Academic Coursework Linux Environment: Getting Started Guide

Overview

Volweb is a Linux-based web server that can display websites used in academic coursework of UT's faculty and students. Academic coursework Volweb sites can be accessed at https://volweb.utk.edu/~netid, where you replace "netid" with your own UTK NetID.

Basic Server Configuration

• Red Hat Linux 7.5
• Apache 2.4
• PHP 5.4
• MySQL/MariaDB 5.5

Getting Started

Step 1: Request an Account

1. Go to https://setuplinux.utk.edu/ and select Request an Account.

Step 2: Create Your Web Folder (public_html)

1. Once your account is created, select Create Web Folder in the left menu, then click Create.
2. **If you do not see the Create Web Folder option, your public_html folder already exists — you can skip this step.
3. Your public_html folder has now been created. Any files you place in this folder will be accessible at:
   http://volweb.utk.edu/~yournetid

Step 3: Connect to the UTK VPN

You must be connected to the UTK VPN before you can connect to the Linux server via SFTP. If you are on campus and connected to the UTK network, you can skip this step.

1. If you haven't already, download and install the VPN client from the OIT Software Distribution Site.
2. Open the VPN client and connect to access.utk.edu. Full instructions: Article - Virtual Private Network (VPN).
3. Once connected, proceed to the next section.

Step 4: Connect to Your Account via SFTP (FileZilla)

You will use an SFTP client to transfer files to your public_html folder. We recommend FileZilla, which is free and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

1. Download and install FileZilla if you haven't already. Make sure to select the FileZilla Client (not Server).
2. Open FileZilla and open the Site Manager by going to File > Site Manager (or press Ctrl+S / Cmd+S) or clicking the icon at the top of the window. 
   
3. Click New Site and enter a name for it (e.g., UTK VolWeb).
4. In the panel on the right, fill in the following:
   • Protocol: SFTP – SSH File Transfer Protocol
   • Host: linux.oit.utk.edu
   • Port: 22
   • Logon Type: Interactive
   • User: your NetID
5. Click Connect. FileZilla will prompt you for your password — enter your NetID password. A second prompt will appear for Duo two-factor authentication. Open the Duo app on your mobile phone and select Show to get your passcode, then enter it into FileZilla to complete the login.
6. If prompted with a warning about an unknown host key, click OK to accept and continue.
7. Once connected, the right-hand panel in FileZilla shows your files on the Linux server. Navigate to your public_html folder — this is where your website files should be uploaded.
8. To upload a file, locate it in the left-hand panel (your computer) and drag it into the public_html folder in the right-hand panel.

Helpful Commands and Information

List Software Installed on the Public Linux Environment (Volweb)

There is no vendor-installed software (SAS, SPSS, Matlab, etc.). OIT's Linux service is the standard LAMP software stack.

1. Log in to linux.oit.utk.edu using an SSH client.
2. To see what software is available, type yum list
3. To see installation info about a particular command (e.g., nano):
   1. yum list nano
   2. yum info nano
   3. man nano

Check Your Public Linux Environment (Volweb) Quota

• While logged into your Linux account through PuTTY or Terminal, enter the command:
  • quota -v 
  • quota -mv