Server-housing

(Version 8, May 2018)

Server Housing" serves to accommodate IT systems of TUC institutes in the central machine room of the data center.

A more extensive service is the "hosting" of IT systems and applications for which the computer centre also takes over the ongoing system support.

The data center also operates a VMware infrastructure (ESX server) distributed across the campus. Virtual machines can be applied for here. Windows2008 servers as well as Ubuntu and Debian Linux servers are currently offered.

Scope of services offered

Server housing is used to house the institutes' IT systems in a room equipped with the appropriate infrastructure.

This includes:

• Accommodation in the computer center machine room, including the facilities for fire protection, early fire detection, access control, burglary protection and building surveillance
• Installation of the devices in 19" racks
• Power supply via redundantly designed, uninterruptible power connections
• Air-conditioning supply
• Connection to the TUC IT network infrastructure operated by the computer centre.

Application and duration

• The service must be requested from the computer centre by the head of the institution using this application form.
• The application has to be completed by stating the technical data of the components to be operated and by naming the responsible contact persons.
• This agreement is valid for an initial period of 3 years. The term may be extended before expiry (at the latest 3 months before).

General conditions

• The user institution remains fully responsible for the technical operation of its installed hardware and software. This also includes regular maintenance of the operating system and the software installed on the servers.
• The computer centre must be exempted from third party requirements.
• The installed systems are integrated into the respective data network of the institution via VLAN; no separate firewall service is provided.
• Servers that provide services for other user groups are also operated in VLANs, with the difference that only the ports necessary for the operation of the service or services are released, as well as administrative access via SSH (port 22) or RDP (port 3389). Activation of further ports for the provision of network services requires the consent of the data center. Port 22 is activated by default for the entire university network (139.174.0.0/16). However, this can be adjusted if necessary.
• The bandwidth of the network connections will be adapted to the current status of the backbone network.
• The target temperature in the machine room is 24 °C, an early alarm is triggered when 28 °C is reached, an emergency alarm at 30 °C. However, the installed equipment must not be damaged even during prolonged operation up to 30 °C.
• The systems to be installed must be capable of being integrated into a 19-inch standard rack and must be "rack-mountable" if possible.
• Personal access to the systems is possible for system administrators at any time during core working hours or by arrangement. Access to the machine room is recorded and controlled by a locking system.
• The data center reserves the right to shut down the systems without warning in case of emergency.
• If necessary, the contact person must be available by telephone or e-mail.
• The technical data of the systems are recorded in the computer center and must be updated promptly whenever changes are made.
• If several systems are to be installed in the machine room, the network topology must first be shown and coordinated with the data center.
• The contact persons are instructed by employees of the computer centre regarding the behaviour in the machine room. An agreement on compliance with the duty of care (locking regulations) must be signed by each contact person.
• This also applies analogously to the application for/operation of virtual servers (VMs) in the central VMware infrastructure.
• Since April 2018, the servers located in the housing network are regularly scanned for possible vulnerabilities from the outside using the free tool OpenVAS. In this case, too, the data center reserves the right to shut down the system for security reasons after informing the responsible person.

Fee regulation

Server housing/hosting is free of charge for facilities at Clausthal University of Technology.