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Providing faster, scalable, and more secure hosting solutions for Drupal websites

Stanford Sites Drupal CMS

Stanford Sites, UIT’s primary Drupal content management platform, hosts 3,000+ websites. ​Stanford Web Services (SWS) released an upgraded version of Stanford Sites in February 2020 and has new features planned throughout 2021. To continue receiving security updates and support, websites on Stanford Sites Drupal must advance to the latest version by November 2022. 

Feature Release Schedule

  • FEBRUARY 2021
     
    v2.0.0: Drupal 9 upgrade, dropdown menus, image galleries, and publications​
  • APRIL 2021
     
    v2.1.0: simple research project pages and pilot of intranet beta service
  • October 2021
     
    v2.2.0: Addition of Localist widgets and page cloning tools, publications improvements, and front-end bug fixes
  •  

View Stanford Sites Release Notes

Stanford Sites Drupal CMS guides

Adoption & Website Rebuild Guide: From assessing your current site to rebuilding and launching your new site, this guide gives you the tips and tools you'll need for a successful transition.

Stanford Sites Drupal CMS user guide: Once you start using Stanford Sites, refer to this guide to learn about the new platform, how to build content, launch your website, and more. 

View Stanford Sites Drupal CMS adoption guideView user guide

Drupal blog

Visit the UIT blog to get an inside look from the Stanford Web Services team as they build and release new features on Stanford Sites. 

Read the blog

AFS-Based Drupal Websites

Stanford’s vast web presence is maintained by many distributed groups across campus and includes a wide variety of applications and hosting platforms, including the legacy AFS platform. AFS is minimally supported and hosts a number of websites created by individuals and other organizations in unsupported, outdated and vulnerable versions of web tools. 

Timeline

  • May to August 2019
     
    Identify all active and inactive Drupal websites and owning individuals and/or organizations
  • Fall 2019 through Spring 2020
     
    Notify Drupal website web owners of the need to move to alternative hosting platforms
  • Spring 2020
     
    Project complete
  • Fall 2020 through present
     
    We encourage users to retire their unused Drupal sites on AFS and move active Drupal sites to a cloud-based CMS platform. Explore options for building and maintaining your website, and what University IT (UIT) recommends based on your needs in this website hosting guide.

How to delete AFS-based website

If you have a website on web.stanford.edu (AFS) that is no longer needed, you can submit a request with your website information to UIT, and we will delete the website for you. 

Submit request to delete site

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the features and benefits of the latest version of Drupal?
Why is Drupal 7 support going away?
Drupal 7 is built on frameworks that will be deprecated and no longer supported by their open source communities with security releases and enhancements. Drupal 7 websites must advance to the latest version of Drupal so that they remain secure and functional. Once on the latest version of Drupal, websites will automatically receive upgrades to future versions. (Learn more about why on Drupal.org.)
When will support for Drupal 7 go away?
Open source community Drupal 7 support is scheduled to end in November 2022. Our goal is to move websites hosted on Stanford Sites to the latest version of Drupal by June 2022, because maintaining two versions of the content management platform on our host provider is costly and an inefficient use of resources. If your custom website is hosted on the fee-based Acquia Cloud platform, then long-term support will be offered by the vendor through November 2024. Support for Drupal 7 websites hosted on other platforms may vary.
What happens if I do not move to the latest version of Drupal by then?
Websites in an earlier version of Drupal will no longer receive necessary security patches and upgrades and are at risk for increasing security vulnerabilities over time. In addition, hosting environments eventually will not support outdated versions of PHP and other libraries critical to the function of Drupal. So while the website will not immediately stop working in November 2022, it is best to take steps now to plan and launch an upgraded website.
Which of my websites will be impacted by this initiative?
Ownership is difficult to narrow because there are overlapping individual, workgroup, and PTS group owners. Because of this, individuals should be responsible for their own websites. UIT is working with Campus IT leaders and CIO Council members to review lists of websites that appear to be affiliated with major schools and units. Submit a help request if you need help determining what websites are owned by your SUNetID, workgroup or organization.
Will current Drupal 7 Stanford Sites be migrated or upgraded automatically?
Drupal 7 Stanford Sites cannot be automatically migrated or upgraded to the latest version of Drupal. The two versions have fundamentally different architectures built around brand new technologies. These technologies make the latest version of Drupal more scalable, flexible, and reliable and would not be easily adaptable for the D7 framework.
What can I do to start preparing my website to move?

The best way to start preparing is to spend time reviewing and evaluating the content on your webpages to determine what you want to retain, revise, and remove. Consider the structure of your website (information architecture) and think about ways to improve the organization of pages, and prepare a project timeline, plan and budget. These tips and templates to help you get started are on our Drupal Adoption and Rebuild Guide. 

Read more about website content auditing in this blog post.

How do I move my Drupal 7 site?
Stanford units (groups and departments) on Drupal 7 can start by filling out our Drupal Adoption Assessment form. SWS will be in touch to assess your current website and provide information on training and support. Or you can review the preparation guide and get started now - simply request your new website on Stanford Sites.
How do I move my Drupal 8 site to Drupal 9?
Good news, you don’t need to do anything to move your Drupal 8 site to Drupal 9. Stanford Sites built on D8 were automatically upgraded to D9 on Feb. 18, 2021.

Sites currently running on D7 can be rebuilt on D9 and bypass D8 entirely. For more information, read Drupal 9 Upgrade Won't Require a Rebuild
How much will it cost to move my site?
Stanford units can build their websites on the university’s centrally-managed Stanford Sites Drupal CMS at no cost. Alternatively, they can contract Stanford Web Services for fee-based design and development services. Security upgrades and monitoring is managed by University IT at no cost for all websites on the service.
When will ‘X’ feature be available (e.g., intranets)?
Stanford Sites Drupal CMS will be continuously improved over 2020-2022. For updates on the feature roadmap and what is coming up next, visit https://uit.stanford.edu/sws/drupal-projects, or catch up on what is available in each new release by visiting the Stanford Sites Drupal User Guide.
I am a non-technical user. Will I be able to assemble a site with no coding experience?
Yes! The new service is designed to be far more user-friendly than any version of Stanford Sites to date. Also, Stanford Web Services will help you get started with a user guide and our usual friendly support team. UIT's Tech Training options are available.
What flexibility do we have on branding/design?
Stanford websites should follow the university’s identity guidelines. These guidelines for websites make the Stanford web experience consistent while providing the flexibility needed to communicate unique messages. We have two essential web branding elements – the Stanford Brand Bar and Global Footer – that should be included in all Stanford websites. Further information on the guidelines and flexibility can be reviewed on the identity website.
Can we add custom CSS and Javascript?
CSS and JS injector are not available on the latest version of Stanford Sites Drupal CMS. Custom subthemes for a fee are an option, for those groups and departments who wish to create a unique look and feel within the Stanford identity. Custom JS can also be added, with assistance from SWS, via Google Tag Manager.
How do I keep Drupal up-to-date and secure?
Security updates are applied to Stanford Sites for all site owners, free of charge.
Can I use Google Forms with Stanford Sites?
Google Forms can be embedded directly on your page. When your form is updated, those changes will automatically be reflected on your website. Read more about adding a Google Form to the website.
Can I post videos on Stanford Sites?
Stanford Sites integrates with both YouTube and Vimeo. Read more about adding a video in the Stanford Sites user guide.

Web Content Management Program

These Drupal projects are two of the eight collective efforts to modernize Stanford's web content management systems.

Learn more