Data Storage & Servers

Virtual Servers

In addition to our traditional data center hosting, UCIT is also pleased to also offer hosting on virtual servers.

Virtual server hosting allows a single physical server to be partitioned into multiple “virtual machine” (VM) servers, each with the appearance and capabilities of running as a physically dedicated machine. Each virtual server can run its own operating system (Windows or Linux), is assigned its own hostname and may be independently administered, configured and rebooted without impact on other virtual servers.

Contact Us

To learn more about UCIT’s Virtual Server Hosting Service, please contact:

ESARequest@ucmail.uc.edu

SLA

Download our Service Level Agreement.

Features and benefits of virtual servers:

  • Virtual servers typically have a lower total cost of ownership than physical servers hosted in UCIT data centers.
  • Virtual servers use less power and cooling, support university sustainability goals and improve resource utilization in the data center.
  • Virtual servers should be less affected by hardware failures and maintenance requirements.
  • Provisioning a virtual server is much faster than provisioning a physical server.
  • Virtual servers are hosted in a secure, environmentally controlled and monitored data center.


But not all applications are well-suited for virtualization. Please note the following.

  • Some computation and/or transaction intensive applications are not appropriate for virtualization.
  • Some applications that require more than 500 GB of storage are not appropriate for virtualization.
  • Large database servers or data warehouse applications are not appropriate for virtualization.
  • Vendor products that are not certified to run on VMware are not appropriate for virtualization.


Some applications require resources beyond the limits of the offered virtual server sizes. UCIT can assist in reviewing a particular application or service and determining if it is suitable for virtualization.

Eligibility
University of Cincinnati colleges and departments are eligible to contract with UCIT for virtual servers.

Service details
UCIT supports the Virtual Server hardware environment on a 24/7 basis. Support includes the hosting, setup and management of the virtual server. Virtual servers are hosted in secure UCIT data centers with UPS-backed power. Virtual servers will be located on firewall-protected subnets. Virtual servers are backed up by the UCIT Enterprise Backup service.

Areas of responsibilities

UCIT and client responsibilities will be clearly defined in a Service Level Agreement upon engaging in a hosted UCIT Virtual Server Service.

UCIT responsibilities Client responsibilities

Virtualization environment installation and management 

Hardware installation and management

Operating system support and installation

Software license management

Application support

 

 

UCIT supported operating systems

  • W2K3, W2K8 Enterprise (32 and 64 bit)
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (32 and 64 bit)

 

To learn more about UCIT’s Virtual Server Hosting Service, please contact ESARequest@ucmail.uc.edu.

  • University of Cincinnati Information Technologies
  • 400 University Hall
  • P.O. Box 210658
  • Cincinnati, OH 45221