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Hosting FAQ about the shared server

This page provides FAQ about the web server on the shared server. If you have any questions or requests before using the shared server, please send an email to supports@imc.tut.ac.jp. If you have any questions or requests after using the shared server, please send an email to jointserver-users@lists.imc.tut.ac.jp or add them at ../../FAQ. To join or withdraw from the mailing list of jointserver-users (administrators are registered when applying for use of the shared server), send an email to desk@imc.tut.ac.jp.

General questions

Since when has the server usage fee been charged?

The server usage fee has been charged since July, 2008.

How much is the server usage fee?

2,500 yen per month. To simplify the administrative procedures, the fee is charged once a year.

There are the following exceptions.

  • No server usage fee is charged for the first 6 months from the start of use. During this period, please perform migration or testing.
  • When a “newly” established department or center applies for use, the date of establishment of the department or center is regarded as the day the user starts using the server. In other words, no usage fee is charged during the preparation period before the establishment and 6 months after the establishment.

Can I entrust the whole server administration task to the center?

No, not all administration tasks can be performed by the center.

Tasks to maintain and manage servers are classified in the following 4 categories depending on the target.

  • User support (e.g., configuration of mailer or browser of domain members)
  • Maintenance and management of contents (e.g., registration of email addresses and update of web pages and registration of DNS)
  • Maintenance and management of system (e.g., application of security prefix of server software)
  • Maintenance and management of hardware (e.g., update of server units and replacement of battery of UPS)

Regarding the shared server, the center undertakes the maintenance and management of the system and maintenance and management of the hardware of all four categories. For maintenance and management of contents and user support, users should undertake the tasks.

Maintenance and management of the system covers only software provided as standard on the shared server. Software installed by users of the shared server (CGI, etc.) is not covered.

How long is the service downtime?

  • The service stops due to the power outage in the whole university in spring and summer. Each time it takes about 2 to 3 days.
  • In addition, the service may be stopped due to necessary maintenance.

Configuration

How can I configure DNS to use services on the shared server (web server, mail server, etc.)?

To use DNS server on the shared server, see /DomainNameServer.

When a user operates their own DNS server, or when they use DNS of an upper-level domain, the following configurations are required.

Web server
Set the A record of the name of the web server to the IP address we provide you.
Mail server
Set the MX record of the domain you want to use to mx0.imc.tut.ac.jp and mx1.imc.tut.ac.jp.
Mailing list server
Set the A record (or CNAME record) that refers to the web interface for managing the mailing list to the IP address we provide you.

To be more precise, configure the forward DNS zone of the DNS server (e.g., ns0.imc.tut.ac.jp) that administers the domain you want to use (e.g., example.imc.tut.ac.jp) as follows.

  • When web server, mail server and mailing list server are used
example         IN      A       <the IP address we provide you>
                IN      MX      10 mx0.imc.tut.ac.jp.
                IN      MX      20 mx1.imc.tut.ac.jp.
www.example     IN      CNAME   example
lists.example   IN      CNAME   mailman.imc.tut.ac.jp.
  • When web server and mail server are used
example         IN      A       <the IP address we provide you>
                IN      MX      10 mx0.imc.tut.ac.jp.
                IN      MX      20 mx1.imc.tut.ac.jp.
www.example     IN      CNAME   example
  • When mail server and mailing list server are used
example         IN      MX      10 mx0.imc.tut.ac.jp.
                IN      MX      20 mx1.imc.tut.ac.jp.
lists.example   IN      CNAME   mailman.imc.tut.ac.jp.
  • When only mail server is used
example         IN      MX      10 mx0.imc.tut.ac.jp.
                IN      MX      20 mx1.imc.tut.ac.jp.
  • When only web server is used
example         IN      A       <the IP address we provide you>
www.example     IN      CNAME   example

What steps should I take to move the existing domain?

  • The web server can be referred by both http://<domain you requested>/ and http://<host name we provide>/.

  • The mail server can be restored any time by properly configuring the alias of each user. In addition, email address username@<host name we provided> can be used for testing.

The following shows the migration steps when you apply for the use of example.imc.tut.ac.jp.

  1. Applying for the use of the shared server
  2. Preparation for migration of web server

    • Copy the contents of the web server and fully test the site for testing (e.g., http://tutexample.js.imc.tut.ac.jp/).

    • Note that the access to the web server from external sites of the university is restricted before we receive the report that the test is completed.
  3. Preparation of the migration of email server
    • Register email addresses

      1. Use the shared server management CGI to register users.

      2. Register the alias using the shared server management CGI.

    • In preparation for possible problems during the migration, change the configuration of the existing mail server.
      1. Check that the host name of the existing name server is a proper name other than a domain name (e.g., server.example.imc.tut.ac.jp) instead of a domain name (e.g.,example.imc.tut.ac.jp). In case the host name is not a proper name, (i) change the host name of the mail server and (ii) configure the MX record of the DNS so that email to “username@domain name” is delivered to the existing mail server.
      2. Make a configuration change so that the existing mail server receives an email to not only “username@domain name” but also “username@the host name of the existing mail server.”

    • Fully test to verify that it works. Before the test completion is reported, even when an email to the actual email address e.g., taro@example.imc.tut.ac.jp is received by the shared server, the email is simply forwarded to the existing mail server.

  4. Notify users of the date of the migration and procedure.
  5. Notify the center of the migration date. From the migration date, (i) the access restriction on the web server is cancelled, and (ii) the sending and receiving of emails of the actual email addresses is started.
  6. On the migration day
    1. Temporarily stop the existing email server.
    2. Follow the steps above, change the DNS configuration and start using the shared server.
      • It takes some time before the DNS configuration spreads all over the world. Before the configuration spreads, an email arrives in the existing mail server. To address the issue, there are two ways. The first way is to simply stop the existing email server. Since the existing mail server stops, the source mail server stores emails in the spool for a while and resends them later. If the DNS configuration spreads before the source mail server resends the emails, there is no problem. The second way is to change the configuration of the existing server so that emails arriving to the existing mail server can be forwarded to the shared server.

More detail steps are required to migrate DNS, please consult us individually.

Web server

See WebServer.

Mail server

See MailServer.

DNS server

See DomainNameServer.

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