Online FAQ Support

How clear is the path between you and your Global Color Design server?

There are two tests that can detect network problems. They are Ping and Traceroute. Ping is a tool that sends packets from one server to another, then reports on the time it took for each packet to be received and the number of packets that were received. Traceroute reports each "hop" taken to get from one server to another and the times for each hop. Both tools can help detect network problems. (COMING SOON) To use these tools, select this feature in your Web Site Manager™'s main menu or from the mail pull down menu.

If it is not with the Global Color Design network, where is the problem?

The problem can be anywhere between your Global Color Design server and your local computer that you are using to access the Internet. We first suggest that you log off from your ISP, then reboot your local computer. Many times delays or non-access is due to your computers local cache or memory. If there is still a problem, contact your local ISP and tell them the problem that you are experiencing. Another Excellent troubleshooting technique is to traceroute your Global Color Design server from several different servers around the world. To do this, use the page provided by traceroute.org.

What is your Up-Time Guarantee?

No provider can guarantee 100% uptime. Servers and systems must be brought down at times for routine maintenance and upgrades to ensure that your site will perform optimally. However, we strive to keep such service interruptions to a minimum, and, if possible, give you advance notice of scheduled maintenance routines. We use only top quality brand name servers, switches, routers, and other networking hardware. This too translates in greater reliability and uptime. As a result, within our own data center that is under our own control and management, we have been able to reach near 100% uptime. Of course, there will be times that you may not be able to reach your server, due to traffic conditions on the internet or problems occurring at our upstream providers facilities. Both of these conditions are entirely out of our control. However, if the problem occurs with our immediate upstream providers, we will do our utmost to have these providers correct the anomaly as soon as possible.

How often will my server or the Global Color Design network be down?

You should expect around 1/2 percent downtime. Most servers go months without a problem but problems eventually do and will occur. Servers are high-maintenance machines that need a lot of TLC to continually run at peak performance. Servers can be offline for any of the following reasons:

• Line Problems - Problems can occur with high speed lines from the long-distance phone company's side or from the local phone company's side. These are factors beyond our control. Our T3 and T1 providers have redundant systems that minimize this risk and allow us re-route servers through working lines.
  
  
• System Upgrades - We are consistently making our service better. Sometimes in order to do so we must take a server off line. When we do this, it is usually during low-traffic hours and only for a few moments.
  
  
• Rebooting - We reboot each server an average of once per week. This rebooting process frees up swap space and is necessary for proper maintenance. The entire reboot process takes less than 15 minutes.
  
  
• Server Crashes - Because we allow users to install their own programs and software, these user-installed programs can cause a server to crash. If this happens, we notify he user to remove the software and reboot the server.
  
  
• Hardware Failures - These machines run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are many mechanical parts that make up a server all with a limited lifespan. Once a part dies, the server will go down. Our technicians will be notified and immediately start working on replacing the defective part. We always keep extra parts around!
  
  
• Disk Drive Crashes - These are the most serious problem but fortunately the most rare. When a hard drive becomes corrupt, we have to get our spare server on line and restore all the user data from backups. This process can take several hours. We always recommend keeping a local copy of all your data of your most recent files. Our backups are done once per night so if you are constantly changing files, you could lose hours of work.

These are problems that all system administrators must face. We believe that Global Color Design has the most responsive team of technicians and support staff to help our customers through any "Internet crisis".