If you can't reach your website, but the rest of the internet appears to be fine, how do you know for sure if your website is down or you are having a computer or intranet problem?

First, we need to understand how a server - the computer where your website resides - is found. A connection to the server has a sort of phone number or id. It's called an IP (Internet Protocol) address. It usually, if it's truly part of the world wide web, has a Domain Name.

For added security, many of us use what's called a proxy server. A proxy server masks your server under a general pipeline or connection. You can reach your website by Domain Name, but not by IP address.

Why is the idea of proxy servers important in understanding whether or not your website is actually up and running correctly? Because we can use a proxy server, in this case Megaproxy.com, to determine if the site is actually functioning correctly and rule out server, pipeline or Domain Name problems.

A server problem would be hardware related or simply the server actually crashed and the backup did not kick in. A pipeline problem is when the connection going out and coming in from the internet is down or unstable. A Domain Name problem is when the Domain Name and the IP address has gotten muddled in the connections made on the internet to reach your website.

It's the Domain Name problem which is the tricky one to fix and the one that requires the most drastic measures. If the server is down, it's replaced or rebooted. The pipeline is fixed by the telephone provider and it can be tested locally.

Domain Name problems? In comes megaproxy.com and not a direct IP connection. But why? Most IT specialists would think that an IP address and direct connection will determine if the problem is with the server or on their computer or intranet. Not true. The missing factor is Domain Name registration.

If the Domain Name registration has gotten garbled, neither technique will determine this at all. A direct connection will be made even though some locales, or all, will not be able to surf and reach the site through normal web surfing standards - domain name.

Before drastic measures are taken, from re-establishing the Domain, refreshing or changing the IP address, removing Proxy servers or changing servers as a last resort, IT specialists should use Megaproxy.com. With megaproxy.com, you leave your own intranet environment and use a proxy server to send out and receive web pages. If you can view the site through megaproxy.com, you have discovered three things at once:

DRASTIC MEASURES