University Information Technology Services
System Assurance Group
Data Center Standards
This document outlines Indiana University Data Center guidelines and standards, including equipment installations, data center access, and operational procedures. /
Table of Contents
- Requesting installation
- Space request
- Acquisition guidelines
- Rack mounted devices
- Equipment specifications
- Power
- Receiving and placement
- Equipment arrival notification
- Equipment installation
- Data Center staging area
- Cabinet design
- Cabinet/Rack
- UPS
- KVM solutions
- Hardware identification
- Disposal of refuse
- Combustible and flammable material
- Installation review
- Negotiations
- Replacement parts
- Equipment removal
- Operations procedures
- Data Center access
- Equipment registration
- Essential information
- Change Management
- Monitoring tools
- Security
- System backups
- Data Center tours
- Data Center Networking
- Campus Network Availability
- Projects / RFPs
- Requesting Network Connectivity
- Firewall Security
- Rack Ethernet Switches
- Internal Rack Wiring
- Sub-Floor Copper/Fiber Wiring Requests
- Server Network Adapter Bridging
- Server Network Adapter Teaming/Trunk/Aggregate Links
- SAN Fiber Channel (FC) Switches
- Multicast
- Jumbo Frames
- Tagged VLANs
- IPv6
- Data Center Network Firewalls
- Exception requests
- A general guideline
- Hosted based firewall
- Outbound traffic
- Service port ‘Any (1-65535)’
- Source address ‘Any (0.0.0.0)’
- Destination address ‘Any (0.0.0.0)’
- Entire Subnets as destinations
- Individual DHCP addresses
- DNS entries must exist
- Source & Destination Host Groups
- Firewall security zones
- Rules are specific to a single member firewall zone
- Global address groups
Last updated July, 2018
All UITS staff and external departmental staff who have equipment responsibilities in the Data Centers should accept the terms and responsibilities outlined in this document.
1. Requesting installation
1.1 Space request: Prior to your submitting a proposal for new equipment, you’ll need to begin initial discussions regarding machine room space. Once you submit amachine room space request form, the System Assurance Group (SAG) will schedule a meeting. The SAG includes the following participants: the UITS Operations Manager, a representative from UITS Facilities, a representative from Networks, and the system administrator and/or system owner. The purpose of the SAG meeting is to address environmental issues (i.e., equipment BTU and power specifications), space, and floor location. The floor location may be determined based on environmental data.
2. Acquisition Guidelines
2.1 Rack mounted devices: Ensure that you’re purchasing rack mounted equipment -- everything needs to be either mounted in the rack or in its own proprietary cabinet (as opposed to free standing). The Operations Manager must approve any exceptions.
2.2 Equipment specifications: Upon making your equipment selections, send the vendor specification sheet to
2.3 Power:Request power for each device from the electrical engineer. Power requests will be handled as follows:
IUPUI: Two rack-mounted cabinet distribution units (CDU) will be installed in each standard rack. These CDUs utilize 208V IEC C13 and C19 outlets. Your hardware will need to operate at 208V and have the proper power cords. Installation of CDUs can take up to a month, so please request power as early as possible. For non-standard or proprietary racks, twist-lock receptacles shall be provided under the floor for connection of user-supplied CDUs.
IUBData Center: In order to maintain Uptime Institute Tier III requirements, two rack-mounted CDUs fed from different power sources will be supplied in each rack. In order to assist with load balancing, youshould purchase hardware with 208V IEC C13 or C19 plugs whenever possible. Please do not plug hardware into any receptacle without authorization of the electrical engineer.
2.4 Receiving and placement:When large, heavy equipment is involved, you’ll need to make arrangements for receiving the order. It is also your responsibility to arrange for the equipment to be moved to the proper place in the machine room. In emergency situations, the Operations staff will act as the contact and receive equipment/parts after normal dock hours.
2.5 Equipment arrival notification:Receiving dock personnel will notify you of equipment arrival (unless otherwise arranged).
3. Equipment installation
3.1 Data Center staging area:
IUPUI: There is very little to no staging area outside of the machine room, so you’ll need to use the machine room space to uncrate/unpack and prepare equipment for installation – and you’ll need to move/install all items to their intended location within two weeks. If for some reason youcannot do so within this time period, please make other arrangements through UITS Facilities or Operations. (This will not guarantee other storage locations.)
IUBData Center:A staging area for equipment is located just off the dock. This space is foruncrating/unpacking and preparingequipment for installation. This area is only for temporary storage – you have two weeks to move/install all items to their intended location. If for some reason you cannot do so within this time period, please make other arrangements through UITS Facilities or Operations. (This will not guarantee other storage locations.)
3.2 Cabinet design:Unless the server manufacturer specifically dictates the equipment must be housed in their proprietary cabinet,all servers will be installed in the standard cabinets provided by Operations. You’ll need to submit proof of vendor proprietary cabinet requirements to SAG. Such cabinets should have front, back, and side panels. Unless someone is working in the unit, cabinet doors must remain closed.
