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The University's Executive Compliance Committee (ECC) has made a policy change that requires all commodity servers to be physically or virtually located in the University Data Center.   Such a change helps to address a number of risks that the committee has been monitoring over the years. More details on the policy change can be found at: https://security.utexas.edu/policies/irusp#19.5

Commodity servers are defined as systems providing basic information technology services to university affiliates (e.g., web services, mail services, file services, database services, directory services, collaboration services).  

There were roughly 600 commodity servers identified as having high-volume activity that were located outside of the University Data Center. The ECC has asked the Information Security Office to work with each affected unit on the final disposition of each server.

 

Commodity Services

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 University Affiliates - Important Information

 


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collaboration
collaboration
Collaboration Services 

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database
database
Database Services (MySQL) 

MySQL is an open source relational database management system (RDBMS). It is commonly used for database services for other open source and web applications.

Features:

  • 1 gigabyte of storage space on the central MySQL database servers.
  • Daily Backups with two week retention.
  • Ability to safely store Category-I data in databases.
  • Access to phpMyAdmin and the MySQL command line client for database management and administration.
  • Access to the ITS Systems MySQL team for advice and troubleshooting.
  • Access to commercial MySQL support via the ITS Systems MySQL team.

Cost:

The MySQL database service is available at no cost for departments for up to six named databases. Additional named databases can be purchased in quantities of six for an additional $150 per year. Additional storage space is $7 per gigabyte per year.

MySQL Order Form

MySQL Help

Directory Services 

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directory
directory

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A directory service is a system system that stores, organizes and provides access to information in a directory.  It allows the look-up of values given a name, similar to a dictionary.   In a directory, a name may be associated with multiple, different pieces of information.

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Customers must manage access client protocols, such as CIFS, NFS, and AFP via a server front-end.  It is required that customer servers are located within UDC-C to connect to UT Enterprise Bulk Storage. 

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Note:  A Mirrored Copy option is available, but doubles the cost per GB.   It is preferred that servers mounting UT Enterprise Bulk Storage are located in the University Data Center. 

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UTBackup provides an enterprise-level, centralized, and automated digital data backup solution for the UT Austin campus. For end users, UTBackup assures peace of mind that their data is being backed up safely and securely.  UTBackup is available for current UT faculty and staff who have departmental technical support.

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Note: Custom domains or alias are being investigated.   Academic staff (TA, GRAs, etc) could potentially be included.   This is not a "for life" email account.   The email account will be processed for deletion when university affiliation no longer exists.   Permanent forwarding of email is also being investigated.

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    • Write your website in HTML, CSS, or JavaScript
    • You can take full advantage of the 25GB of storage available in a UTmail account.
    • Limited to current domain name structure

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webcentral
webcentral
UT Web

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(publishing on Unix) 

UT Web Central Overview:  http  https://wwwits.utexas.edu/itsprojects/webcentral/

UT Web Central on UNIX Help:  http://www.utexas.edu/its/help/unixweb

UT Web Central is a conventional Unix-based shared Web hosting platform environment that provides:

    • UNIX user accounts and file storage
    • File ownership groups for shared content editing
    • Automated task execution
    • Allows secure file uploading, downloading and storage
    • Shared common Web server and resources
    • Keep existing URL or create new @ece.utexas.edu

Features

    • Flat HTML as well as CGI and PHP scripting
    • Perl 5.6.1
    • PHP 5.2.5
    • TCLSH 8.2.2
    • RHEL5 (default) or Solaris
    • 24-hour operator coverage with daily backups
    • Searchable using the ITS-supported Google Custom Search Engine (CSE)
    • Supports connections to MySQL, and Oracle databases
    • Access to Urchin Web Analytics and the Accessibility Scanning Tool is available upon request
    • Supports secure (https) Web access to content and applications via SSL
    • Supports UT EID logon authentication (see Accessing EID Data)

Note: Web Central does not support custom frameworks or other languages such as such as Ruby, Python, and .NET

    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6
    • Apache HTTP server version 2.2
    • MySQL version 5.6 (local installations)
    • PHP programming language versions 5.3 and 5.4
    • Virtualmin Web Panel for self-service site management
    • Access to phpMyAdmin and the MySQL command-line client
    • 1-click Drupal Installer
    • 1-click WordPress Installer
    • Self-managed file backups and recovery
    • Unix shell access via UT EID
    • Access to raw log files
    • Access to both Git and SVN version control tools
    • CGI Scripting
    • PHP supported MSSQL connections
    • Improved performance and reliability

Cost:  Web publishing on UT Web Central is available to university departments or sponsored groups at no cost.

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exception
exception
Exception Process

You should consider structuring your exceptions around the following: 
https://security.utexas.edu/policies/irusp#standard23

    • business case for exception
    • physical controls for exception
    • logical controls for exception

What is meant by logical controls?

According to the Information Security Office (ISO), logical security controls would consist of implementing permissions, logging, and auditing mechanisms for access to unattended systems.   For example, physical access of the "server room" should have an Access Control System in place to track who has access to a particular area, and logs when an individual has entered the controlled area.

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University Affiliate Types

University Affiliate Assignment Requirements

Very Special Note on Affiliates

Beginning May 19, 2014, all persons who lose eligibility due to their affiliation change (departure) with the university will lose eligibility for certain university services, such as a AEMS/Office 365 mailbox, personal Austin Disk services, WebCentral services, etc. For example, users with an active AEMS/Office 365 will receive a notice that their mailbox has been locked and will be removed in 30 days if no action is taken.    As a result, the group member will not be able to send, receive, or access messages from AEMS/Office 365. 

For students, this does not include UT Mail (via Google). Exceptions can be made for faculty who have departed from the university, depending on their continued interaction with the department, university, or status (e.g. Emeritus).