FAS Information Technology

FAS Information Technology provides server hosting services and facilities to members of the FAS Community on a case by case basis. Departments interested in having FAS Information Technology host a machine should contact the FAS Service Desk at help@fas.harvard.edu to begin the process of drafting a specific SLA for the server(s) in question.

Server requirements

• Hosted servers must be re-located to a FAS IT machine room. Access to the machine room is on a restricted basis and must be arranged with FAS IT ahead of time. FAS IT currently maintains three machines rooms, one in the Science Center, one at 1414 Mass. Ave, and one at 60 Oxford St. primarily for research computing. For more details on access to the server room, please refer to the appendix.
• FAS IT will coordinate moves with participating departments and provide basic planning in the re-location of hardware. Basic planning includes organizing and advising on proper shut-down, packing and physical relocation of the server.
• The participating department must define the level of availability or "uptime" desired for the server covered under this agreement. "Uptime" is defined as the required time which the server needs to be operational in a 24 hour period.
• Currently, FAS IT supports the following OS platforms for server management:
  • Solaris (version 8 or later)
  • Linux (Red Hat Advanced Server version 3.0 or later)
  • OS X (Version 10.3 or later)
  • Windows (2003 and later).
  FAS IT reserves the right to modify the list of supported OS platforms.
• Servers under this agreement should be rack mountable, either as blades or by purchasing rack mounting for non-blade servers. FAS Information Technology recommends that any server purchased be a rack-mountable "blade" server. Should the server come from an environment where it already exists as a non-rack mountable computer, it will be the responsibility of the participating department to purchase rack mounting kits based on specifications provided by FAS Information Technology.

Server hosting services

• FAS IT will provide a secure server environment including: restricted physical access, redundant power, and cooling systems and fire contingency systems.
• Default bandwidth can be either 100Mb or 1Gb. It is up to the discretion of FAS IT to determine the basic bandwidth available based on the needs of the server. Should the department desire more bandwidth than allotted, it can be requested at additional cost to be determined by the scope of the request.
• Backup UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) systems for power outages.
• Baseline monitoring to ensure that the server remains powered and cooled. Temperature of the server room is monitored by FAS IT Staff. Monitoring of individual server temperature depends on server configuration.
• Rebooting of server during normal business hours (9am to 5pm) provided FAS IT is given access to that server through a privileged access account, or password. After-hours rebooting can be arranged for depending on the "uptime" needs of the participating department.
• Power-cycling offered during business hours. Remote power management is available as a service within FAS Information Technology, but is not available as an option to staff outside of the department. Depending on the specific agreement, after-hours power-cycling may or may not be included in the services provided.
• Assistance with security patches, OS and application upgrades (on a best effort basis).

Consultations Services

FAS IT will provide consultation services on server purchase, configuration and upgrades for the participating department. For departments that have not yet purchased a server, FAS IT will evaluate the needs of the server based on current needs and future expansion and provide a report on a recommended purchase. It is the financial responsibility of the department to purchase the recommended equipment.

Services not provided

• Hardware repair and replacement (we recommend that a hardware service contract is secured by the participating department).
• Application functionality and troubleshooting is not covered by this agreement. For problems with application usage or troubleshooting, the participating department must contact the original vendor of the software in question. If access to the machine room is necessary to address software issues it can be arranged, but must be under the supervision of FAS IT staff.
• Backup services are the responsibility of the participating department.
• FAS IT holds no responsibility of hardware/data replacement as a result of a catastrophic event.

Maintenance windows

For regularly scheduled maintenance, FAS IT will provide at least 24 hours of advanced notice. FAS IT will provide the participating department with notice of optimal planned maintenance times based on the "uptime" requirements of hosted server. FAS IT will email the departmental contact should an emergency maintenance be required with short notice.

Notification Processing

FAS IT will provide email notifications for updates, clarifications, planned maintenance outages, as well as reports on unscheduled outages. Both planned and unplanned outages will also be posted on the system status line available at 617-495-9000 and on the System Status section of the FAS IT website.

Response time

FAS IT will provide response times based on the severity of the outage, as well as the time of day. During normal business hours (defined as 9am to 5pm), FAS IT will dispatch technicians within 30 minutes of an externally reported or internally monitored outage. Depending upon the specific Service Level Agreement, the participating department may also have access to the after-hours Downtime Notification phone line to report large-scale service interruptions after-hours. Calls that are not deemed to be mission-critical during evening hours will be queued for service during normal business hours.  Recorded network status can also be reached by calling 617-495-9000.

Cost of Service

• There will be a one-time fee for $1,000 to cover the server relocation and installation.
• There will be a monthly fee of $200 for the services outlined in this agreement.

The participating department is also responsible for costs incurred by purchasing server hardware and software, as well as additional requests for service not automatically covered. The department must provide a 33 digit billing code for all costs incurred which are not covered by this agreement. The participating department will not be charged without approval.