Frequently Asked Questions

• I don't know how to create web pages. Does Weinberg have resources to help get started?
• Do you offer anything for experienced Dreamweaver users?
• Can I create a web site for my lab or research group on the faculty web server?
• What will my URL be?
• Why do I receive a "Forbidden" error: "You don't have permission to access /~netid/ on this server"
• Fetch never connects to my site (Macintosh). What's wrong?
• I know someone who can help with my site. Can I give them access to my account?
• Will my pages be searchable?
• Can I install software on the web server?

I don't know how to create web pages. Does Weinberg have resources to help get started?

Weinberg IT offers Adobe Contribute, an easy-to-use web publishing application and a "starter page" to build your first site off of. See Contribute for Faculty Web Pages for more information.

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Do you offer anything for experienced Dreamweaver users?

Weinberg IT offers Dreamweaver Templates for faculty members already familiar with Dreamweaver. You can also connect to the server with several other applications.

Note: Dreamweaver training is offered through HR Training and Development.

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Can I create a web site for my lab or research group on the faculty web server?

Yes, but your group may qualify for space on the main Weinberg Web Server. Contact web@wcas.northwestern.edu for details.

If you're thinking about usingour Dreamweaver Templates for faculty, you should also see our more general purpose Web Site Templates for Dreamweaver.

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What will my URL be?

Your URL will be http://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/~netid (where "netid" is your NetID). Until you post your pages, you will receive a forbidden error when you look at it in the browser.

Your home page should be saved as "index.html" (or index.htm). When a URL doesn't end with a filename (something.html), the server assumes the URL is a folder (in this case the public_html directory of your account) and uses the index.html (or .htm) page.

If you do not use index.html and instead save your home page as "home.html" you will continue to receive the forbidden error when accessing the above URL and will instead have to direct your users to http://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/~netid/home.html (or whatever file name you chose). Using index.html is strongly encouraged to keep URLs as simple as possible.

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Why do I receive a "Forbidden" error: "You don't have permission to access /~netid/ on this server"

You have to create your web pages in a program like Dreamweaver and post/upload them before you'll be able to see anything in a web browser. You should name at least one page, preferably the home page, index.html (see What will my URL be).

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Fetch never connects to my site (Macintosh). What's wrong?

Be sure the "Connect using" menu is set to "SFTP" (screenshot).

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I know someone who can help with my site. Can I give them access to my account?

Yes, though this person must have a NetID. If this is an outside consultant you can request a temporary NetID for the duration of their work. Contact web@wcas.northwestern.edu for more information.

Sharing your NetID password with anyone (even an employee) is a violation of NUIT policy.

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Will my pages be searchable?

Your pages will be searchable by Google and other internet search engines. Before your page can appear in search results, another page must link to it so Google, et al can "find" your new page. This will most likely be your department's web site. Contact your site maintainer for assistance.

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Can I install software on the web server?

No.

To maintain overall server performance and security, no server-side technologies (PHP, ASP, databases) or applications are supported.

Contact web@wcas.northwestern.edu with specific software questions. Other options may be available depending on the need or demand for a particular service.

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