Ping is a networking utility program or a tool to test if a particular host is reachable. It is a diagnostic that checks if your computer is connected to a server. Ping, a term taken from the echo location of a submarine, sends data packet to a server and if it receives a data packet back, then you have a connection. The term "ping" can refer to the time it takes for a data packet to travel round-trip. It means "get the attention of" or "check the presence of". In a computer network, a ping test is a way of sending messages from a computer to another. Aside from checking if the computer is connected to a network, ping also gives indicators of the reliability and general speed of the connection.

Website testing is an important part of your website's ongoing development. Whether you're just going into production or carrying out regular maintenance on your site, it's essential you follow a check list and make sure you're testing thoroughly to ensure your site is user-friendly, accessible and bug-free. But fear not - if you're not sure where to start, we can help.

Testing at Every Stage

Testing should be carried out at every stage of your website's development. Many have failed to do this by making the mistake of only testing when a site is near completion, and only highlighting huge errors when most of the work has been done. In order to avoid this and minimize any loss of productivity, you should perform vital tests to locate and eradicate any errors or bugs in the early stages of development, right up until product completion.

Organisations underestimate the value of their data security, yet the cost implications of doing so can be catastrophic.  Whilst daily systems and processes may be sound from a workflow viewpoint, how secure are they?  This article outlines the three key areas for consideration and specifies what you should demand from your software solution.

Safeguarding your data is vital in ensuring efficient continuity of operations.

There are many reasons why business operations fall over not least due to the sheer volume of systems and processes in operation.

About IP Addresses

In the world wide web, the millions of computers and computerized devices communicate with each other using IP (Internet protocol) addresses. These are a combination of numbers that are unique to each Internet connection or computer, depending on the complexity of the network through which the computer gets the Internet connection.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework), is a system that authenticates and identifies servers that your domain can use to send mail. The aim is to ensure that unauthorized spammers and cyber criminals do not send messages to recipients that supposedly come from your domain. With SPF in place, recipients can check the available records to determine whether the received e-mails originated from an authorized mail server. Keep reading to learn more about the sender policy framework.

SPF Versus Sender ID

Contrary to popular belief, SPF and sender ID is quite different. The confusion stems from the fact that both use the same policy records syntax, validate e-mail sender addresses, and publish policy records in DNS. However, this is where the similarity ends. SPF validates two parts of the e-mail sender's address: the MAIL FROM address and the HELO domain. You can find this information by checking the records published by domain owners. It is important to note that both the HELO domain and the MAIL FROM are part of the SMTP protocol. On the other hand, sender ID is a Microsoft protocol that validates a single field of the e-mail address header. The header to validate depends on the choice made by the Purported Responsible Address (PRA) algorithm.