On the World Wide Web, one of the most common acronyms that you will encounter is HTTP, which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. This is considered the center of data and information exchange on the web. HTTP is an application protocol that acts as a request-reply system that involves a client and a server. Request-reply or request-response is one of the simplest ways used by computers to communicate with each other. The original version of HTTP, officially called the HTTP/1.0 was revised into HTTP/1.1. However, since the inception of the first version, status codes have already been present.

One of the most prominent status codes is the 1xx, but before you get to know about what exactly 1xx is, it is important that you understand first what status codes are. In HTTP/1.0 and the subsequent versions of the protocol, whenever a request is performed, a response is triggered. The request methods include GET, HEAD, and POST. When the HTTP/1.1 came out, five new methods were introduced. These are OPTIONS, DELETE, TRACE, CONNECT, and PUT. Methods namely HEAD, GET, TRACE, and OPTIONS pose no harm to the server and thus, they are considered “safe methods.” On the other hand, POST, DELETE, and PUT may give adverse effects on the server and sometimes on transactions and other transmissions.

Organizations are shifting operations from the brick-and-mortar model to virtual platforms. Thus, billing procedures and sharing sensitive information are now conveniently completed through the Internet. Online processes, however, expose organizations to external attacks. As a result, people are forced to develop ways to block any unauthorized access and spam.

Have you gotten your head wrapped around everything related to website management? You need to be familiar with a lot of new things like DNS, nameservers, A records, and that is not even considering the CMS you should use. This whole enchilada is no joke – it takes a serious amount of time to learn everything but once you learn about it, the whole investment is worth it.

There is, however, a way around the long process – learn piecemeal. It may not be the best way to learn, but with the constant pressure of website management, it really is the only way. If you need to test MX records, you really do not need to know about domain names and the W3C guidelines, restrictions and issues. You don't even need to know why your mail server entries have to end with a period. But you do need to follow instructions carefully, blindly and faithfully. Otherwise, you will have to learn everything if something goes wrong.

If you're having issues with your network connection, you may need to investigate exactly where the problem is occurring. Maybe your data packets are getting stopped right out of the gate, or perhaps it's just a particular route that they're taking that is causing the issues.

A traceroute test shows the exact path that you're taking when you're trying to connect to a specific IP. This information tells you exactly where the breakdown happens, and it can aid you in trying to fix it.

Email Ghosts

Email providers are celebrated for offering an easy, accessible, and free service, but their maximal accessibility often translates to a minimal amount of security. Unfortunately, this issue comes into play when people become faced with the question of whether or not an email address they have received is valid or not. Invalid or invented email addresses have become a communication bane for online business people, networks, and other social groups that have to rely on email to communicate with prospective clients. Additionally, users frequently find themselves wondering whether or not a mysterious email they received is legitimate or not. Illegitimate emails often act as a dangerous gateway for viruses, spyware, and phishing tools.