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MyCoE

Data Center Policies and Services

Overview

The Data Center is not a high-availability, high-security, full service facility. For example, we do not provide system monitoring, data backup/recovery, or systems administration. The Data Center does not have redundant power, redundant HVAC, or redundant networking. We rely on the same physical infrastructure as the rest of campus; therefore, we can make no uptime guarantees regarding campus services.

For systems housed in the Data Center, the College provides:

  • Electric power (including the installation of new outlets and circuits, if needed)
  • Air conditioning/cooling
  • A 10 Gb connection to the campus network
  • An access-control system

Clients must provide (in consultation and agreement with CoE Computing Services staff):

  • Computer systems
  • Resources for systems administration and support
  • All necessary cabling
  • Racks
  • Uninterruptible power supplies
  • Monitors
  • KVM switches
  • Network switches

Applying for Space

All College faculty and researchers may request space in the Data Center provided all the requirements outlined in this document are met. Submit all requests to help@engr.washington.edu. These should include:

  • detailed specifications of the equipment to be housed in the Data Center, including space, networking, power, and cooling requirements;
  • a plan that outlines how the system will be managed, secured, and administered;
  • the projected lifespan of the equipment

The Director of Computing Services and the Associate Dean of Research will evaluate each request and make a determination if and how much space and physical resources can be provided.

Priority will be given to systems that have no suitable departmental space available and that support College of Engineering grant projects or College staff, faculty, and students.

Physical Access Policies

Physical access to the Data Center will be limited to those with administrative need to enter the Data Center. The outer door to the building and the interior door to the Data Center are controlled via a Husky Card reader.

The Data Center is intended as a limited physical access location for servers to reside. Systems Administrators of machines that are housed in the Data Center should have access to tools to assist in the remote administration of their servers, and should plan their servers as if they will only get physical access to them when it is necessary to perform hardware modifications or replacements. 

Hardware Requirements

All new machines going into the Data Center must be rack mountable, unless prior arrangements have been made to allow particular non-rack-mountable hardware into the Data Center. Existing machines which have a business need to be in the Data Center which are not rack mountable will be allowed, but there will be an expectation that these machines will be replaced within a reasonably short time period with more appropriate hardware, or the functions that those non-rack-mountable machines to be relocated to other servers which are more appropriate for the Data Center.

All machines and hardware that will move into the Data Center will need to be coordinated and scheduled with the Data Center staff. As we grow the number of machines in the Data Center, we will need to incrementally expand the infrastructure that supports the entire Data Center. Sometimes this may mean a small delay in the deployment of hardware into the Data Center until we have the appropriate infrastructure (including console, network, power, and space) for the hardware to be deployed.

Life Cycle

Faculty and researchers should plan to house their equipment in the Wilcox computer room for no more than 10 years.  The room is limited on the amount of power and space available.  Non-functional computers and those 10 years or older need to be removed in order to make space for newer, more efficient, and more powerful computers.

Systems Security

It is necessary for hosts to take care of their own host-based security policies. Hosts in the Data Center will be regularly scanned for vulnerabilities via C&C's vulnerability scanning service. Compromised servers will be removed from the network as per C&C's security policies.

Appropriate Use Policies

Systems in the Data Center, like all systems on the UW network, must be managed in accordance with security and privacy laws and regulations and related UW rules and policies. See UW Privacy Program on the website of the Office of the CISO (Chief Information Security Officer).