The following FAQs are in response to questions received from the campus about the Socrates and Arachne retirement pertaining to web hosting solutions. The FAQs represent the general trend of questions addressed to the project team.
For customers with tilde accounts on Socrates (socrates/~username), we have identified a solution for redirecting these sites and will provide it prior to the 12/19/08 shut off date.
All of the IST options are too expensive.
The current IST service offerings provide more robust environments with redundancy built in. The CalWeb IIS service is comparable to the Arachne pricing. In addition, IST offers a variety of in-house web hosting solutions. Please see our Web Hosting Comparison Chart to determine if one of these solutions meets your department’s requirements. IST is also piloting a program to offer affordable web hosting solutions sourced from an external service provider, Dreamhost. This program is only available to current Socrates or Arachne customers whose web sites do not include restricted data. More information about the Dreamhost pilot is available here.
What options are available with Dreamhost?
The program consists of shared and direct hosting options. The shared option is intended for static html sites whereas the direct option is for customers that want to configure their accounts and access the full range of Dreamhost's features. For more information and eligibility requirements please visit the pilot web page: http://ist.berkeley.edu/services/catalog/web/dreamhost.
If I choose the Dreamhost direct option, can I enable Google Apps?
To be eligibe for the pilot program, you agree to disable Google Apps during setup by unchecking the appropriate box. Google Apps may not be enabled at any time for the duration of the pilot.
If I choose the Dreamhost direct option, can I set up CalNet authentication?
Other groups have integrates CalNet authentication on externally hosted sites using commercial Internet Serivce Providers (ISPs). You will need to work out the details with Dreamhost technical support. Resources for CalNet developers are available here. If you need additional technical support, you can also purchase hourly programming help from the web applications team. You can contact them directly at
Can I set up CalNet authentication if my site is eligible for the shared hosting option?
No, this feature is not available for the shared hosting option.
Can I purchase an SSL certificate for my site if it is hosted with the Dreamhost direct option?
You should be able to purchase a certifcate for your berkeley.edu doamin hosted on Dreamhost, but you will not be able to use the campus wild card certificates. For more information please see http://ist.berkeley.edu/services/is/certificates
Can I purchase an SSL certificate for my site if it is hosted with the Dreamhost shared option?
No, SSL certificates are not available for the shared hosting option.
What will the cost be for my class web site?
The campus supports the use of bSpace, UC Berkeley's online collaboration and learning environment, at no cost. bSpace provides a template for course web sites and allows instructors to link the official class roster with the site.
IST is investigating whether bSpace meets the particular needs of Socrates and Arachne users.
I have checked bSpace and there are issues with usability and granting access to outside users.
bSpace went through a redesign prior to the Fall 2007 semester and made a number of user interface changes based on user feedback. By default, students who are enrolled in a course have access to the course website on bSpace. Students do not need to be added manually.
Instructors and project site owners can manually add people from the UC Berkeley community (GSIs, etc) or outside guests to their bSpace site. Both types of participants are added using the Add Participants feature in Site Info. Members of the UC Berkeley community are added with their UID or directory-listed email address. Outside guests are added with their email address, and automatically receive a password to gain access.
I need password protected file access that I currently have on Socrates. Will this stay the same?
If you choose to use bSpace to distribute files via a course or project site, people will be prompted to log in to access those files. bSpace uses CalNet Authentication for members of the UC Berkeley community. Other members of your site will use a guest user name (their email address) and password to log in to bSpace.
Will your staff move all my files and directories to the new web hosting service?
If you select one of IST's current webhosting services and require assistance, Web Applications can provide this service on an hourly basis. For more information please refer to http://ist.berkeley.edu/as/webapps or email
I access my website with tarantula.berkeley.edu. Will I be affected by the upcoming changes?
The tarantula and spider webservers actually run on the main server, arachne.berkeley.edu, so you are affected.
How can I find out information about my account?
The CalWeb consulting team can provide answers for questions about disk space, passwords, as well as canceling an account and stopping billing. To contact them, send an email to
or call 642-8500 extension 4.
Are there any other places on campus that provide web hosting?
I've heard that outsourcing to an external web hosting provider may be a less expensive option.
Outsourcing domain hosting is an option, however there may be contractual, technical, and policy requirements. All off-campus domain hosting requests are handled by the Security, Privacy, and Policy (SPP) office in the Office of the CIO; please contact SPP at,
.
Is there any flexibility around multiple chart strings, sharing service cost?
We're researching a solution.
Should I move now or wait?
We are encouraging customers to move sooner rather than later. To initiate this process please contact the Technical Account Management group,
.
