Server housing

Organisational units of the University of Vienna that operate self-managed IT services on a separate server can accommodate them in the server infrastructure of the ZID.

 Direct links

Anfrage zu Virtuelles Serverhousing stellen

Anfrage zu Physisches Serverhousing stellen

Formular Serverhardware ändern

Formular Störung in einem Serverraum melden

Virtual server housing

With virtual server housing, the organisational unit receives exclusive administrative access to the server. The ZID takes care of acquisition, maintenance and support of the hardware.

To use virtual server housing, an eligible employee of the organisational unit has to complete and sign the following documents and send them to vi.zid@univie.ac.at. 

Please note the costs for virtual server housing.

Specifying responsible persons

The following responsible persons must be listed in the annex to the virtual server housing agreement.

An authorised person (AP) may

  • operate the server via the management console, e.g. in order to install an operating system or to prompt a restart (reset),
  • order or deregister new virtual servers, as well as
  • request changes to existing virtual servers.

Please indicate the name, u:account UserID and IP address of every authorised person. If access via VPN is required, a static VPN IP address must be assigned first. It can be requested using the VPN form provided by the Servicedesk. Please indicate in your request that you need the VPN IP address for virtual server housing. In case the authorised person has a u:account for guests, the VPN IP address has to be requested by the person supporting the account.

An employee without technical responsibilities, who is required to

  • send maintenance notifications,
  • receive invoices and
  • place cost-effective purchase orders,

has to be listed in the annex to the virtual server housing agreement with their name and u:account UserID only. It is not necessary to indicate an IP address.

If the employee is only required to receive invoices (e.g. accounting staff), an informal e-mail from an authorised person to vi.zid@univie.ac.at, indicating the desired e-mail address, is sufficient.

Requesting a virtual server

Only authorised persons listed in the annex to the virtual server housing agreement may request a virtual server.

Please send an e-mail to vi.zid@univie.ac.at and provide the following information:

  • IP address
  • VLAN
  • DNS name
  • vCPU quantitiy
  • RAM environment
  • Operating system
  • Operating system from the template (Yes/No)
  • Operating system language (if Windows-Template requested; German/English)
  • Size of the system disk (if Template requested: for Windows, the system disk must have at least 40 GB; for Ubuntu LTS server, the minimum size of the system disk is 20 GB).
  • Size of the data disk (if necessary)
  • Cost centre

If resources turn out to be insufficient or too abundant, they can be adjusted at any time. For this purpose, an authorised person must send a written request to vi.zid@univie.ac.at.. For the adjustment, a short downtime of the virtual server is necessary.

IP address, VLAN: Please contact the IT representative of your organisational unit to determine an adequate spot in a VLAN assigned to your unit.

DNS name The DNS name has to be registered by the IT representative before requesting the server.

Optional:

  • Request an SSL certificate to establish an encrypted connection between the server and the user’s device.
  • If you would like to access the server via SSH, RDP or HTTPS, please contact the IT representative of your unit to request rules for the firewall of your organisational unit that correspond to your needs.
  • The ZID recommends installing VMware Tools or open-vm-tools and an antivirus software.

Operating systems for virtual servers

The following operating systems are available as templates. You receive a fully installed operating system and administrator access:

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2022 Standard (64-bit)
  • Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Server (64-bit without X)

If you do not want to use the templates, but rather want to install the server yourself (bare metal installation), please contact the ZID by using the servicedesk form Virtuelles Serverhousing (Virtual server housing, in German). Only authorised persons with access to the management console can install a server themselves. 

Windows operating systems are subject to licensing. If you would like to purchase the license via the ZID, please register the server in the management console for IT representatives. Proceed as described under ordering software for virtual servers.

Deregistering a virtual server

To deregister a virtual server, an authorised person or the head of the organisational unit has to send an informal e-mail to vi.zid@univie.ac.at.

Create a backup of your data before deregistering the virtual server. 

Saving data

The ZID regularly backs up a snapshot of the system disk, but not of the data disk. Making file-level backups, also on the system disk, is the responsibility of the contracting party. The ZID recommends the central backup service for this purpose.

In the case of major changes to the system (e.g. a system upgrade), an authorised person can contact the ZID in advance regarding further backup options. For this purpose, please send an e-mail to netzwerk.zid@univie.ac.at.

Physical server housing

Servers that are not suitable for virtualisation can be accommodated in the rooms of the ZID. The ZID offers the following services:

  • Space for the devices
  • (Security-related) technical infrastructure
  • Data connection

The relevant organisational unit is responsible for setting up, operating and maintaining the server.

The Vereinbarung physisches Serverhousing (PDF) (physical server housing agreement, in German) contains detailed regulations. You have to sign it to be able to use the service.

If you consider physical server housing, please send an e-mail to serverhousing.zid@univie.ac.at.

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