Virtual Hosts at The University of Alabama

A "virtual host" is a Web host name that points to an actual Web site or Web server. A virtual host might point to a Web site on bama.ua.edu, or it might point to another Web server on campus. For example, the virtual host name "groupname.ua.edu" might point to the Web site actually at "http://bama.ua.edu/~groupname". If a virtual host points to a site on a campus server other than bama.ua.edu, that server must be capable of resolving virtual host requests.

The policies for virtual hosts at The University of Alabama are as follows:

1. A virtual host name must reflect the name of the department, division, organization or purpose for which it is created. Nicknames and other inappropriate names may not be used.

2. Any department or division of the University may request a virtual host name. Requests of the form "name.ua.edu" will be considered. Names of the form "name.division.ua.edu" may be more appropriate in some situations. A department may also request a virtual host name for a course or group of courses; in that case, the host name must include the name of the course, and the department and division to which it belongs.

3. Approved student organizations may request a virtual host name for a Web site on bama.ua.edu. No requests will be accepted for student organization names pointing to other campus servers. Student organization names will be of the form "orgname.studentorg.ua.edu" where orgname reflects the name of the organization. A virtual host name of the form "orgname.ua.edu" may also be granted as long as there is no potential confusion between the proposed name and an official University department. Student organizations must meet annual registration requirements and be approved by the Office of the Dean of Students. Organizations that fail to register, or that lose the approval of the Office of the Dean of Students, will lose their virtual host names, Web sites, and bama.ua.edu account privileges.

4. Campus professional or academic organizations, University groups, and faculty groups for which the University provides support or services may request virtual host names. Such organizations will be asked to explain the nature of their University support. Requests for organizations that have local faculty/staff members but are not directly supported by the University will not be considered at this time. A system for considering such requests may be established in the future.

5. Departments contemplating the purchase of a Website domain name, such as a name ending in .org or .com, should first discuss with Seebeck Computer Center whether such a name can be hosted on University equipment.

   1. Departments and supported organizations that purchase and register a name ending in .org may request the computer center to host the purchased name. An organization making such a request must be one for which the University provides support or services and must be professional or academic in nature. Such requests must have the support of the dean/division head for the requesting area. Social, political or religious organization requests will not be accepted.

   2. Departments and supported organizations that purchase and register a name ending in .com may request the computer center to host the purchased name. The request must explain how this .com site is related to the business of the University and why it is important that the site be housed on University equipment rather than commercially. The request must have the support of the dean/division head for the requesting area. Such requests also require the approval of the Associate Vice President for Information Technology.

6. An organization Web site hosted by the University must acknowledge the support of The University of Alabama

7. No requests will be considered for virtual host names for sites belonging to individual faculty, staff, or students or for other "unofficial" sites.

8. If the nature or purpose of a Web site changes after virtual host support has been approved, the responsible department or organization must inform the computer center of the changed nature of the Web site. In such a case, the computer center may reconsider virtual host support for that site.

9. All Web sites housed on University computing equipment must meet University guidelines and requirements for Web sites, including the posting of the official Web page disclaimer, an accurate "last updated" date, and information on contacting the Webmaster or department responsible for the site. Virtual host names will not be assigned or installed for sites that are planned but do not yet exist.

10. Requesting a virtual host name does not automatically mean that the request will be granted. The computer center will consider each request in light of its adherence to policy, its contribution to the University mission, and its impact on available resources. The computer center reserves the right to review any Web site at any time, and to deny Web privileges or virtual host privileges to any site not in compliance with University policy.

Requests for campus virtual host names should be made in writing to Shane Merritt, Director of Network & Computing Support, Box 870346. Requests should include the name and purpose of the requesting organization, an explanation of the need or purpose of the name, the requested name, the actual (existing) site for which the virtual name is requested, and the name and address of the Webmaster or manager of the site.