Virtual Machine

Service Overview

University Computing Support Services (UCSS) will install and maintain the virtual machine instance, including appropriate system software.  UCSS will monitor the system and provide support based on the Service Level described below. All computer systems will be housed in a UCSS data center. The data center provides:

• a physically secure, access controlled location,
• an inert gas fire suppression system,
• 24/7 video monitoring,
• conditioned power, and
• redundant cooling systems.

UCSS will also provide network connectivity including hostname registration and permanent IP addresses.

Features and benefits

• Virtual servers typically have a lower total cost of ownership than physical servers.
• Virtual servers use less power and cooling, support University sustainability goals and improve
• resource utilization in the data center.
• Virtual servers should be less affected by hardware failures and maintenance requirements.
• Provisioning a virtual server is much faster than provisioning a physical server. 

#Service Offerings

There is a one-time $50 setup fee for all services.

Basic Service ($100/mo)

UCSS Responsibilities

• Hardware installation and management
• Virtualization environment installation and management
• OS Installation/Support/Patches
• Installation and configuration of base operating system software
• All server administration include OS patching. (Patches are reviewed for their criticality as they are released by Microsoft. Routine patches are applied on an as-needed basis (typically monthly to bi-monthly for Windows) in order to minimize server outages.  Security patches deemed critical by the Enterprise Team are applied within 3-4 work days. Customers are notified via email before patches are applied.)
• Security and Monitoring
• Servers are physically secured in the Data Center in locked cabinets. Physical access is restricted by Cajuncard/PIN. A basic system security configuration will be installed with the base system including firewall configuration appropriate to the application (host and enterprise). Sophos Managed Anti-Virus software is included. All servers are monitored with an enterprise network monitoring package for outage, performance and resource utilization.
• Request Tracking software for each server to provide problem reporting/tracking and to provide historical change data
• Single gigabit networking interface with one hostname and fixed IP address
• Integration with University Active Directory environment
• Operating system firewall settings appropriate for the system and applications
• University Business Hour Support: M-Th 7:30-5, F 7:30-12:30 university working days
• 4 business hour response window
• Backups for recovery from hardware failure (Backups are performed after hours and retained for 2 weeks)

Client responsibilities

• Software license management
• Programmatic support
• Application installation, support, updates and monitoring
• Reporting issues to IT Helpdesk
• Backups of application and user data

Supported operating systems

• Windows Server
• Red Hat Enterprise
• CentOS

Operating System and other Software

UCSS will maintain the operating system on the machine. UCSS will also maintain the "standard" system software environment on the machine, including remote login (RDP) and required administrator access to the machine via windows active directory login. UCSS will coordinate fixes necessary to address security and other support issues for the server as needed.  When a planned outage is required to perform preventative maintenance on part of the system that we maintain, we will coordinate a time with you.

UCSS will provide the clients with access to a request tracking system where issues can be logged and tracked. Additionally it is the client’s responsibility to log any administrative or system configuration changes made to the servers using remote administrative access. 

Microsoft SQL Services Support

UCSS will provide limited support for Microsoft SQL when it is associated with a supported commercial application. The costs of SQL Server licensing will be in addition to the hosting cost. UCSS will make every attempt to use SQL Server Express or Developer edition at no cost where appropriate. 

UCSS will install and configure Microsoft SQL as documented by the application provider.

UCSS will monitor the SQL versions, install updates, and notify the application owner if an updated license needs to be purchased. UCSS may refuse to run SQL or applications where support for the SQL product and application has lapsed.

UCSS will make every effort to license SQL properly, but the application owner must also be aware that license costs can change in situations such as when additional users are added to an application with a per-user license or additional CPUs are requested for a per-core license. 

UCSS privided virtual machine backups will include the SQL database. We will work with the customer and vendor to develop a best practice backup for the specific application.

UCSS cannot provide support for custom tables or databases not affiliated with a product where a vendor provides support.   We do not support reporting services, custom reporting, or query building.  Some of these services for business needs may be provided by other IT departments.

Extended Services

If the Basic Service offering is insufficient for your needs please contact the IT Service Desk to arrange for additional services.

UCSS does offer an appllication service that can be requested in addition to this VM offering for an additional cost.  Please contact the IT Service Desk for more information.