Computing help and supportIntroduction
ICS is responsible for equipment hosted across multiple locations, including Departmental server rooms and UIS-managed data centres. This page outlines the process for requesting the hosting of additional equipment in any of these locations, and the requirements that all hosted equipment must meet, regardless of the hosting location.
Requirements for all hosted machines
Form factor
- At least two power supply units
- At least two network interfaces
- Additional network interface for out-of-band management
- Network, power and other ports to be located on the rear of the machine
- Must be rack-mountable with standard 19″ rack fixings and intended for installation in a data centre environment
- 10G network capability (desirable)
Support agreements
- New machines must be purchased with next-business-day on-site warranty lasting for at least 5 years.
- Machines that remain in use beyond the initial warranty period must have a third-party service agreement in place, likewise providing next-business-day on-site support. ICS will arrange service agreements for all relevant hosted machines, but funding the agreements is the responsibility of equipment owners. If it is not possible to find a service provider willing to offer a service agreement on a machine, that machine must be decommissioned.
Other
- Existing equipment proposed for hosting must meet all of the requirements in this section, and be under 5 years old.
Information required
- Size (in U)
- Power requirements (in W)
Requesting hosting
- Availability of rack space and agreement to host equipment should not be assumed, and you must obtain agreement from ICS before purchasing new equipment. If you would like to have equipment hosted, please contact ics-admin@eng.cam.ac.uk in the first instance with confirmation of all the details above and any other detailed requests. For new equipment, please include a detailed quote with your request.
- After receiving your request for hosting, ICS will assess possible locations for hosting, and will discuss any necessary details with you.