Campus Web Server Migration, July 27, 5:00 p.m.

On Monday, July 27, at 5:00 p.m. Information Technology will move most campus websites to a new server. This move will be invisible to website visitors, and should involve only a few minutes of downtime for campus website editing.
Sites affected include:

After the migration, there will be several differences that campus web editors should be aware of.

New Web Accounts and Security

As of Tuesday, July 28, all new web accounts will use Seawolf username and password. To transfer files, new account holders must use a WebDAV client that supports SSL, a security protocol that allows the account credentials to be encrypted. Supported WebDAV clients include:

There is an existing incompatibility with Network Places on Windows Vista. This server migration will not resolve that problem. Information Technology is evaluating possible solutions Windows Vista users who do not wish to use Dreamweaver.

Please note:  Dreamweaver MX 2004 and earlier versions are not SSL-compatible. New web account holders cannot use these older versions of Dreamweaver for file transfer. New account holders who wish to use Dreamweaver should obtain a current version. The Helpdesk provides Reseller Contact Information (Seawolf login required) for those who wish to purchase Dreamweaver through the CSU procurement contract.

Instructions for connecting to the web server with a Seawolf ID will be available on the IT website, in the Web Office FAQ by July 28.

Existing Web Accounts and Security

Information Technology is recommending that all web account holders now use their Seawolf ID to access the web server. However, in cases where the user or department cannot obtain an SSL-compatible version of Dreamweaver or other WebDAV client, existing account holders have the option of using their existing web account username and password.

Employees and students who have existing accounts on both www.sonoma.edu and www.students.sonoma.edu may use either their Seawolf ID or the existing www.sonoma.edu web account username and password.

Student Web Server WebDAV URL Change

The student web server will now be a virtual host on www.sonoma.edu. The WebDAV URL for student directories and club websites on www.students.sonoma.edu will now be:

https://dav.sonoma.edu/hosts/students/<filepath>

Instructions for connecting to www.students.sonoma.edu will be available on the IT website in the Web Office FAQ.

Update to Movable Type 4

As part of the server migration, Movable Type 2 will be upgraded to Movable Type 4 Pro. Sites using Movable Type for blogs will automatically have access to Movable Type 4, and should continue to run as usual. The Movable Type 4 editing interface has some differences. Documentation for Movable Type 4 is available here:

Movable Type users can contact the IT Web Office to schedule an orientation session. Movable Type 4 will eventually be available to all campus departments for blogs and web content management.

Questions?

Email barbara.moore@sonoma.edu if you have any questions about the web server migration.

Posted by mooreb at July 14, 2009 3:31 PM