Web hosting for departments and service units

Description:

Allows departments to maintain a web presence.

New Services

Web Hosting now has two new services available for our users: WPaaS (WordPress as a Service) and S4 (Simple Static Site Service).
The site you are on now (docs.hosting.vt.edu) uses WPaaS. Alternatively, s4docs.hosting.vt.edu uses the S4 service.

Features and Benefits:

Robust, secure server – Your site will be hosted on a secure server housed in the Virginia Tech data center. Backups are performed nightly, and the system is monitored 24 hours a day.
Simple web address – The Virginia Tech Web Hosting service allows you to pick a simple, unique address like “http://www.projecta.eng.vt.edu/”.
Site analysis services – Raw access and error logs for your site are available upon request. Reports can be generated based on any schedule you need.

Who can use it:

All departments.

How do I get it:

Request a new site using the link above.
Manage your site using the Web Administration Tool.

Note: Only administrators of a site may use the tool, however, if someone else needs access to your site, complete and submit the form below, and include the name of your site and the PID of the person who needs access.

For instructions on uploading the files comprising your Web Site, see Connecting to Web Hosting in Windows and Mac OS.

How much does it cost:

No charge

FAQs and Documentation:

Web Hosting Policy

The web hosting service is designed for colleges and departments to maintain a web presence. It is NOT a backup service, personal file storage, or to be used as a file server. This is a shared resource for all members of the Virginia Tech community; space is very limited, and it comes at a substantial cost to the university. We reserve the right to revoke access to any site that is found to be abandoned, or a security issue because of lack of proper administration.

Choosing an Address

If you want a top-level sub-domain name within the .vt.edu domain, contact your department’s network liaison and have them request it from the hostmaster. Then, submit the Request Form (below). Top-level sub-domain names are created only for department names and a few other specific entities, not for individuals or projects.
Example: www.abc.vt.edu
If you want an address within the domain of your department, send an email message to the network liaison for that domain, asking for approval and then copy and paste the approval email into the Request Form (below). To find out who to contact, refer to the Network Liaisons page.
Example: www.abc.eng.vt.edu, abc.eng.vt.edu

Copy and paste the approval message for the Web site’s address or your request for an address within the “.org.vt.edu” into the Request Form below. In the form, in the body of the message, please also include:

A short description of the purpose of the Web site to show that it is an organizational Web site, as opposed to a personal Web site.
An estimation for the projected space usage
A list of Virginia Tech PIDs of people who should have administrative privileges
Your name, department, and phone number

Adjust the Permissions for Your Web Site

Because of the security concerns, by default, a newly created Web site requires logging on and only grants access to the Web site’s administrators. Typically, this is not what you want if you intend to run a publicly accessible Web site. The access to any folder can be restricted by setting “Access Restrictions” (i.e., permissions). A folder that is restricted by permissions allows only specified persons or groups of people to gain access using their user name and password to read from or write into this folder. To change this setting, see Assigning Access to Your Web Hosting Site to Others.