The Research Computing (RC) at Colorado School of Mines provides condo & colocation services at its CTLM facility, offering fast connectivity for hosting research servers. This webpage outlines the guidelines and requirements for physically hosting data center equipment in this shared facility, benefiting the Colorado School of Mines research community.
Condo Additions
Principal Investigators (PIs) may integrate exclusive hardware partitions into the main cluster to support specific research needs while ensuring system compatibility and operational efficiency
Financial Justification and Funding
Hardware purchases require a clear financial justification and must be funded using unrestricted capital funds.
Support
The Research Computing team is responsible for maintaining all aspects of the computing environment, including the operating system, security features, and software. Hardware support and management are fully centralized within the Research Computing team. This model encourages a hands-off approach for Principal Investigators (PIs).”
Hardware
PIs must collaborate with the Research Computing team to ensure technical compatibility and obtain approval for vendor selection and hardware specifications. Integrated hardware must include InfiniBand cards, adhere to cluster interoperability standards, be under warranty, and be no more than five years old.
Warranty
All equipment must be under warranty or maintenance contract. Equipment is expected to have a maximum operational lifespan of five years, and customers should plan for regular equipment refresh cycles.
Start-Up Fees
Start-up fees will apply per port and per kW to cover the cost of cables and switches. Rates will be provided upon consultation with the Research Computing team.
Procurement Process
The Research Computing team will collaborate with the Procurement team to facilitate hardware purchases and ensure compliance with all institutional policies.
Inventory
Customers authorize Mines IT & Research Computing to manage the Annual Capital Asset Inventory process. Hosted (Co-Located) Additions
Hosted (Co-Located) Additions
This outlines the guidelines and requirements for faculty interested in managing their own hardware within the centrally managed Mines data center. Due to limited space availability, these guidelines ensure equitable access and responsible resource utilization.
Cybersecurity
Adherence to industry best practices and relevant security regulations is mandatory. While Mines IT provides a secure network environment, failure to maintain adequate security standards on the part of a hardware owner may result in disconnection from the network to mitigate potential security risks to the overall campus environment.
Rack Space
Customers may only deploy equipment that has been approved by Mines IT. Allocated rack space must be used exclusively, and customers are obligated to respect the space allotted to other users.
Hardware
Equipment must function reliably within a cooling temperature up to 85°F. Servers must have redundant power supplies or run the risk of losing function during data center and network maintenance windows. A baseboard management system is strongly suggested such as iLO, iDRAC, or other BMC for the purpose of remote OS upgrades, rebooting, etc. Owners are responsible for physical delivery to the CTLM server room, unboxing, rack installation, and configuration (OS, sys admin configs, networking, user management) of the hosted server. IT System Administration team will assist with network port, network cable setup, KVM connection, and power access within the CTLM data center.
Access
Systems are accessible via the network 24x7, except for regularly scheduled maintenance downtime related to the Mines network or server room maintenance. Physical access to the data center is restricted to authorized faculty and staff 24/7 after registering with the building proctor and setting up credentials with Mines Lock Shop.
Inventory
System owners are expected to manage the Annual Capital Asset Inventory process.
Warranty
All equipment must be under warranty or maintenance contract. Equipment is expected to have a maximum operational lifespan of five years, and customers should plan for regular equipment refresh cycles. Customers are responsible for promptly updating equipment information with Mines IT upon replacement.
Support
Mines IT does NOT provide direct technical support for co-located equipment. Principal Investigators (PIs) are responsible for the maintenance and support of their hardware and software.
Cost
Start-up fees will be assessed based on port usage and power consumption (per kW). These fees cover the costs associated with cabling and network switches. Rates will be determined during consultation with the Research Computing team