Terms and Conditions (2023)
The Clinical School Computing Service (CSCS) provides managed server hosting, whereby a virtual or physical private server is hosted in CSCS’s server room(s) on behalf of the customer. This hosting ensures that a server has both resilient power and cooling and is located in a secure, controlled environment. We will advise whether a virtual or physical server will best suit then end use case after consultation with the user(s).
In the context of customer hosting we offer:
In all hosting options the customer is responsible for installing, configuring and maintaining additional applications; although assistance with set-up can be arranged for an hourly charge.
Virtual servers are a popular choice. A virtual machine (VM) is a software implementation of a server that emulates a real server. Since servers tend not to be busy 100% of the time, many virtual servers can run on a single physical server, which saves on space, power and cooling requirements. Virtual Servers are suitable for the majority of non-intensive workloads, e.g. web server, file server and small to medium databases that do not perform extensive computational work.
Using a virtual server is often preferable to physical servers due to:
A standard virtual machine comes with the following hardware configuration:
CSCS can customise the virtual hardware to meet your requirements, including adding additional CPU, RAM or storage. These options will be available in the application form on our website. Changes to virtual hardware can usually be applied quickly and in many cases without disrupting the operation of the virtual machine.
Virtual servers are provided with the operating system (OS) installed, patched and configured to communicate on the network. During the creation of the virtual server you will be able to choose from a selection of OS that CSCS currently recommend. Alternative OS may be used assuming compatibility with the underlying hypervisor. CSCS can offer advice on a suitable OS for your intended use.
CSCS require that all operating systems installed are currently under vendor support for security patches.
If you choose to have a Microsoft Windows Server operating system, then the license for the operating system is included.
CSCS recommends the use of virtual servers in all cases except:
If you are unsure whether a virtual server is suitable for your needs, then CSCS can discuss your intended use with you and offer advice on solutions.
In Physical Hosting (sometimes called “rack rental”), space is offered in our racks for you to locate and operate your own equipment. Physical Hosting space is sold in Rack Units, a standard measurement for server, storage and networking equipment. All available racks are 42U in height and they are provided with power distribution and blanking panels. For users with larger volumes of equipment we also offer discounted rates for the rental of whole or half racks.
CSCS maintain a list of all equipment that is hosted in the server room. Details of equipment that is installed under this agreement must be supplied to CSCS and CSCS must be notified in writing of any changes to the hosted equipment. The following information is required:
We will also record the rack number and position of the equipment. If you are renting either a half or whole rack you will need to inform us what equipment is in each rack position.
These costs are designed for devices with medium power requirements such as file storage, webservers and backup devices. There will be a supplement for devices with a high power draw such as HPC nodes or large disk arrays. We will discuss the power requirements of your equipment with you before any hosting agreement starts and we will inform you if there will be an extra charge.
CSCS can offer in addition to the physical hosting service a number of supplementary services, including:
A comprehensive service where CSCS is responsible for configuration, support and maintenance of your server. It is suitable for customers who want to pass the day to day running and configuration of the server to CSCS staff.
CSCS will ensure that the operating system is running, correctly configured and that security patches are applied in a timely manner.
Although we can work with you to install applications and configure the server to meet your needs, CSCS are unable to provide support for applications that are installed on the server. We can however work with you and software vendors to resolve issues if required.
CSCS will provide a full system backup of your server. This is defined as your operating system and boot volumes where applicable (i.e. C:\ drive for Windows, / and /boot for Linux, but not including other mounted file systems). We will provide 7 days of backups of your system, with these backups stored in an offsite location for redundancy purposes. Please note that this backup policy does not include secondary data drives or application drives if they are present, which should be backed up separately by you if needed. CSCS can offer more flexible backups including longer retention periods, inclusion of additional volumes or more frequent backups if required, however these customisations may incur additional charges. Please contact CSCS to discuss your requirements. If you are unsure if your data is being protected, please contact CSCS to discuss the backup configuration applied to your system.
CSCS can offer you advice on the types of server that will meet your requirements. These initial discussions to identify whether a virtual of physical server is the most appropriate solution are provided free of charge.
If a virtual server is required then it will be deployed and a basic configuration including the operating system, updates and network connection applied. There is no charge for the deployment of a virtual server.
If you require a physical server then CSCS can work with you to create a custom quote to match your service hardware and cost requirements. The process of determining the specification and providing you with a quote is charged at our standard hourly rate, and typically we find that 1 hour is sufficient. Once the equipment has arrived, if you are going to use our physical hosting service we will install the hardware into the racks for you.
If you are going to be using our Managed Service on the new hardware, then we will install and configure the operating system, updates and network connections as per your requirements.
If your server requires advanced configuration, or you require us to install applications beyond the basic operating system then an additional hourly charge may be applied. CSCS will always advise you of any charges that are likely to be incurred before starting any work.
CSCS offers a Secure Data Hosting Service (SDHS) providing a Safe Haven for members of the School to store sensitive data, including Patient Identifiable Data (PID). It is managed by CSCS in collaboration with the School Research Governance Officer.
Customers who require the ability to process data within the Safe Haven can apply for physical or virtual servers to be contained within this area. In order to meet the requirements of our data security policy all servers and systems contained within the Safe Haven must be managed by CSCS.
Access to the SDHS is provided using two factor authentication through a Citrix environment and is subject to the SDHS Security Policy. For more information and access to these policy documents please refer to the Information Governance page on the School’s website.
The purpose of a server is to provide a service or resource to a selection of users. In order to make those resources available to the right people network access will be required.
CSCS have a number of different networks in operation, many with specific purposes. Servers can be configured on most of our networks depending on what is required. Most servers and equipment will be connected to our standard internal network which allows access for all internal users, but is not directly accessible from the internet. Other options include a DMZ, the SDHS or a specific departmental network. We will discuss with you the options before commencing configuration of your server.
Servers within the DMZ will require firewall rules for Egress and Ingress.
CSCS can allow servers hosted in our standard network to be accessed via the internet if required. For standard web access using HTTP (TCP 80) or HTTPS (TCP 443) we are able to publish the website through our web proxy appliances which offer a level of protection by scanning incoming web traffic.
Other external access may be able to be configured in special circumstances. Each request will be evaluated by the CSCS team on a case by case basis. Our default position is that we will not open ports on the firewall to allow direct access to a server. A variety of remote access solutions, including a VPN service, are provided by CSCS which you can use to access your system from outside of the CSCS network if required.
All requests for access both in to and out from the SDHS will be evaluated by the CSCS team on a case by case basis. By default there is no direct access to any systems held within the SDHS. All exceptions will require justification and will need to be reviewed by the CSCS team in conjunction with the School Research Governance Officer to assess the risks.
This section of this document details the Service Level Agreement that CSCS sets for hosting physical or virtual server/hardware within the Clinical School Server Rooms. It is not intended as a guarantee and it should not be taken as such. However, CSCS will always endeavour to abide by this where possible.
With respect to all of the services outlined above, CSCS reserves the right to:
7.8 Software or applications (non research)
If you have any questions about this document or terms of this SLA then please contact the service desk via servicedesk@medschl.cam.ac.uk