UMD Web Server Upgrade
Date: 12/16/2004
On January 5, 2005 ITSS staff will upgrade the hardware and software for the current UMD web server (http://www.d.umn.edu). The upgrade is required to keep software levels current, and to tighten security on the system.
What will happen
ITSS staff will copy all data on the old web server to the new server. (While files are being copied, users will be unable to update files on the old server.) After all files are copied, we will set www.d.umn.edu to point to the new server, and the old server will be removed from the network.
What changes will web users see?
Customers viewing the UMD web site on the new server should see no changes. All basic web pages should work as before with no changes needed. All existing URLs (http://www.d.umn.edu/...) and domain names (umdstores.com, etc.) will remain the same and will continue to function as before.
What changes will web developers need to make?
The new web server will have newer versions of software and a new directory stucture. These changes will require web developers to make several adjustments to their web sites.
Following is a list of the upgrades that will occur and how they will impact web developers.
** CGI module will be upgraded to current version
- What this means: Perl CGI programs will need one or two minor changes.
- What to do: CGI using the older CGI.pm or CGI:: perl modules may break. You will need to make the following changes:
- (1) Replace the following lines:
use CGI::Base;
use CGI::Request;
with
use CGI;(You will only need one of them and can delete one of the lines completely.)
If you have forms in the cgi, there will be two use CGI::Request; entries that will need to be changed. Basically, do the following on the file to make the changes:
s/CGI::Base/CGI/
and
s/CGI::Request/CGI/ - (2) Change params() to param(). Another s/params/param/ on the file works nicely.
- What this means: CGI compiled with older versions of GCC C/C++ may break
- What to do: Verify that it works on the new server. Contact ITSS if you need assistance updating the code.
** PHP will be upgraded to current version 4.3.9
- What this means: Some PHP code will need minor modifications. The newer version of perl (5.8.3) may cause older perl programs to operate badly (what was poor but working code may no longer work, for example; this has been observed on other systems).
- What to do: Verify that it works on the new server. Contact ITSS if you need assistance updating the code.
** New libraries will be installed
- What this means: There may be some incompatabilities with the newer software. Although most binaries should run without changes, there may be some compiled programs that will need to be recompiled.
- What to do: Verify that it works on the new server. Contact ITSS if you need assistance.
** Directory structure (ftp path) will change
- What this means: The path used to upload (ftp) files to the new web server will change. Some legacy "host" names (such as ftp.d.umn.edu) have also been eliminated.
- What to do: Update your Dreamweaver, Contribute and/or FTP program settings before you upload files to the new server. This does not affect ~tilde web pages, such as http://www.d.umn.edu/~jdoe.
- Old ftp paths which will no longer work and should be replaced are:
/umdweb/pub/httpd/htdocs/<your_directory>
/umdweb/pub/www/<your_directory> - To upload files to the UMD web server http://www.d.umn.edu/
Host name: www.d.umn.edu Remote host: /web/<your_directory>
or
/usr/local/httpd/htdocs/<your_directory> - To upload files to the UMD secure web server https://www.d.umn.edu/
Host name: www.d.umn.edu Remote host: /web_s/<your_directory>
or
/usr/local/httpd_s/htdocs/<your_directory> - To upload files to your personal directory http://www.d.umn.edu/~username
Host name: www.d.umn.edu Remote host: (leave blank) - For details on making the changes in Dreamweaver and Contribute, see:
** .htaccess files will require secure access
- What this means: All .htaccess files will need to be converted to .htaccess_s format.
- What to do: ITSS staff is working to make these changes. If your password-protected web pages are not accessible or you have other questions, contact the Help Desk for assistance.
** Other configuration changes
- MIME types: Some MIME types might need to be added. Contact the Help Desk for assistance.
- Virtual servers: Location of files will be changed. Contact the Help Desk for assistance.
- Server log files: Access to server log files will be restricted due to security and privacy issues. Contact the Help Desk with questions.
Need assistance?
If you have questions about the upgrade or are having problems with web pages afterwards, please contact the ITSS Help Desk (x8847).