Main Web Server Services

What is www.sc.edu?

The University of South Carolina operates its main web server at the address www.sc.edu. Officially sponsored University organizations and events may request to operate their web sites from the main web server. Student organizations must contact the Student Affairs & Academic Support webmaster to arrange space for a web site.

Who can use www.sc.edu?

Only persons who are faculty or staff of the University may have an account on the main web server. Only properly authorized persons may access accounts on the main web server; proper authorization is provided by University Technology Services in the form of a userid issued in the name of the authorized person. Account holders may not permit any other person, including other authorized users, to access computing resources through their personal computer account. Sites hosted by this service must comply with University policies ACAF 7.04 and IT 1.06 .

Account holders must supply the following information in order to receive an account on www.sc.edu: first name, last name, office phone, department name. All usernames on www.sc.edu will be the same as the user's USC network username. To request an account, please contact Wendy Mullin (portal@sc.edu).

What services are provided on www.sc.edu?

The main service offered on the main web server is the hosting of static web sites. Other services that are standard to www.sc.edu include:

regular backups

All data in accounts is backed up nightly; all data on the server is backed up weekly.

web server traffic reports

Reports of web traffic for the entire server are generated once a week, and are publicly available on the Web (http://www.sc.edu/reports/). Help with the web server statistics is available on the Web.

generic feedback system

A generic feedback system is available; users must maintain an account on www.sc.edu in order to utilize this system, and the form itself resides on www.sc.edu. Help with the feedback system is available on the Web.

What services are not provided on www.sc.edu?

The main web server does not offer or support the following:

counters

Counters do not serve a valid purpose and place an unnecessary strain on web servers. Reports of web traffic are generated once a week, and are publicly available on the Web (http://www.sc.edu/reports/). Help with the web server statistics is available on the Web.

Frontpage extensions

This server will not support Frontpage extensions. If you are creating web sites using Frontpage, be sure not to transfer using a traditional FTP client; do not transfer Frontpage-specific directories & files, including those named "_vti_something" (e.g., "_vti_bin", "_vti_cnf", etc.). This does not mean you cannot use Frontpage (or Dreamweaver, or GoLive) to develop your web site; it means that the main web server may not support some of the features of these tools.

Please note that University Technology Services does not support Frontpage as a web development tool. If you require instruction on Frontpage or in HTML, please check with University Technology Services Training (csd.sc.edu/ars/training/) for course times.

creation and maintenance of web server level usernames and passwords

University Technology Services will not maintain a user access list to a particular web site.

personal web site hosting

University Technology Services does not provide space for personal web sites on the main web server. Users wishing to locate space for personal web sites hosted by the University should check with their department.

virtual web site hosting

University Technology Services does not provide virtual hardware or virtual software services on the main web server. All URLs have the format http://www.sc.edu/web_sitename/.

programming

University Technology Services does not allow individuals or groups outside Computer Services to develop or install programs on the main web server. If you require functionality which is not provided by any of the services offered on the main web server, please contact Wendy Mullin.

Questions regarding these services should be addressed to Wendy Mullin.

Account DOs & DON'Ts

Below are some rules account holders need to take to heart when working with the main web server.

• DO
  • remember that UNIX is a case sensitive operating system
  • remember that you may use the following characters in filenames: -, _
  • name your home page file index.shtml, index.html or index.htm
• DON'T
  • use the following characters in filenames: spaces, ~, !, @, #, $, %, ^, &*, (, ), +, ', ", ,

Related & Relevant Policies & Documents

• ACAF 7.01: Computer and Network Access and Use.
• ACAF 7.04: Web Sites.

WEBFOLKL

WEBFOLKL is a group of individuals devoted to discussing issues important to those responsible for providing information on the Web at USC. The group exchanges information with the WEBFOLKL discussion forum. The listowner is Wendy Mullin. WEBFOLKL is an excellent resource for USC webmasters to exchange ideas, receive news, and ask questions.

How to subscribe:

1. Send an email to listserv@listserv.sc.edu
2. A subject line is unnecessary
3. In the body of the email: sub webfolkl firstname lastname
4. Send it!

How to signoff:

You may remove yourself from the list with the following steps:

1. Send an email to listserv@listserv.sc.edu
2. A subject line is unnecessary
3. In the body of the email: signoff webfolkl
4. Send it!

How to send a message to WEBFOLKL:

Only subscribers to WEBFOLKL may send a message to the list.

1. Send an email to webfolkl@listserv.sc.edu
2. A subject line is expected. Add a topic to the beginning of your subject line; the following topics are supported:
   • DOS, for DOS-related web issues
   • WIN, for Windows (3.1, 95 & NT)- related web issues
   • MAC, for Macintosh-related web issues
   • UNIX, for UNIX-related web issues
   • HTML, for HTML-related issues
   • ALL, for an issue relevant to all subscribers
3. Send it!