Virginia Tech Web Hosting
Web Hosting has now transitioned to our new platforms/services.
The three services are: WPaaS - Wordpress As A Service, S4 - Simple Static Site Service
and WHoS - a php and mysql based Service.
If you are interested in any of the services, please contact us!
WPaaS Documentation A WPaaS Sample Site
S4 Documentation A S4 Sample Site
The main purpose of the Hosting Service was to provide a secure environment for VT departments to maintain a web presence. While it has served this purpose for many years, it no longer meets the complex demands of modern web applications. In order to meet our goals of security, flexibility and adherence to modern standards, we transitioned away from the prior traditional platform.
Hosted web sites exist along a spectrum from static pages to applications. Each type of site will typically have one or more possible paths to a new environment, but for most there are a variety of transitional paths. The diagrams below illustrate some of these possibilities. (There is not a single “right answer” for which path to take. The Web Hosting team is here to work with you in finding the best path forward).
Static websites primarily consist of html, css and javascript code. Dynamic websites are able to get data from a database via php (or some other language) code.
| HTML ⇒ S4 (New Web Hosting Service) |
Any site built using HTML generation tools (some examples are Dreamweaver, Word or hand-built html), can be transferred to our new emerging service S4. We can tranfer your existing files to get you started, as well as help you with any adjustments needed for the functionality and your understanding of the S4 service aspects. |
|
graph LR;
z(HTML) --> r(S4 with or without Hugo)
x(Wordpress or Other CMS) --> r
| |
| WordPress ⇒ WPaaS (New Web Hosting Service) |
Sites that currently use WordPress, or would like to use WordPress, will migrate to our new WordPress as a Service environment (WPaaS). We maintain the wordpress software and database, keeping them patched, secured, and up to date. Users maintain their site content, and have access through the WP admin console to install a limited selection of plugins, and themes. Many WordPress sites from Web Hosting have already transitioned, and we are working to move the remaining sites. If you are currently running on a different CMS system (Joomla, Drupal, etc) this may be your best option. With the WPaaS option you will be able to keep your domain name. |
|
graph LR;
z(Wordpress) --> r( WPaaS )
x(HTML) --> r
y(Other CMS) --> r
| |
| (HTML, WordPress, Other PHP CMS) ⇒ CMS (Web Hosting Service) |
Ensemble is the Web content management system (CMS) for Virginia Tech. Much like WPaaS, Ensemble allows users to focus on their content, without worrying about the technical details of websites. You can get information about the CMS, and submit a request to transition to CMS, using this link: https://ensemble.cms.vt.edu/ With the Ensmble CMS option you will be able to keep your domain name. |
|
graph LR;
z(Wordpress) --> r(Ensemble )
x(HTML) --> r
y(Other CMS) --> r
| |
| (PHP - MySQL Based ) ⇒ (WHoS Platform/Service) | WHoS is our newest platform to provide a modern method to create php and mysql based sites. Much like S4, WHoS allows users to keep their files in a designated repo. When the files are "saved" or committed to MAIN, the files on the site specific mini server are updated. |
| Retire your Site | If your site can be retired… please submit a ticket to Support Web Page.
(The form is on the bottom of the page… you must be logged in to see it). |
| Further Information | Please join our google group for Web Hosting Announcements at https://groups.google.com/a/vt.edu/d/forum/hosting-announcements-g. We will use this page to keep you informed about maintenance, upgrades, and general information about our services. |
Please put in a ticket using the Support Web Page if you have any questions, or problems.
Thank you, The Web Hosting Team