Computing
and Information Services

Vassar provides space for faculty, staff and administrators of the College to create their own website.

What You Need To Know

The information provided here, assumes you are familiar with the use of a computer, browsing the Internet using a web browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.) and you have created pages that are ready to be published.  If you need help getting ready to publish, please contact our Technology Trainer (training@vassar.edu) for a hands-on session.

Getting a Web Account

The Vassar Computer Center provides a web account for every Vassar student, faculty member, administrator, and staff member to publish web pages. Go to GetWeb to get started.

Directory Structure

Your web pages are public files for everyone on the web to see. All your web files reside in a folder called "web". Any file in this folder are public so don't put an item there that is not ready or is not appropriate (such as copyrighted materials) for public viewing.

Naming Your Files

File names on the web are case sensitive. This means that "Hello.html" is a completely different file from "hello.html". Therefore, it is a good idea to always use all lowercase letters for your filenames to avoid confusion. All html files should end with ".html" or ".htm".

The main page for your website should be called "index.html".  If you do not have a file called index.html, a list of all files in your web directory will be shown.

Uploading Your Pages

Please note, FTP and sFTP can be used on-campus. If you are going to be uploading files from off-campus you must first connect to the network using VPN. Click here to learn more about VPN.

Testing Your Pages

Be sure to test your pages locally in a variety of popular web browsers.

Your URL will be:

• Faculty: http://faculty.vassar.edu/username/
• Administrators and Staff: http://adminstaff.vassar.edu/username/

Updating Your Pages:

You can update your pages at any time by transferring the new version to your account to replace the old version.

Vassar Web Policies:

Below is a brief discussion of rules regarding the use of the web at Vassar. Be sure to check the College regulations which are covered more completely in the student handbook.

• Who can have a website?
  Vassar provides web space for current faculty, staff and administrators.
• When do web accounts get cleared?
  In order to keep content current, individual web accounts are cleared each October. If you wish to keep your page available, you will need to re-upload a copy of your files to the server. Be sure to keep copies of your current pages on a your own disk.
• Are there space limitations?
  Because hard disk space on the server is limited we limit the space your files occupy. We will notify you if you are over your limit.
• Are there network limitations?
  The network is shared by everyone on campus. The network can carry only a limited amount of information at any one time. Hints on limiting your traffic include keeping pictures, sound files, movies, etc. small and linking to the original item if it is off-campus. If we find that your web pages account for more than its share of the network traffic, we will ask you to reduce your consumption.
• What type of content can I post?
  Your web account is provided for media of your own creation. Please do not copy files from elsewhere into your account; use links to those resources instead. This reduces both disk consumption and network traffic. Copyright laws apply to all media, including the web. Don't use copyrighted materials without prior approval and give appropriate credit to the creator of any work that is not your own.
• Please use your account for noncommercial purposes only.