Co-ordination of University Web Site addresses

University Policy on purchase of domain names

University policy on web site (domain) names requires that:

1. Web sites are registered in the name of the University, rather than in the name of schools, departments or individuals.
2. A single central administrative contact is used for all University web site name registrations.
3. All web sites on University web servers are the responsibility of a named individual within a School or Department.
4. Requests to create a new web site name (domain name) should be directed to IT Services.
5. Where the domain name is within the wlv.ac.uk domain, IT Services will register the name and set up the appropriate Domain Name Server (DNS) entry.
6. IT Services will guide the process of name registration for other domains.
7. IT Services maintain a record of web site names and those responsible for them.

If you need to purchase a domain name, please call IT Service Desk on extension 20001 giving details of both the domain name required and its purpose (e.g. to service a University project) - you will then be contacted by the domain names administrative contact to discuss your needs further.

Please note that the University has its own scheme for naming web pages that fall within the corporate website (e.g. School or Department sites) and that domain names are not required for such sites.

Background

Without clear rules governing registration of web sites on University servers, there are problems both when new web site names are registered and when registration falls due for renewal.

As well as the main University web site (www.wlv.ac.uk ) there are a number of other web site names registered to parts of the University. These names relate to web sites on the main University web servers or to servers within University schools and departments.

IT Services maintains the Domain Name Server (DNS) for Wolverhampton naming domain (e.g. mysite.wlv.ac.uk). A DNS maintains mapping between the name and a sequence of numbers which is the specific address of the server which holds the web pages.

Sites may be registered in other domains (e.g. mysite.com, mysite.co.uk, mysite.org.uk etc). Registering in these other Domains is through one of several organisations who have the right to issue names. Registration is subject to payment of a registration fee which covers use of that name for a given period, typically two years. For each web site, the organisation owning the name, an administrative contact and a technical contact must be specified. Typically as well as a web site name, there will be a requirement for associated e-mail addresses to be maintained.

The fees to be paid for registration of domain names vary between suppliers. There could be some small cost savings by dealing with a single supplier.

Problem Areas

• University staff who wish to register web sites name do not know where to seek advice, what steps to take to register a name and how to arrange for it to be associated with specific web pages.
• There is potential for confusion and misconceptions. People may act autonomously to register a name and not be aware that this is only part of the process of establishing a working web site, including setting up DNS entries etc. In some cases, insufficient services are purchased to service the domain name as intended.
• Renewal of web site names and requests for changes have to be authenticated. Difficulties arise when the staff identified as contacts change. Changes in department and/or school structures can lead to problems verifying ownership of a web site name. Delays caused by this may even lead to the domain name (and related services) being suspended.
• Since web sites are publicly accessible, there are risks to the reputation of the University if inaccurate or inappropriate material is displayed. The University needs to be able to identify those responsible.

Registering domain names through IT Services minimises the chances of problems occuring either at initial registration or renewal stages of domain name purchasing.

For Equality Purposes: Enquiries should be addressed to the IT Service Desk by telephone; however, in order to accommodate individuals with hearing impairments, the IT Service Desk may be contacted at ITServiceDesk@wlv.ac.uk

Date last modified: 4th July 2011
Last reviewed: 4th July 2011