Understanding the FSU Web Development Environment

The FSU web site is an extensive network of static and dynamically created information resources residing on multiple servers located across the FSU network. Web servers are maintained and administered by the Information Technology Department.

The characteristics and function of the web servers of interest to FSU web page managers and web publishers are described below.

• FSU Live Web Server, www.frostburg.edu - All official web pages, i.e. web pages of University colleges, departments, divisions, or other units and programs, reside on the live FSU web server. The live FSU web server is a Windows-based system, running IIS 6. Access to this system is reserved for web administration personnel.
  
  
• FSU Mirror Web Server, mirror.frostburg.edu - A development/testing copy of the live FSU web site resides on the FSU mirror web server. The development site allows FSU web publishers to test new designs and web page changes before the changes "go live" on the FSU live site. This server runs the same operating system and supports the same functionality as the FSU live web server. Web page managers of official FSU web sites are given access to this system.
  
  
• FSU Faculty/Staff Personal Page Web Server, faculty.frostburg.edu - All faculty and staff personal pages reside on the FSU faculty.frostburg.edu web server. This server provides simple HTML hosting services. No advanced web technologies or web securities are provided.
  
  If you are a faculty member and you want to build a web page to support a course you are teaching, it is strongly suggest that you use the Blackboard Course Management System. See the FSU Blackboard Course Management System discussion which follows for more information.
  
  
• FSU Blackboard Course Management System, blackboard.frostburg.edu - Blackboard is the industry leading web-based course management system featuring functionalities like controlled access, web based content management, online assessment services and discussion boards.
  
  
• FSU Student Web Servers, personal.frostburg.edu & organizations.frostburg.edu - These web servers house all student organization and student personal pages. The servers are administered by the Office of Academic Computing.