and official organizations.
How To Put Files Into Your CAC Web Space
The Center for Academic Computing (CAC) offers Web space
to all Penn State students, faculty, staff, colleges, departments, schools,
and official organizations.
This article presents general information for aspiring
Web developers who use the CAC's Web services. Additional information
is available at
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faq/cacweb.html
on the Web.
Basic Requirements
To get started, you need the following:
(Printed copies of the guide are available at CAC Help Desks in 2 Willard Building and 215 Computer Building, or can be obtained by calling 814-865-4757 or by sending e-mail to docreq@psu.edu.)
Individuals are responsible for managing personal Web space. In the departments and colleges, however, a computer support person, system administrator, or editor may serve as "Webmaster"the person who manages the Web site. For many organizations, a group of people help to manage the Web site using their various areas of expertise. A Web site typically requires a system administrator, programmer, editor, and perhaps a graphic artist. Sometimes one person can do it all, but if the Web site is large and complex, most large organizations find that additional highly skilled staff are needed to keep up with the demand for high-quality presentation, content, and site maintenance. How this is handled depends on the resources and staffing of each department or college.
Prerequisites
Individuals can apply for a basic personal home page by completing an on-line application form at the following URL: http://www.psu.edu/webspace/
A personal directory and home page is generated in about three business days. Students and staff get two megabytes; faculty get six megabytes. Your URL is formatted as follows:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/xyz123
(where xyz123 is your Access Account user ID)
Personal Web space for students remains active during periods
of continuous enrollment (fall and spring semesters) and for six months
after graduation. (Web space is kept active during the summer for students
who are expected to return in the fall.) Personal Web space for faculty
and staff is closed upon termination of employment.
Student Organizations
Penn State student groups or organizations can apply for Web
space on the Student Activity Server at the following URL:
http://www.clubs.psu.edu/
Colleges and Departments
Official university units can purchase Web space through a P-account. Space costs 12¢ per megabyte per year plus a $10 processing fee annually and each time a request for additional space is processed.
When you apply for Web space for a college, department, or other official unit, the person who will supervise the space selects the last part of the URL on the application form. The URL is in the form
http://www.psu.edu/dept/deptname
where deptname is the name or abbreviation you selected (restricted to thirteen characters). This will also be the name of your Web directory. Please note that if someone else has already selected that name or abbreviation, you will be asked to select a different one.
Before applying, each person who will be using the Web space should obtain personal Web space. See the previous section "Personal Web Space" for instructions.
To apply for department Web space, complete and submit the
form Application for Academic Computing Account
Services. The form can be downloaded from the CAC's
Account Services Web site at
http://cac.psu.edu/accounts or can be obtained by contacting the
Computer Accounts Office, 230 Computer Building, University Park, (814)
865-4772, accounts@psu.edu.
Course Web Space
Two types of Web space are available for course development: the Course On-Line Account (COLA) and the Student On-line Development Account (SODA).
The COLA provides faculty with ten megabytes of Web space for course development and presentation. COLA space is continued indefinitely as long as the instructor continues to teach at Penn State, but must be renewed each semester. COLA account owners will receive e-mail when their space is established, and will also receive a renewal form by e-mail before the end of each semester.
The SODA allows faculty to request five megabytes of additional personal Web space for each student in a course to use for course assignments. This space is added to each student's personal Web space. SODA space is available for one semester.
To request COLA or SODA space, faculty need to fill out the form Application for Academic Computing Account Services and select the appropriate option on the "Course-Related Services" section of the form.
To apply for course space, an instructor must:
Additional course space can be requested at no charge; however, the CAC reserves the right to limit disk allocations. To request additional space, send e-mail to accounts@psu.edu or use the form Application for Academic Computing Account Services.
To obtain a COLA or SODA, complete and submit an
application form. An Acrobat form can be downloaded from the CAC's
Account Services Web site
(http://cac.psu.edu/accounts) or can be obtained
by contacting the Computer Accounts Office, 230 Computer
Building, University Park, (814) 865-4772, accounts@psu.edu.
Managing Space
A utility for finding out how much space you have used out of your allotment is provided at the following URL: https://www.work.psu.edu/
Select "Directory quotas" at the above URL; then enter your Access Account user ID and password. The amount of personal space used will be displayed on the Web page. To find out how much space you have left in your department or course directory, you will have to use the "change directory" function. In that field enter /afs/psu.edu/services/www/dept/department/ (where "department" is your department's directory name).
Or, in the case of COLA course space, enter
/afs/psu.edu/services/www/course/course999_xyz123/
(where "course" is your course name, "course999" is your course name
and number, and "xyz123" is your user ID).
Cost of Web Space
A limited amount of Web space is provided free of charge as described below. Fee-based Web services cost 12¢ per megabyte per year plus a $10 processing fee initially and each time a request is processed.
The application form mentioned above should be used to request additional space. Three business days are required for processing requests. After requests have been processed, charges cannot be refunded.
Student organizations using the Student Activity Server must apply
for additional Web space at
http://www.clubs.psu.edu/ on the Web.
