MSUM offers students access to a Student Web Server (SWS) for web publishing needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I edit my website after I create an SWS account?
You may use any web page editor that supports ftp, scp, or sftp. Some editors include: nvu, dreamweaver, designer, and basic text editors (notepad, wordpad, kate, quanta).
How do I upload and download a web page on my Macintosh computer?
You can use the Macintosh ftp program Fetch to develop your page. Please, visit the Macintosh ftp Help page for more instructions.
How do I edit or create my site using Adobe Dreamweaver?
Editing an Existing Site
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Open Dreamweaver
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At the top, select Site and then Manage Sites
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Select your site that you want to modify and click the pencil icon
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In the dialog box appears, select Servers in the left column
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Select the existing connection to the Student Web Server
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Click the pencil icon to edit the server.
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In the settings box that comes up, select SFTP from the “Connect using” drop down menu
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Enter the URL as https://sws.mnstate.edu and Port : 22
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Your username and password for the server are the same as your DragonNet credentials. You may choose to have Dreamweaver save your password.
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Click the Test button. If all is set correctly, you should get a success message, click OK.
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Enter public_html/ as your root directory.
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Enter the Web URL as http://sws.mnstate.edu/username where username is replaced by your DragonNet username
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Click Save to save the new server settings
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Click Save to save the site settings
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Click Done to close the site manager
Creating a New Site
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Open Dreamweaver
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At the top, select Site and then New Site
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Enter the Site Name and select the location to store your new site
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Click Servers from the column on the left.
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Select the plus button to add a new server.
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In the Server Name enter the “Student Web Server”
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In the settings box that comes up, select SFTP from the “Connect using” drop down menu.
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Enter the SFTP Address as https://sws.mnstate.edu and Port: 22.
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Your username and password for the server are the same as your DragonNet credentials and should stay the same from the old server to the new server. You may choose to have Dreamweaver save your password.
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Click the Test button. If all is set correctly, you should get a success message, click OK.
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Enter public_html/ as your root directory.
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Enter the Web URL as http://sws.mnstate.edu/username where username is replaced by your DragonNet username
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Click Save to save the server settings
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Click Save to save the new site
I have composed a website on my computer. How do I upload it to SWS?
Using an ftp client, use sws.mnstate.edu as a hostname, the user portion of your mnstate email address, and your mnstate email password for a password. Once connected, you should be able to drag and drop the files you need to transfer to your web directory.
How do I put sounds on my website?
Simply upload the music file, and make a link to it.
Does SWS support MS Frontpage Extensions?
No, we do not support MS Frontpage Extensions. This product is no longer supported by Microsoft.
What dynamic content can I utilize?
The current SWS supports CGI scripts and php.
Does SWS support any streaming multimedia?
No, streaming multimedia requires immense amounts of bandwidth, and SWS is not intended for these purposes.
How do I make my file names link properly?
First, check that there are no misspellings in the file that you are linking from, then check you have the casing on the filename correct. All filenames on SWS are case-sensitive.
Does SWS store backups of my files?
MSUM does keep backups of files uploaded to SWS. As a precaution, however, we strongly recommend that you keep a copy of your website stored in a safe location. Once a file is deleted, the backup for that file is held for only a limited time.
If more assistance is needed
Incident Request: If you still need help with something not working as it should or have questions, please contact the IT Help Desk or create a ticket using the "Incident Request" button on this page, or if there isn't one included then you can initiate it from the home page.
Service Request: A formal request from a user for something to be provided, information, advice, a standard change or access to an IT service, navigate to the Service Catalog to find the service you specifically would like to request.