FAQs

Commonly asked questions

I need a website / database for my project – can you help?

Perhaps you’re not sure what’s possible? Or maybe you know what you want, but need to know more about what’s involved in getting it? Contact us and we can talk you through all the various options available.

As well as discussing your website and database requirements, we can talk you through other considerations such as ongoing support, maintenance and sustainability. Many funding councils look for explicit reassurances that web based resources are being delivered in a well-managed technical environment and with a commitment to ensuring they are available for a good number of years after any project might end.

Once you have a clearer idea of what you want and the various costs involved, we can also help you write up your requirements as part of your funding bid.

If you want to discuss a funding proposal with us, just contact us at Service Management through the IS Helpline.

You don’t list a particular technology I want to use. Can I have this?

In most cases the answer would unfortunately be no. By restricting the set of technologies that we support we can focus our efforts onto providing quality support and minimising the cost to you. We would always encourage you to come have a chat with us before embarking on any development to check that we can support what you want to achieve.

How do I get a domain name (url) for my website?

If you would like a domain name that reflects your College, School or org unit name, e.g. www.mysite.hss.ed.ac.uk, then this doesn’t require any approval from the University domain naming committee (your School or org unit may well have a view however). In these cases you can usually just request your preference and we will set it up as part of setting up your web hosting.

If you would like a ‘top level’ domain name, for example www.mysite.ed.ac.uk, then this has to go to the University domain naming committee for approval. The IS Helpline can forward your request on to them, but you will need to provide some information as to why you feel you need this top level domain name. The committee will use that to evaluate your request.

How do I get an .ac.uk domain name?

If you are working on a research project with colleagues from a range of institutions and you feel an .ac.uk name would be most appropriate, you may request one. The domain name has to be registered via Jisc, and there are eligibility criteria that you need to bear in mind. You can check whether your proposal fits the eligibility criteria on the Jisc website. If you think it does, you can then download and complete a request form.

Completed request forms should be sent to hostmaster@ed.ac.uk. Once you have your domain name agreed, contact us at Service Management (through the IS Helpline) to arrange the setup of your web space.

Can I have a non ed.ac.uk domain name?

Yes, you may. We are more than happy to help you host a non .ac.uk domain name, or even a .org, .net etc - as long as the site will be used to support University business.

For any non .ac.uk domain name, you will need to buy this yourself from an external domain registration company and make the arrangements to have this pointed at the University servers. We can give you the technical information you need to have the domain name pointed at the University servers, but there are too many domain name registration companies for us to recommend any particular one for you to use.

Can I have EASE on my website?

As long as your website is on one of the University hosting servers, then yes, you can. Simply select EASE when submitting your hosting request form or, if your hosting account already exists, submit your request to Service Management (through the IS Helpline) with your domain name.

You can learn more about using EASE on your website on the EASE service pages.

How can I arrange to have an external website hosted on University servers?

We can assist with the migration of a website from an external hosting provider onto our university servers, provided that the site relates to University teaching or research. You may keep your existing web address, or we can supply you with a new one. We will advise on the best-fit solution and can set up the hosting space as required. We are also able to advise on - but note, not undertake - the following aspects of the migration:

1. Termination of the external hosting agreement.

2. Copying of files into the new space we provide.

3. Renewal of domain name (if non-.ed.ac.uk).