[WEB4LIB] Lobbying for a dedicated web server

[Norwood, Randy]

Andrew:

It depends on a number of considerations. Probably the most important is
whether your campus server department is comfortable using your
preferred OS, web server, database and scripting environment
(Perl/PHP/ASP/JSP). You may not have a lot of choice. For example, Texas
Tech's campus server department uses Windows '03 Server clusters and IIS
6 for almost all of the various run of the mill departmental websites
(including the library's). Their system supports PHP, and I've found it
works well with almost no changes from Linux/Apache (where our site
previously was). There's also a version of Apache for Windows.

Also, see if you can just get space on their system, rather than the
library buying a box and requiring the server department integrate it
into their environment. That will make it easier for them to maintain,
back up, repair, etc. You would be given sufficient access to the server
to maintain your site.



--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Randy Norwood
Web Manager
Texas Tech University Libraries
Office: 806-742-2238 x318
Fax: 806-742-8669
E-mail: randy.norwood at ttu.edu



-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Darby
Sent: Friday, September 03, 2004 12:19 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: [WEB4LIB] Lobbying for a dedicated web server

Hello, all.  I'm at a smallish academic library, and currently we have a
little folder on the university's web server, without access to
goodies/basic human necessities like PHP and MySQL.  As such, we are
about to lobby for our own web server, presumably to be hosted by campus
in their climate controlled room.

My question, then, is:  What sort of resistance should I expect?  What
sorts of concerns are likely to be voiced (and what are reasonable
countering arguments)?

Perhaps I am wrong, but if the IT folks

1. do the initial setup of a LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP) environment,
with the security to their liking

and 2. integrate this box into their backup routine (i believe they do a
middle of the night chron job)

there should be little or no overhead on their part.  By gum, it would
be one less thing for them to worry about! My recollection from a
previous incarnation, is that Apache servers are pretty stable, and
don't require much (if any) maintenance . . .

And as a bonus, in the unlikely event we do something stupid and crash
the server, the campus at large is insulated.  (We currently have full
access to the library folder on the existing server.)

Any thoughts, suggestions, etc.?

Thanks,

Andrew Darby