Design and Graphics
One of the most exciting features of the Web is its capability of including images. New Web developers are often eager to incorporate a variety of images in an effort to make their pages unique and interesting. However, when too many images are included on a Web page, the page can be very slow to load, look cluttered, or be very difficult to read. Following are some tips to consider when using graphics on your Web pages.
<A HREF="title.html">
<IMG SRC="example.gif" ALT="photo"
WIDTH = 472 HEIGHT = 192></A>
Penn State Images
The CAC is working with the Office of University Publications on
a Penn State Web style guide. Meanwhile, please refer to the
Penn State Style Guide and the Penn State Licensing Manual and
Visual Standards Guide for information regarding the use of Penn State logos and images. Guidance can be
obtained from the Office of University Publications at
(814) 863-1870.
Putting An Image On Your Web Page
Photographs or images can be scanned at one of the scanning resource locations listed at the following Web site: http://cac.psu.edu/general/scan.html
After you have scanned the photograph you must make certain that the image size is set to 72dpi and the dimensions that you desire.
Your graphic files must be saved in the correct format, and their
names must also end with the appropriate format designation (such as
.gif or .jpeg or .jpg). If you are uploading
a graphic from a Macintosh computer, it
must be transferred as raw data. If you are uploading a graphic from a PC,
it must be transferred as binary.
There are several locations on the Internet that offer icon and art libraries. Your best option is to use one of the many Internet search sites available and seek out the kinds of graphics you are looking for. See the CAC's training site at http://cac.psu.edu/training/outlines/indexgraph.html for links to some good sources. Please note that you are responsible for following the use agreement that is posted with the graphics at most of these image libraries.
To make an image map, create a .map file and use the NCSA
httpd 1.5.1 server imagemap support. There are other ways to do this, such as
some Netscape-specific tags. NCSA has a good tutorial at
http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/docs/tutorials/imagemapping.html.
Scripts, or Common Gateway Interface (CGI) programs, can affect server performance and security for all users. These programs are not necessary for Web publishing. However, for those who wish to use scripts, a library of general-purpose CGI scripts that have already been evaluated and tested are available on the CAC's Web server.
Persons who write their own scripts should test and debug them on the CAC's test server at http://scripts.cac.psu.edu/ after which they may submit them to webmaster@psu.edu for approval and installation. The Web support group requires approximately two weeks to process these requests.
For further information see the following URL:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faq/cacweb.html
Counters
There are two counters available: one text and one graphical. Following is an example of a text counter that can be used to count the number of "hits" on your page.
This page has been accessed <!--#exec cgi="/cgi-bin/counter"--> times.
For more information about counters, see the FAQ:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faq/cacweb.html
Appropriate Use of Web Space
You are expected to exercise responsible, ethical behavior when using the University's computers, information, networks or resources. This applies, of course, to your use of Web space. Penn State Web space is reserved for University-related use.
Content of Web pages must not violate Penn State policies or federal, state, or local laws. These include laws or policies pertaining to libel, slander, threats of bodily harm, pornography, and sexual harassment. By using your Access Account, including the CAC's Web server, you agree to abide by these laws and policies.
The CAC does not monitor the content of Web pages. However,
if inappropriate materials are discovered or reported, the CAC reserves the
right to block access to such files until the author removes them or
until competent authority grants access. Disciplinary action, including
referral to the Office of Judicial Affairs, police, and suspension of account
are possible.
Copyright Clearance
Generally, laws that apply to the printed word apply in the
electronic medium as well. Publishers should be concerned with issues related
to copyright, libel, and liability. If you use copyrighted materials (such
as text, photographs, images, video, or audio files) you must have
permission from the copyright holder. Photographs require
signed photograph clearances. Always ask permission from the author if
you would like to use files you find on the Web. At many Web sites you will
find restrictions and guidelines for use of the material published there. When
in doubt, get written permission.
Commercial use is not allowed
Web space is for University-related use. Don't use your Web pages for purposes such as selling a product, a profit-making business or sales position, or in conjunction with mass mailings. If you wish to use the Web for purposes unrelated to Penn State, use a commercial service. Many companies known as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer Internet access, including e-mail, for a fee. Some examples are America Online, Compuserve, and AT&T. One method of finding an ISP is to enter "ISP" in the search field at Yahoo's site at http://www.yahoo.com on the Web.
Penn State researchers know that all research performed on human subjects must be approved by the Office for Regulatory Compliance. However, they should also be aware that Internet surveys are subject to the same regulations. Whether conducting a survey on paper or on-line (by using e-mail, the World Wide Web, and other Internet resources) researchers must comply with all policies, including Policy SY22, The Use Of Human Subjects In Research.
All researchers and the students who work for them are expected to exercise responsible, ethical behavior when using Access Accounts, the University's computers, information, networks or resources. See the following World Wide Web sites for additional information:
The Office for Regulatory Compliance may be contacted at
212 Kern Graduate Building, University Park; (814) 865-1775; Fax
814-863-8699, e-mail orc@psu.edu.
Related Policies and Guidelines
Please review the policies related to computer use (see http://www.psu.edu/computing/policies).
