and, coming soon: Cloud Storage. Of particular interest to Microsoft partners is GoGrid’s public Application Programming Interface (API) which developers and partners utilize to programmatically control their GoGrid infrastructure and that of their clients.

About GoGrid
GoGrid is the leading Cloud Computing, hosted, Internet service that delivers true “Control in the Cloud™.” GoGrid enables system administrators, developers, IT professionals and SaaS (Software as a Service) vendors to create, deploy, and control load balanced cloud servers and complex hosted virtual server networks with full root access and administrative server control. Bringing up servers and server networks takes minutes via a unique web control panel or GoGrid’s award winning API. GoGrid delivers portal controlled servers for Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, SQL Server, ASP.NET, multiple Linux operating systems (Red Hat Enterprise and CentOS) and supports application environments like Ruby on Rails. Free f5 hardware load balancing and other features are included to give users the control of a familiar server environment with the flexibility and immediate scalability of the cloud.

About ServePath
ServePath is the leading managed and dedicated hosted server provider, delivering custom solutions and managed services to businesses that need powerful Internet hosting platforms for their production environments. Thousands of companies worldwide look to ServePath for its reliability, customization, and speed. ServePath has a Keynote-rated A+ network and guarantees uptime with a 10,000% guaranteed™ Service Level Agreement. The employee-owned company has been in business for six years and operates its own San Francisco data center.

Windows Is Preferred Cloud Operating System States GoGrid – Web Host Directory – www.webhostdir.com

In September, a user identified as Michael suggested Host Gator create an icon hosting clients could place on their sites to signify the green status. Host Gator ran with it, creating small images with slogans like “This site is green” and “Powered by Texas wind.” This quickly caused resellers to ask for non-branded-specific green labeling, which the company has plans to release shortly.

These user suggestions came following the late August announcement when Matthew Collins, president and chief executive officer of carbon consulting firm Integrated Ecosystem Market Services (www.iemarketservices.com), unveiled Host Gator’s plan to completely offset its carbon emissions locally. Chicago-based Integrated Ecosystem Market Services worked with HostGator to develop a renewable energy credit program, whereby the company pays for the environmental benefits of creating 1 megawatt hour of renewable energy.

“The IT sector has a huge climate impact,” Collins stated in a blog post announcement. “At present, between three and four percent of all electricity (and the associated carbon emissions) used in the world goes to running data centers.”

It has purchased RECs to account for 130 percent of its electricity used to power and cool its shared and reseller servers. Also, all of Houston-based HostGator’s RECs support wind power generated in Texas. Collins noted that even hosts that buy RECs are generally sourcing them from wherever is they are cheapest.

The purchase of RECs, however, is only the company’s latest step toward sustainability, Collins said. Previously, HostGator had already reduced its environmental impact at the office by recycling and minimizing paper use, and also recently switching to higher efficiency servers.

A user responding to the post who identified themselves as a consultant using the handle “Galiel” posted in late September that their work with socially responsible nonprofits, public sector agencies and virtuous for-profit organizations looking to adopt new media technologies has often led to Host Gator.

“As someone who has used you folks for dozens of my consulting clients and for my own sites, for many years – dating back to your earliest days – this is very exciting,” Galeil wrote. “I spent a lot of time researching green hosting services, and still ended up using you folks, even for environmental organizations, because the cost-benefit analysis just didn’t justify switching…Thank you for taking the time to actually do this right, and not take the quite and lazy way of just buying credits without changing any of your actual practices.”

Web Host Industry News | Host Gator Paints Itself Green