Faculty Web Server | UW Laboratory of Genetics
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Faculty Web Server

The department has provided a dedicated web server for faculty web sites. The server is runnning Mac OS X Server and Apache. Each faculty web site has its own domain name: lastName.genetics.wisc.edu. Secure access to faculty web directories is provided through Secure FTP (SFTP), which encrypts both passwords and data during file transactions.

To sign up for a web site, contact Genetics Support.

How to access the web server:
To connect to the server, you will need to use an SFTP client. SFTP clients look and behave very much like FTP programs you have probably used in the past. There are a number of SFTP clients available; some are commercial, some are shareware, and some are freeware. Here is some recommended SFTP clients:

Macintosh
Fugu
freeware, requires Mac OS X

Aptana Studio
Aptana Studio is a powerful, free and open source Ajax development environment which runs stand-alone or within Eclipse.

Adobe Dreamweaver CS3
commercial HMTL editor with SFTP support. Available of the DoIT Tech Store, see vendor's web site for system requirements

BBEdit
commercial HTML editor with SFTP support, see vendor's web site for system requirements

Windows

WinSCP
freeware, requires Windows 95 or later

Aptana Studio
Aptana Studio is a powerful, free and open source Ajax development environment which runs stand-alone or within Eclipse.

Adobe Dreamweaver CS3
commercial HMTL editor with SFTP support. Available of the DoIT Tech Store, see vendor's web site for system requirements

To connect to the server and access your web files, start your sftp client, and enter the server hostname, your username, and password in the appropriate fields.
If you see the option, select to connect via SFTP-only (and not FTP or SCP)
The server's hostname is: zotz.genetics.wisc.edu
Depending on which program you are using, you may see one or two messages regarding authentication, a possible warning, and saving a key or host on your computer. Choose 'OK' for these notices. A window should then open up with two panels showing your local computer files on one side, and your web directory (on the server) on the other side.
Your web directory on the server is located at /Users/youraccountname/public_html
Transfer your files much as you would with an FTP program. Move your web files from your computer to your public_html directory on the server. Once transferred to the server, the pages are live on the web.
Web Site management and Writing Effective Web Pages
The purpose of this server is to enable you to create and edit your own web sites and files. It is best to maintain a copy of your site locally (on your own computer), where you should test new pages with a web browser. Your web folder on the Faculty Web Server is live; i.e., as soon as you transfer a file to your web folder, the file will be published on the web.
As a university web server, all web sites hosted on this server are subject to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Web Accessibility policy. See Web Accessibility 101 for detailed information on the policy how to comply with it. It is also a good idea to review the web guidelines of Section 508 of the Federal Rabilitation Act.
Fortunately, making pages accessible can also help you write effective web pages that reach the largest possible audience, and enable search engines to find your sites. Here are some suggestions:

  • Use web standards as your starting point, and apply web standards as as much as possible.

    Here some good web standards sites:

  • There are many excellent resources for helping you to create web sites that are both effective and accessible. Here are just a few:
  • Include a valid DocType in all of your pages; HTML files without a DocType cannot be validated.
  • Use HTML for your content, and use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for controlling appearance, formatting and layout.
  • Use text wherever possible, and use images only when necessary. Keep image files as small as possible, and use ALT tags properly.

    Use images with care on the web. Images — especially large image files — take much longer than text to download, and can really slow the speed of your web site. Images can also cause accessibility problems if not handled with care.

  • Validate both your HTML and CSS

    Some html editors have built-in validators. Free online validators are available for both HTML and CSS.

  • Check your site for accessibility with one of the free online accessibility checkers, such as CynthiaSays or Bobby.