Get a Domain and Meet the System Requirements

Here are the complete instructions how to ready the things such as domain name and web host or server, that are needed before installing web software such as WordPress, on a website or on a hosting account or before developing an advanced website:

Get a Domain Name

1. Create an account on a domain name registrar or on a web hosting provider that have domain name registration service.
2. Choosing the right domain name for your website isn't that easy. I require you to spend time or even days for just searching an available domain name that matches your business name. Because when it's purchased, there is no way to rename it. But you can still get another domain name if you want!
3. Register your chosen domain name through your domain provider. It's also possible for an unavailable domain name to buy it somewhere, such as by contacting the domain owner or through the link to buy that domain on the page with the URL of the domain if it's for sale.

Check the System Requirements

Your web (hosting) server must meets the system requirements of the software that you're planning to install or to develop. If you're going to develop a web application, your server need to support a database management system (DBMS).

• You can check the WordPress requirements at WordPress › About » Requirements. Your web server must supports the minimum requirements for this software, PHP version 5.2.4 or greater and MySQL version 5.0 or greater.
• The hosting requirements of Joomla! for JVersion 3.1 can be seen at J3.1 Installing Joomla - Joomla! Documentation, its language is PHP 5.3.1+ and it supports databases MySQL 5.1+, MSSQL 10.50.1600.1+ and PostgreSQL 8.3.18+ and web servers Apache 2.x+, Nginx 1.0 and Microsoft IIS 7. And at J2.5 Installing Joomla - Joomla! Documentation for JVersion 2.5, it required PHP v. 5.2+, MySQL 5.04+ and Apache 1.3.
• The system requirements of Drupal can be seen at System requirements | drupal.org. Drupal 6 required PHP 4.4.0+ and MySQL 4.1+ or PostgreSQL 7.1. Drupal 7 required PHP 5.2.5+ and MySQL 5.0.15 or higher with PDO, or PostgreSQL 8.3 or higher with PDO, or SQLite 3.3.7+. Drupal 8 required PHP 5.3.10+.
• The system requirements for other web software can be seen on the requirements of their online documentation or on the requirements' section of their readme.html documentation inside the extracted software package.

A proper web server must supports a relational database management system (RDBMS) such as MySQL and a server-side scripting language such as PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor.

Find a Suitable Web Host

1. Now find a web host that allow you to create a hosting account that meets the system requirements. The standard Internet hosting provider is host.duoservers.com.
2. Then create a hosting account that meets the requirements of the system. Remember if your web server didn't meets the minimum requirements, the system of the software that you're planning to build would not work!

Point the Domain Name Server

1. Log in to your web hosting account:
   • Check the Name Servers (NSes) of your web host. It could be in the FAQ of the web hosting site. In Hepsia Control Panel, it is seen in the “Hosted Domains” area that's linked on My Domains drop-down list or in the “Site Management” under the General top-heading section.
   • Or check the IP Address(es) if it's available on your account and if you will going to point the subdomain(s) of your domain name to other server, but this is the hard way. In cPanel the IP is seen at the "Stats" element or sidebar when you “expand stats”. An IP will be used on a domain registrar that have DNS Service or on a web hosting account that have such as the application “Advanced DNS Zone Editor” of cPanel. You can also register to a domain name server (DNS) service such as CloudFlare if your domain provider doesn't have that service!
2. Now login to your domain name provider:
   • In Domain Panel, Registered Domains or in Domain Registration, modify or edit the DNS settings or Name Servers of your domain, and on the Custom DNS or on the Manage (Domain) Name Servers (Manage DNS), point or change the Host Names, Name Servers or the NSes to the Name Servers of your web host.
   • If you will going to point your subdomains to other server, modify the DNS records of your domain... In some domain name provider the records can be found on DNS Management. And on the DNS Service or Manage DNS:
     1. Add a new type "A" record and input the domain name that you want to be hosted by your web host, in the Host Name field and point the IP Address or the Value to the IP of your web hosting account.
     2. And add another type "A" record for your non-naked domain name (e.g. www.example.com) if you also want it to be hosted and point it to the IP of your web server.
     3. If your host have more than one IP, then add another new "A" records with the domain name and the non-naked domain name and point them to the other IP of your hosting account, and so on and so forth, and save changes! In Hepsia, you can see the link to the Custom DNS Records area by clicking the “DNS Records” on My Domains drop-down list.

If you finish pointing the DNS, wait until it propagate. The estimated time of DNS to propagate is 1 minute to 72 hours. If it's not propagate within 72 hours, then contact your domain name provider and your web host about this issue. If your website DNS information is being propagated, you are now ready to build your advanced website! Go find some good web software and install it on the web server of your hosting account, or develop your own website..