New CMS Website -- php/mysql on UCD server?

FionnMatthew

It has been the case for a long time that neither MySQL nor php were available on the UCD server. I was wondering if anyone knows if the new CMS system that UCD is using means that they've finally incorporated these features into the server?

bnt

UCD's CMS is not open source, it's a proprietary product called TerminalFour Site Manager. You can find more about UCD's implementation here.

I'm not in IT Services, but I enquired about using it for a society website last month, and was told "we're looking at that". If it does get offered to societies etc. I expect it will be locked down full service i.e. you won't get direct database access. (According to the supplier website, it uses JDBC for database access, and has an API.)

FionnMatthew

Thanks!

Yah, I knew it wasn't open source, actually - I've been corresponding with the secretary in our department about it.

It's not a society thing, though - it's that I was asked to set up an official blog for the philosophy department, and I did, but because the UCD server didn't have mysql or php I had to set it up on my netsoc account.

Which is grand... but I won't be around for ever, and some of the staff would prefer if the blog could be brought under the "ucd.ie" wing.

So I guess I was wondering if having any old CMS system at all would require that UCD would have stuck database software and php on their server. But it sounds from what you said that they have!

But I'm taking from what you said that they're not using msql for databases?

bnt

I have no idea what database they are using: Site Manager can use any of the main ones, including MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server, via a JDBC layer. You could contact IT Services for more details, they ought to help if you're representing a department. It's just that it's a closed system, and you probably won't get to install the blogging system you're currently using on there, write any PHP, even talk to the databases at all - that's what I mean by "full service".

ravydavygravy

Iy you want it under the ucd.ie banner, they'll probably ask you to develop it again within their CMS - like these departments: http://www.ucd.ie/itservices/webservices/latestdevelopments/contentmanagementsystem/

FionnMatthew

Thanks guys,

Looks like it would be a bad move to try and move it onto the UCD server. What I currently have is a Wordpress install on my netsoc account... but I'm not going to be around forever, and I don't want to hand it over to the next blog admin on my netsoc account. I certainly don't want to redesign it, or anything, because there's three years of content on it at this stage. So I'm looking into what we'll do with it.

Might try and move it onto the TCD server, since the blog is at this stage cross departmental.

Red Alert

UCD's CMS is little more than a web-delivered version of Dreamweaver.

Trinity did it the right way: they use PHP includes to get the college banner at the tops of pages, and departments or socs can get a MySQL database if they need one. Much better and cheaper IMHO.