Past Update Notices
Update: March 23, 2007
The student organization web service will be taken down for a major upgrade on Thursday, March 29, 2007. This upgrade will put all users on a new server running the cPanel web management software. For more information about cPanel please visit their web site at www.cpanel.com.
A demo site has been set up for your perusal at demo.students.mtu.edu/cpanel. Please login with a password of testme and a login ID of demo. Note that you will not be able to change anything even if it seems like the interface is letting you. This is a demo to show you the multitude of options available to you through cPanel. Areas of particular interest will, probably be, the Scripts Library, CGI Center and File Manager. Unfortunately the Scripts Library is disabled in demo mode, so you will not be able to see it. This is the area you would visit to install third party software, like a photo gallery system.
A terse summary of some options includes the ability to provide you with a simple to use web interface complete with an HTML editor that you can use in your web browser. You can setup multiple FTP accounts, install and administer your own MySQL database(s), and install and administer your own third-party software applications. You can use FrontPage Extensions, setup cron jobs, and much more. You will also have SSH access to your web account for those that would like that type of access. Please visit the demo site above to have a look around.
Update: November 20, 2006
A new plan has been hatched since the last November update. Instead of trying to develop our own control panel, we are putting our efforts into working cPanel into our infrastructure.
For more information about cPanel please visit www.cpanel.com. To see what your cPanel interface will be like if we can make this work visit demo.students.mtu.edu/cpanel. The password is demo.demo with userid of demo.
cPanel will allow us to provide you with a simple to use web interface complete with an HTML editor that you can use in your web browser. You can setup multiple FTP accounts, install and administer your own MySQL database(s), and install and administer your own third-party software applications. You can use FrontPage Extensions, setup cron jobs, and much more. You will also have SSH access to your web account for those that would like that type of access. Please visit the demo site above to have a look around.
Update: November 20, 2006
Dynamic content is in the final testing stage. PHP and Perl CGI have been tested and are working. The ability to write your own code will be released shortly. There are some rules that will have to be adhered to though. We are writing up the documentation for this and will make it available soon. One of the major rules to follow will be this: DO NOT INSTALL packaged software, e.g., phpBB, YaBB, Gallery, any Wikis, photo albums, etc., without asking first. It WILL be removed promptly and without warning. PHP and Perl CGI is being provided to those that wish to write their own dynamic content code. Photo galleries, forum servers, wikis, and the like will be provided by us for you. This should be helpful as you won't need to know how to install and maintain the software, just use it.
The ability to get access to your content using WebDAV is in its final testing phase. This will help eliminate the need for SSH and SFTP by providing you access to your content as if it were a local file system. More on this later.
MySQL is running and is in the final testing phases. PHP has been provided with MySQL support for those that wish to leverage it in their own code. More on this when dynamic content capabilities and documentation is released.
The third-party phpMyAdmin software for configuring and maintaining MySQL databases has been installed, configured, and is in its final testing phases. More on this when dynamic content capabilities and documentation is released.
Update: October 2, 2006
The new architecture for the items below to begin is in place. The MTU ISO module was broken in the previous model. It should be working now.
Update: September 29, 2006
Well, it seems the forum server off the Barkboard was a big flop. Apparently this was not what folks wanted. So, let's renegotiate. How about this? We are striving to be just like any other web hosting company, only with less people. Here's what's in the works:
- A control panel/deck/dashboard so you can use a web interface to install provided software, look at web statistics, change the look of standard error pages, etc. If you're interested in what we're comparing ourselves too check out www.cpanel.net.
- A forum server on your site run by you. Novel, I know.
- A photo gallery/photo album creator. This is almost done, really.
- Access to your content via WebDAV. This is good, trust me.
- Frontpage Extensions!
- Dynamic content will no longer have to go through code review! One caveat, you MUST use packaged software we provide. Home grown software may be developed at your leisure, but we will be watching, for your safety. We are open and willing to expand the packaged software we support so PLEASE ASK before uploading software to the server. If you shoot first and ask questions later our monitoring software will automatically remove the unsupported software from the system, quite likely after you have spent a large amount of time getting it to work. So, please ask first!
- Improved security
- A web based file manager and editor on your control panel so you don't have to learn how to use Unix and VI, unless you really want to.
Update: August 30, 2006
Forums for each organization are now available. Each organization
will not receive its own forum server, but they will all share
one forum server. Before you are filled with disdain about this
please read the reason why on the new
Student Organization Forum Server.
A photo gallery solution is being finalized and will be available
shortly after the school year begins. For the curious, we will be
using the Open Source solution Gallery 2.0.
Work is almost complete in the MySQL database arena. The final
stage, providing access via phpMyAdmin, is almost complete.
Dynamic content is almost ready to be turned on as well. The
documentation for getting dynamic content onto the server is being
written and should be available soon. Also, a special server you
can use to test your dynamic content before "committing" it to
the production server is being discussed/developed.
Access to your content areas via WebDAV has been tested. Security
ramifications are being discussed. This will become available shortly
after we can make it secure enough, if we can.
Update: May 22, 2006
Work is underway to provide MySQL databases to each group as well as a phpBB forum service and a photo gallery. Stay tuned for further developments.
Update: May 3, 2006
Did you know the service is getting a major overhaul? USG decided to "out source" the student organization web service to the Distributed Computing Services Group of Information Technology Services. This group runs many other web services on campus such as www.mtu.edu, email.mtu.edu, and the "Barkboard."
Some of the changes being made include separating the web server from
the login server for security reasons and providing each group with an
individualized URL. Under the previous version of the service web
site URLs looked like this:
Under the new service each student organization will have a URL that looks like this:
Other changes on the way include the capability to have a forum and/or bulletin board service for your organization and a photo gallery. Also, the amount of storage space allowed per group has been formally established at 512 Megabytes (half a gig).