Until March 2006, schools websites were stored on an old webserver which was then approx. 8 years old and had a 9Gb hard disk, serving the borough's 120 schools. All around the old server, other similar aged systems had been failing irreparably over the past 6 to 12 months.

The migration finally took place over the weekend of 25th March 2006, FTP was disabled on the old server to prevent updates from being lost before the new service was completed.

This is now done, there are settings that schools using the service should note:

• FTP is not a secure method of data transfer (passwords can be sent clear text over the connection) and so a more secure data transfer method has been used: secure FTP.

• Because of this, users who previously used ws_ftp to manage their websites will need to upgrade. A free tool called Filezilla can be downloaded here (alternatively, type filezilla into a google search and follow the download links). Choose SFTP using SSH2 as the Servertype.

• Users who use other software: newer versions of Dreamweaver (I have tested on MX2004) have a secure FTP setting, use this.

• The server has a different IP address, replace the current address with schools-websites.sandwell.net  

(to ensure that your DNS is correctly configured, follow this link.)

NB (14/01/08) Following a configuration issue with the schools network to Sandwell network interlink, this address will not work externally.

Please replace this with   smbc-ssh.sandwell.local  from the Broadband Sandwell network.

Continue to use the schools-websites.sandwell.net address from external PCs, e.g. at home.

• FTP usernames and passwords have not changed, please use the login credentials that you previously had. Schools that made use of the login and users secure folders should contact me to reset these.

• Set the remote folder to be :      /var/local/web.sites/school_<<your_school_name>>.sandwell.sch.uk/html. (Replace the <<your_school_name>> with your school's "Schoolnames on the Net" name, i.e. the same as the domain used in your school's email addresses); if your school was st-godwins, you would enter /var/local/web.sites/school_st-godwins.sandwell.sch.uk/html

• Please note that content on the web server is not backed up and that schools should keep their own backups of their websites.

• Any problems, please contact our helpdesk on 0121 569 2414

Keith Chandler

Broadband Sandwell

keith.chandler@broadbandsandwell.org.uk