Project FAQs

Please send any questions about the Drupal 9 migration project to fascommweb@austin.utexas.edu

Last updated July 7, 2023

Where can I find the Powerpoint of the presentation?

Follow this Box link to download the FAS Drupal 9 Migration Project (PPT). You can also find the presentation recording on Box.

Why does this now say Drupal 9/10?

Since this project started Drupal 9 has been replaced with Drupal 10. This does not effect the migration from Drupal 7 as the process is very similar.

Can we create a portion of our site that is accessible only to our staff? Can we have an intranet? Can we have pages behind EID Login?

We combined these three questions because they are very similar. We'll start with the last one first.

Yes, you can now have pages that are behind EDI access on Drupal 9/10 (UTDK3) on Pantheon hosting.

This directly relates to the first question, limiting web page access to staff only. This will depend on the level of EID access. And it closely resembles an intranet.

An intranet would be a large undertaking and may also fall within the scope of UT's and FAS' strategic plans that are still in development. When we meet about your migration we can discuss your staff communication needs.

Will Drupal 9/10 sites be mobile-accessible?

In the web world we think of this as being responsive. The content is displayed seamlessly regardless of the device you interact on - desktop, laptop, tablet, phone, or screen reader. Drupal 9/10 has information on its responsive design and specifically has resources addressing mobile design. We expect ITS' UTDK3 template to be fully responsive and will work with you to test and modify your designs accordingly during the migration.

How much UX testing will take place and what does it cost?

UX testing will depend on the website. Some sites might not need any. Others may benefit from testing. There is no charge for UX testing.

Is Drupal 9/10 experimental? Will it break my website?

Drupal 9/10 is a stable web content management system launched June 2020 with a large, active development community. Your website will be 100% functional and tested before we launch it.

When will we know when it's our time to migrate?

Al sites should be in the migration pipeline already. We'd like to have all sites migrated prior to December 2023.

Can I delete content I no longer need?

State records retention laws generally require a review of content before it is deleted from our websites. We encourage you to "unpublish" your content when it is no longer needed. We have grabbed a copy of your site's database in case we need any content you choose to delete before the migration.

Additionally, after upgrading to UTDK3 you will be able to archive content instead of deleting it. This will removed it from your public website and immediate content page view, but keep it in your CMS for compliance with record retention laws.

What will Pantheon Web hosting cost?

Pantheon requires an annual hosting pass-through cost based on website traffic. For FAS Units, the first-year cost is being absorbed by FAS centrally and ongoing costs are being planned for by the FAS administration. It is possible Pantheon hosting will be a new budget item for individual departments in future budget cycles.

Units no longer in FAS will need to provide an account number prior to website launch.

• Basic: $300
• Performance Medium: $1,920
• Performance Large: $3,900
• Performance XL: $6,480

Based on recent analytics and ITS’ experience with Pantheon-reported traffic, the majority of websites (33 sites or 89%) will pay a nominal $300 annual fee. See Appendix A for traffic and cost estimates (XLS) provided by ITS and FAS Communications.

Higher traffic sites (e.g., Human Resources, Parking & Transportation Services, Workday@UT, DocuSign) will cost between $1,920 and $3,900 annually.

What is Drupal 10? Do we have to migrate again?

Drupal 10 is the next version of Drupal made available by the Drupal Foundation. The UMAC web team will handle the update. You will not see any change to your website when we upgrade you from Drupal 9 to Drupal 10 and both are part of the UT Drupal Kit 3 (UTDK3). The biggest change is an a major upgrade to the WYSIWYG editor and it may look and operate slightly differently than you are used to. We can help with any problems you encounter.