Need a Sparky Account?
In order to log into Sparky, you will need a valid NetID and NetID password.
Student Accounts
Students who need a Sparky account must visit the Consultant Desk in the Melville Library SINC Site, Room S1460, to request one.
Please Note: Students registered in certain Computer Science (CSE) courses may have an account created automatically at the request of their instructor. Please confirm with your instructor if you need a Sparky account for course assignments.
Faculty / Staff Accounts
Faculty who require a UNIX account should submit a service ticket online at: service.stonybrook.edu or call 631-632-9800.
Sparky Web Spaces
Information to have before you request your Sparky Web Space!
What are Sparky Web Spaces?
Sparky Web Spaces are websites hosted by DoIT for use by Students, Faculty, and Staff. Users may request sites for professional or personal use, classes, or clubs.
Sparky Web Spaces are limited to 20MB and can only be accessed via NetID authentication.
Software to Access Sparky Web Spaces
You will need a Secure Shell environment in order to upload or download pages to your Sparky Web Space. Windows Users can use SSH Secure File Transfer, and Mac Users can use Fetch. Both of these programs can be downloaded from the Software Catalog on the DoIT website, free of charge.
Additionally communicating with Sparky Web Spaces can be accomplished by using SSH Secure Shell in Windows or Terminal in Mac. Both of these programs are available on all SINC Site machines. For your own personal computer, SSH Secure Shell is available as a free downloaded from the Software Catalog, and Terminal comes preinstalled on all Macs.
Creating a Sparky Web Space
Requesting a Sparky Web Space and basic guides to get you started on creating content!
Requesting a Sparky Web Space
To start creating a Sparky webspace, you have to request space on the domain. Send the email from your official @stonybrook.edu address to webmaster@ic.sunysb.edu. You must include:
- Subject: Request Web Space
- Body: NetID (username only, not password)
You will receive a reply within 2 business days confirming your web space, the exact URL for your site, your quota (size), and where you can get additional information.
Getting Started with Sparky:
Your Sparky Index File
An index page (or homepage) is the main page of your website.
When you first request webspace, the Webmaster included an index.htm file a homepage under construction. You can simply replace this index file with your own, or make changes to the index.htm page in HTML. You can use programs such as Adobe Dreamweaver or DontPage to create your homepage. Just make sure you have a file called index.htm or index.html.
*Important Note: If you do not have an index page, visitors to your website will be able to access all of the files in your directory, even the ones you want hidden. To avoid this, always make sure you have an index.htm or index.html file.
**All MAC connections require the user connecting to Sparky to use OS 10.12 or earlier and you must set the port field to 24
Additional Information
Sparky Public Directories
The Sparky Public Directories can be accessed below
Your Sparky Web Address & Directory
The web address to your Sparky website will be:
- Students: http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/Stu/~NetID
- Faculty: http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/Faculty/~NetID
The directory on the Sparky domain will be:
- Students: /usr/www/Stu/~NetID
- Faculty: /usr/www/Faculty/~NetID
At the sparky% prompt in the UNIX environment, you can navigate to your page by using the following command:
- Students: cd /usr/www/Stu/~NetID
- Faculty: cd / usr/www/Faculty/~NetID
Please note: Replace ~NetID with your NetID.
Looking for another option?
Not familiar with UNIX, or need more webspace than Sparky can offer? Here are some additional web hosting options that DoIT offers to Students, Faculty, Staff, and Alumni!
ePortfolios
ePortfolios, powered by Digication, are a type of digital portfolio to document professional development and establish a positive online presence. With an ePortfolio, Students, Faculty, and Staff can create online archives of their acheivements, professional experience, academic work, personal hobbies and more. ePortfolios can be used as an extension of a resume to market yourself to prospective employers, are easy to use, and free to Students, Faculty, Staff, and Alumni.
DoIT hosts public workshops throughout the year for initial set up, best practices, and long-term uses of the service as well!
SB You
SB You is a web publishing platform powered by WordPress that lets you quickly create professional-looking websites. Students, Faculty, and Staff can create a single site or as many as they want for a variety of purposes such as course information, team activities or personal blogs and portfolios. SB You blogs use a WYSIWYG editor, and are free to Students, Faculty, Staff, and Alumni.
Google Sites
Google Sites is an online application that makes it easy to host personal websites, especially for people who need quick, up-to-date access, with limited or zero Web development expertise. Google Sites is free to all Students, Faculty, and Staff with an active Google Apps for Education account.
Additional Information
There are no additional resources available for this service.
Please Contact
Customer Engagement and Support
- (631) 632-9800
- Customer Engagement and Support Help Portal