Using Aware IM on the Web
To make your Aware IM application accessible over the Web you need to make sure the computer where Aware IM is installed is accessible from the Internet. One option is to use your own computer connected to the Internet. The other is to use a server hosted by an Internet hosting provider.
You can find requirements and other technical details for each of the options in the Installation Guide. It also has an overview of advantages and disadvantages of each option.
Hostland offers a fully managed Aware IM hosting solution that includes the following:
- Installation of Aware IM on a Linux VPS or a Linux/Windows dedicated server.
- Ongoing server maintenance, including upgrades to the kernel and system software, security patches, etc...
- 24/7 Server Monitoring. Hostland says: "We monitor not only the server itself, but also your Aware IM application to ensure that it's fully operational. In the event that the server goes down, we will automatically reboot it and if necessary, take additional measures to bring it back online. If the Aware IM application goes down, we will notify you via email or SMS and take additional action should you request it."
- Daily server backups.
Hostland also offers unmanaged VPS and dedicated hosting for Aware IM users.
Several people related positive experience running Aware IM using GoDaddy hosting plans.
Some other companies offering hosting plans that meet requirements for running Aware IM are VPS Land (www.vpsland.com) and InfoQuest (www.infoquest.com).