Overview | Upgrade FAQ | Account Rules | Space | Software | Access | UNIX | Web Hosting
I heard that the Emerald server has been upgraded. What does that mean?
On October 1st, 2008, the Emerald server (emerald.tufts.edu) was migrated to new hardware to provide for a more robust, secure, and convenient computing platform. The new server, whose domain name is emerald.uit.tufts.edu, uses LDAP authentication to seamlessly integrate your UTLN and Trumpeter email/Webmail password for Emerald server access. In addition, the exclusive use of SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) facilitates increased security for you, your data, and the Tufts network.
I have a small web site on Emerald. Do I have to transfer my files and directories to the new server?
No. All of your files and directories, along with the permissions and group access, were transferred for you and will be available the first time you login to the new server. Working with files, applications, or web sites on the new server will look and feel the same as the old server.
Is there anything I need to do differently?
Yes, there are 3 simple steps you need to take to access the new server:
- After October 1, 2008, any application you use to connect to Emerald will need the host or server settings (emerald.tufts.edu) updated to reflect the new domain name, which is emerald.uit.tufts.edu.
- As of October 1, 2008, login authentication to Emerald is now integrated with the LDAP directory. This means that your Emerald login name and password will be the same as your Trumpeter email and Webmail login (your UTLN) and password.
- Replace any FTP-only applications that you now use to access Emerald with SFTP capable programs.
Will my web site address stay the same as it is now?
Yes, the URL of your site will stay the same. The Emerald DNS name change will not affect any URL, file, or directory names.
I'm currently using WS_FTP to connect to Emerald. Will it continue to work?
To improve security and safeguard the Tufts network, the new server uses the SFTP protocol. The Emerald server will not accept connections or file transfers with the FTP protocol. There are, however, several excellent alternatives that are both free and open-source. For Windows, Mac (OS X 10.5 or higher), and Linux computers, we recommend FileZilla, a program that uses SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) to connect and securely transfer files to and from a server. To read more about FileZilla or download a copy, go to http://filezilla-project.org/. See the end of this FAQ for links to documentation about using FileZilla with the new Emerald server.
An open-source alternative for the Mac is Cyberduck (OS X 10.4 or higher). You can read more about Cyberduck at http://cyberduck.ch/. See the end of this FAQ for links to documentation about using Cyberduck with the new Emerald server.
Another popular open-source alternative for Windows is WinSCP. Read more about WinSCP at http://winscp.net/eng/index.php.
I am an Outlook/Exchange user and not a Trumpeter email or Webmail user. What password will I use?
Outlook email users who connect to an Exchange server do not authenticate through the LDAP directory and, therefore, may well have an email password that is not the same as their LDAP account password. If this describes you and you do not know what your LDAP password is, contact your FSP or IT Support organization for more assistance.
I use Dreamweaver to edit and upload my web site files to Emerald. Can I continue to use Dreamweaver?
Yes, but you’ll need to adjust your Emerald site definition to reflect the new DNS name and server SFTP requirement to connect to Emerald. To edit your site settings:
See the end of this FAQ for links to additional documentation.
- Open Dreamweaver and select Site > Manage Sites from the menu bar.
- When the Manage Sites window opens, highlight your Emerald site definition and click Edit.
- Select the Remote Info category and update the following:
- FTP host: emerald.uit.tufts.edu
- Password: your LDAP password
- Check the Use Secure FTP (SSH) checkbox.
- Click OK to close the Edit window and Done to close the Manage Sites window.
I’m currently using SecureCRT to connect to Emerald. What settings should I change?
SecureCRT has been set to use the SSH protocol for several years, but if you're using a version of SecureCRT that is older than version 6.1, you will need to manually update the host name to the new Emerald DNS name. To do so:
- Open Secure CRT, highlight your emerald.tufts.edu session, and click the Properties icon.
- Change the session name to emerald.uit.tufts.edu. Although this is just the name of the session and doesn’t affect your ability to connect, it will save confusion later and remind you that this setting has been updated.
- Select the SSH2 category and change the Hostname: field to emerald.uit.tufts.edu.
- When finished, click OK.
Remember to also use your UTLN and Trumpeter email/Webmail password when connecting to Emerald. See the end of this FAQ for additional documentation about updating your connection software settings.Has the pre-configured host settings version of the SecureCRT download on the UIT web site been updated?
Yes. Version 6.1 of SecureCRT includes updated host settings for Emerald and several other servers that have changed their session settings in the last several months. It’s important to note, however, that by installing the updated version of SecureCRT, all previously saved sessions in your current copy of SecureCRT will be overwritten.
My web site is looking pretty dated and I was thinking of adding some of the new interactive web tools, like blogs, podcasts, and forums into my site. Will the new Emerald server be able handle these?
For many reasons, Emerald is not a viable option for most of the Web 2.0 tools. Instead, you may want to consider moving/rebuilding your site as a Spark wiki .
Created by the UIT Academic Technology group, Spark is an award-winning suite of collaborative web-based communication tools. Creating a Spark Wiki is a university-wide personal and departmental web site alternative that makes integrating blogs, forums, podcasts, interactive maps, and more into your web site seamless. The advantages of switching your Emerald-based site to Spark include:
Ease of use
The Spark server, managed by UIT, is Internet-based, so there is nothing to install or configure. You don’t need additional applications like Dreamweaver, FileZilla, or SecureCRT, to create, edit, upload files, or manage your site and you can work on the site from any computer with an active Internet connection.Well supported
The Spark site includes helpful definitions, quick-start links for each tool, instructive examples, and many short how-to videos. Used in conjunction with the Theme Builder plug-in, an effective and professional looking site can be built in a day. To help you, UIT Training and Documentation has created a 100+ page manual entitled Using Theme Builder to Customize Your Spark Wiki.Built for collaboration
Wiki’s are, by definition, intended for group collaboration. Adding members of your team, department, or club as editors of the site does not require a special request for group permissions, as it did with Emerald. Any member of the Tufts community with a listing in the LDAP directory can be added or removed as a contributor (co-editor) to the site by you at any time.Current technology
The Spark team actively searches for useful additions to the suite of communication and collaboration tools. To view a detailed list of current available tools, go to the Spark home page, located at http://spark.uit.tufts.edu/ .
For more information visit the Spark Support Site at:
http://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/SparkSupport/Home
View Wiki and Theme Builder How-To videos:
http://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/SparkSupport/FAQs
Will Emerald continue to host new web sites?
No. Students, faculty, and staff interested in creating a new web site should contact their IT Support organization to see what options are available within their School. Click here to see a listing of other alternatives.
Additional Support
Using Theme Builder to Customize Your Spark Wiki (Adobe PDF)
Emerald Update FAQ (this web page information in Adobe PDF format)
Emerald File Transfers with FileZilla (Adobe PDF)
Installing Cyberduck SFTP Software on a Mac (Adobe PDF)
Configuring Emerald Host Settings in SecureCRT, Dreamweaver, and FileZilla (video)
FileZilla - Download, Install, and Configure for Emerald (video)
For questions or additional help, contact the UIT Support Center at uitsc@tufts.edu or call (617) 627-3376.
