Glossary Terms

A second domain that points to a primary domain. When users attempt to access the parked domain, they will see the main website. For example, both cpanel.net and cpanel.com go to the same place, as cpanel.com is a parked domain for cpanel.net. Parked domains must be registered with a domain registrar and configured to point to our servers to properly function.

A code used to gain access to a locked system. Effective passwords should contain both letters and non-letters and not be common or easily guessed words (such as address, DOB or pets' names).

A mode for FTP connections that will initiate connections from the client side. Using this mode may be helpful if a user is having problems connecting to an FTP server through a firewall.

A repository of PHP code. You can use the "PHP Extension Manager" feature in cPanel to search for and install PEAR packages consisting of PHP programs which can perform useful functions for your website.

Known for its ability to process text, Perl is a useful language for web applications. Perl applications are commonly found as .pl, .pm, and .cgi files and may require Perl modules. More information about Perl can be found here.

A piece of software written in the Perl language. Modules are common pieces of software that are reused often. For example, rather than writing a set of functions to display calendars, a user can simply use a calendar module.

A computer scripting language in which many web-based applications are written. PHP applications are commonly found with the filename extension .php. Some PHP applications require PEAR packages, which can be installed through the "PHP Extension Manager" feature in cPanel. More information about PHP can be found here.

A piece of software written in the PHP language.

A graphical application that allows website administrators to manipulate and manage MySQL databases over the Internet. Full documentation for phpMyAdmin can be found here.

A unique number that your server assigns to each process that runs.

A program for determining if another computer is presently connected to the Internet.

Shorthand for "picture element", a pixel is the smallest unit of resolution on a monitor. It is commonly used as a unit of measurement.

A small piece of software that adds features to a larger software application. Common plug-ins are those for web browsers or graphic programs.

A Point of Presence usually refers to a city or location where a network can be connected to. For example, if an Internet company says they have a POP in Vancouver, this means they have a local telephone number in Vancouver and/or a place where leased lines can connect to their network. A second definition, Post Office Protocol, refers to the way email software (such as Eudora) retrieves mail from a mail server. Almost all SLIP, PPP or shell accounts come with a POP account as well.

Along with IMAP, one of the two most widely used email transfer methods. POP3 simply copies every message in an email account to a local computer, removing it from the mail server. No information is sent back to the email account about message replies, forwarding, etc. If an account owner uses multiple computers to check email, it is advisable to use IMAP instead of POP3.

First and most frequently, a port is where information goes into and/or out of a computer, such as the serial port on a PC. Secondly, a "port" often refers to the number appearing after the colon (:) in a domain name, such as http://www.example.com:7000/. Thirdly, to "port" something refers to translating a piece of software from one computer platform to another (for example, from Windows to Macintosh).

A standardized collection of commands for the Linux operating system.

A single message entered into a blog, newsgroup, mailing list, or other communications system.

An instance of a program running on the server.

The time during which your DNS Zone information spreads across the internet to servers that didn't know about it before. Propagation takes two forms, changes to your DNS Zone and changes to your WHOIS information. The WHOIS is the master record that tells every DNS Server in the world which is the authoritative server for your domain. A change to your WHOIS information (done at our/your domain registrar) can take up to 72 hours to propagate fully. A change to your DNS Zone information typically affects only a handful of servers, and so is done much more quickly.

Short for a proxy server. This server receives requests from users and forwards those requests to other servers.

A subdirectory, located inside the Home Directory, that contains files that are publicly accessible via HTTP. The www directory is a symbolic link (or shortcut) to public_html. Any files and folders inside of public_html are visible over the Internet, unless the website owner specifically protects them with password protection or using the .htaccess file or "Password Protection" feature in cPanel.

A programming language which is used for many applications. More information about Python can be found here.