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ITD introduces new web address, servers

Observant Internet users have noticed that ITD is using a web site name and the system is powered by new servers that operate on the higher security level of Microsoft’s 2003 operating system.

Information Services quietly introduced the new web address, http://itd.idaho.gov in late March. The new site address is shorter and should be easier for clients to remember, explains James Taylor, a networking specialist for ITD in Boise.

Along with the change, the Division of Motor Vehicles began using an exclusive web address, http://itd.idaho.gov/dmv/

The only other site residing on ITD’s new web servers is the statewide visioning process located at http://idahofuturetravel.info

Until last summer, the .gov web extension was reserved solely for federal government agencies. When it released the extension for use by other agencies, including states, ITD reserved a new address. It was activated when the web servers were moved from the Department of Administration site in downtown Boise to Headquarters.

Although the two changes were simultaneous, ITD would have gone to the new web address even if the servers had remained at the Department of Administration, Taylor said.

Adopting the new server operating system and moving the computers to Headquarters will enable web content managers to change existing pages and add new pages much faster and more reliably, Taylor explains. Approximately 50 ITD employees have the authority to post to the Internet site because their web content changes regularly.

Content managers who do not change web pages daily send revisions or new pages to Web Services for posting.

Although the transition to new servers was relatively seamless, Taylor said users who to use old “bookmarks” or “favorites” to access ITD web pages will discover a common pattern – they will always be directed to the department’s Internet home page.

Two solutions are available.

1) When reaching ITD’s new home page, tunnel through the links to reach your intended destination, add the new address as a bookmark or favorite, then remove the old address, or

2) Physically change a portion of the old address in the bar at the top of the browser, substituting http://itd.idaho.gov for http://www2.state.id.us/itd and leaving the balance of the address in tact to reach a specific site. Again, create a new bookmark or favorite and remove the old addresses.

For example, the Transporter’s new main page address is: http://www.itd.idaho.gov/Transporter/index.htm Change only that portion of the address that is before “Transporter” to read: http://itd.idaho.gov/Transporter/index.htm

The new Windows 2003-based servers will provide a higher level of security, Taylor explains. It is the first operating system released by Microsoft since it engaged in a security redesign about a year ago.

It ships with all extensions turned off. Web Services had to program the server with the extensions that are permissible for ITD use, such as .doc for documents, .xls for Excel spreadsheets, .ppt for PowerPoint presentations, and .pdf for Acrobat-readable portable document format (pdf) files.

Anyone who has problems downloading a file with less common extensions should contact Web Services to have the format accepted.

ITD operates two Internet production servers (one serves as a backup in the event of a failure), two Intranet production servers (including a backup), test servers for the Internet and Intranet, and a production server that will do both.
In all, ITD maintains approximately 100 servers for its statewide computing needs.

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