FDU Web Recipes

1. userid and privileges on alpha.fdu.edu. Note that your userid on any other FDU server (e.g. Webmail) will not allow you to set up a web site on alpha. If you already have access and an email address on Webmail, you need alpha privileges in addition, in order to set up a web site on alpha. See the alpha help page for information on obtaining these privileges.
2. software on your PC: telnet, ftp, web browser, web authoring.
Telnet and ftp software are included with many operating systems; you may already have them on your system. Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are the best known web browsers. Microsoft Front Page and Netscape Composer are widely available authoring tools.
3. content: something that you want to say via the world-wide web. It may be personal, academic, or both. Under terms of the FDU acceptable use policy, it must not be a commercial message.
4. links: most web pages include links that bring your viewers to one or more other sites.
5. optional: one or more graphic images in the .gif or .jpg formats that are used in web pages.

Steps

Once in your life:
1. Determine whether multiple directories are needed. If you plan a total of 5 pages or so, which with graphics might mean a total of 20 or so files, there is no need to have a subdirectory structure. All your files can go into your public_html directory. If you will be building a suite of 10-20 pages, typically 50 or more files total, you will probably find it easier to stay organized with multiple subdirectories. You do not want to start out with one directory and then try to retrofit a subdirectory structure, so plan ahead.
2. "Turn on" web hosting using install_html. FDU Academic Computing Center has created a computer program called install_html which creates a public_html directory under your userid on alpha, puts a dummy webpage called index.html into it, and sets appropriate security levels. install_html only needs to be run once.
3. Create a web page called index.html overwriting the dummy version that install_html created. When visitors browse to http://alpha.fdu.edu/~yourname, they will see the webpage called index.html in your public_html directory. It would be appropriate for this to be your most general or introductory page, with links on it leading to other pages you create. So you may modify this index.html page often, but it should be the first page you create.
4. Check to make sure your page is visible. The day after you upload your index.html page, the alpha computer will recognize that you have changed the dummy webpage, and it will list your userid on the appropriate page at Personal Pages.

Every time you are a web author:
1. Develop ideas
2. Create one or more pages using web authoring tool
3. Capture or create graphics. (Please respect copyrights.)
4. Transfer files to alpha using File Transfer Protocol
5. Test access to web pages; troubleshoot
6. Run quality control tests, e.g. Dr. HTML, W3C
7. Submit page to search engines, e.g. Submit-it; Altavista

Note: The alpha.fdu.edu server will act in three different roles for you: as telnet server, to run the install_html program; as FTP server, to let you upload your HTML-based web pages; and then as web server, to let you and others access your web pages.

The examples on the right are intended to clarify how the same file is referenced and accessed differently in the three different roles that alpha.fdu.edu will play for you.

The messy part

(Example 1) Actual file on alpha.fdu.edu:
/home/community/username/public_html/index.html
where community = faculty, student, alumni, or staff; and username is a unique, assigned user id

Can be viewed on the web as:
http://alpha.fdu.edu/~username
http://alpha.fdu.edu/~username/
http://alpha.fdu.edu/~username/index.html

Can be found under telnet by:
logging in as username

cd public_html

ls
Can be found under ftp by:
logging in as username

cd public_html

dir

(Example 2) Actual file on alpha.fdu.edu:
/home/community/username/public_html/anyfile.ext
where community = faculty, student, alumni, or staff; username is a unique, assigned user id, and anyfile.ext is a file other than index.html

Can be viewed on the web as:
http://alpha.fdu.edu/~username/anyfile.ext

Can be found under telnet by:
logging in as username

cd public_html

ls
Can be found under ftp by:
logging in as username

cd public_html

dir

Starting telnet in Win95/98:

start button

run

type in telnet

click OK

Telnet to set up web hosting in your directory

Start telnet software (see at left)
open alpha.fdu.edu
login with username and password
install_html
spacebar to see remainder of output
Y (yes) when asked continue?
logout

These are commands that might be required during a Telnet session to the alpha computer. If you are lucky, the only times you will need to Telnet will be during a session when you execute the install_html program, and then on occasions when you need to change your alpha password.

Telnet commands

command	description
install_html	prepare directory for web pages
passwd	change your password on alpha.fdu.edu
cd path	make different directory active at server (remember slashes are /)
ls	list files and subdirectories of active directory at server
vquota	find out how much of filespace quota is used
chmod 755 .	set security level for directory at server
chmod 644 filename	set security level for file at server

Creating a web page

Choose or create a working directory on your browser system

Open your authoriing tool software

Open http://www.fdu.edu/webresources/minimal.htm or other template

File - Edit Document - Save As

Be sure to give the new local file a name other than the name of the template page

Change any template characteristics you want to change

Capture or invent page contents (Often this will mean opening word processing or other application in another window)

Save local file in working directory

File - Open File in Browser - give name of your file (to view local copy of file before uploading)

Starting FTP in Win95:

start button

run

type in ftp

click OK

Uploading using FTP

Start FTP software (see at left)

open alpha.fdu.edu

lcd local working directory

cd public_html

put name of file

reopen browser software to test access to http://alpha.fdu.edu/~username

Note: WS-FTP LE is an easy to use alternative to the FTP software that is part of the operating system. WS-FTP LE is free for academic users, at ipswitch.com

These are commands that might be required during a session using File Transfer Protocol.

FTP commands

command	description
open servername	open connection to server
lcd path	make different directory active at client (remember slashes are \)
cd path	make different directory active at server (remember slashes are /)
lcd . or lpwd	tell what directory is active at client
pwd	tell what directory is active at server
dir	list files and subdirectories of active directory at server
(use Windows File Manager or Explorer)	list files and subdirectories of active directory at client
mkdir	make a new subdirectory in the active directory at server (but don't make the new subdirectory active)
(use Windows File Manager or Explorer)	make a new subdirectory at client
put filename	copy file from client's active directory, store it in server's active directory, overwriting same named file if any
get filename	copy file from server's active directory, store it in client's active directory, overwriting same named file if any
binary	prepare to transfer graphics or other non-ASCII (non-text) files
ascii	prepare to transfer html or other ASCII (text) files
rename oldname.ext newname.ext	change name of a file in active directory at server
(use Windows File Manager or Explorer)	change name of a file in active directory at client
disconnect	close connection to server; stay in FTP
bye	close connection to server and leave FTP

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