USMS Web Server Usage Policies

Each user of the USMS web server is assigned an account that includes some private web space. This web space is only to be used for testing purposes or to present a subcategory of information for the parent zone (such as dedicated web space for a workout group). Users are not permitted to set up personal web sites or sites for outside companies in these areas. Any such web content found in personal web spaces may be deleted without warning by the system administrators.

Sensitive Information Security

USMS is committed to protecting any sensitive information collected from our web visitors. The deployment of any web application or forms that collects credit card or other banking information from visitors without using a secure (https://) connection is strictly forbidden. We also prohibit storage of any such information on our server. If you are considering an application that will collect such information from visitors, please consult the USMS webmaster prior to implementation.

Script Limitations

Deployment of web applications using server side scripting languages such as Perl, PHP, ASP, and JSP is available to all those hosting web sites on the USMS server. While the use of such scripting languages can enhance your web site, it can also lead to security or performance problems with our web server. USMS reserves the right to alter or delete any scripts stored on our server that are found to present security or performance problems at any time.

Content Management Systems

If you are considering using one of the free or commercially available content management systems (CMS) on your site, please contact the webmaster first for approval. While using a CMS may make site maintenance MUCH easier for you, it also carries some risk. The complexity of a CMS and the availability of the source code for the free systems makes them big targets for hackers. A CMS that is not properly secured or kept up-to-date with the latest security packages is a beacon to hackers and could present a security problem for our server. USMS reserves the right to shut down any hosted sites that are found to present security problems at any time. Anyone wishing to use a CMS should be well versed in the scripting language and database used by the CMS.