3.3 Cabinet/Rack:The standard cabinet is vendor-neutral EIA-310 19in rack mounting compatibility guaranteed -vendor-neutral mounting for guaranteed compatibility with all EIA-310 compliant 19" equipment.Tall and wide enclosure with 48U spaces, the top 6U are RESERVED for networking equipment. Operations will label the cabinet (both front and rear) with the unique floor grid location and with the power circuit serving that unit.
Equipment spacing within the cabinet/rack should allow appropriate airflow for proper cooling. Blanking panels will need to be installed to fill in all vacant rack space.
3.4 UPS:NO rack mounted uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs)will be allowed. The Enterprise Data Centers will provide backup power.
3.5 KVM solutions: Rack mounted monitors and keyboard trays are required only if you need KVM. Cabling between racks not allowed.
3.6 Hardware identification: Supply Operations with the appropriate fully qualified server names, and they will label all equipment within the cabinets so that hardware is easily identifiable. You will need prior approval from the Operations Manager and Communications Office to display any signage.
3.7 Disposal of refuse:The person/team installing the device is responsible for the disposal of all refuse (cardboard, styrofoam, plastic, pallets, etc.). Please see that you remove any refuse – and, if possible, recycle any cardboard – from the IUPUI machine room and IUB Data Center staging area on a daily basis.
3.8 Combustible and flammable material:Do not leave combustible materials in the machine rooms – such materials include cardboard, wood, and plastic, as well as manuals and books. This also prohibits the use of wooden tables/shelves.
3.9 Review installation: The person requesting installationshould arrange with the Operations Manager for a final review of equipment installation, to ensure that appropriate policies and procedures are implemented before the equipment becomes production ready.
3.10 Negotiations: Any negotiations and exceptions must be arranged between the system owners and the Operations Manager, and approved by the Director of Enterprise Infrastructure and the relevant director or officer of the area involved.
3.11 Replacement parts: All onsite replacement parts should be stored in a storage cabinet or on storage shelves in the storeroom (e.g.,for use by service vendors such as IBM or Service Express). Make anynecessary storage arrangements with Facilities or the Operations Manager.
4. Equipment removal
4.1 When a new system is replacing a pre-existing machine, the old system must be properly decommissioned via the Change Management process. Submit a request to CNI for the removal of firewall rules for machines that are decommissioned.
4.2 Removal of old hardware must be coordinated with the UITS Facilities Manager and follow all appropriate policy, standards, and guidelines relating to data destruction, wiring removal, and component disposition.
4.3Please be sure to include all of the appropriate capital asset transfers.
4.4 The cost of removal is borne by the owner, and all equipment must be removed no later than 30 days after it has been decommissioned. Exceptions to the 30 day removal periodrequire approval by Facilities or the Operations Managers.
5. Operations procedures
5.1 Data Center access:Due to the sensitive nature of the data and computing systems maintained within its facilities, security and access are important aspects of the OVPIT/UITS environment. In most cases, the university is contractually and legally obligated to limit access to only those who have IT responsibilities requiring frequent access.
Security cameras are located throughout OVPIT/UITS buildings. These cameras record footage for follow-up in the case of a security incident. They also provide an effective deterrence function in the safe operation of the building.
UITS staff with responsibilities in the data center may gain access through an arrangement between the department manager and Operations. Requests should be made via the Special Access Request Form.
Persons other than full-time UITS staff are permitted in the data center only under one of the following conditions:
- They are full-time staff of vendors providing services to UITS: Contract consultants or service representatives may be authorized by prior arrangement with Operations.
- They are full-time staff of Indiana University working on a system owned by an IU department and housed in the data center, under terms specified in a Co-location Agreement -- access will be granted in situations requiring hands-on system administration, not simply because a system is present on a machine in the data center.
- They are full-time or contracted staff of a non-IU entity that owns a system housed in the data center, under terms specified in a co-location agreement – again, access will granted when hands-on system administration is necessary, not simply because a system is present on a machine in the data center.
- They are escorted by a full-time UITS staff member as part of a tour of the facilities.
ID badges and access cards will be provided for those individuals who meet criterion A, B, or C. The ID badges must be worn and visible during visits to the data center. All staff who meets criteria A, B, or C is expected to sign in to the data center through Operations prior to entering the room, and to sign out upon exiting.
Biometric hand geometry scanners are installed at both Data Centers. A registration process will be scheduled and performed by the UITS Facilities or Operations staff.
For additional information and to learn about biometric hand geometry scanners, review the internal KB document at
(Note: theinternal document requires authentication).
The Vice President for Information Technology has developed a policy related to the handling, management and disposition of "biometric" data used in the hand geometry scanner. It is stored in an internal KB document at
(note: the internal document requires authentication).
5.2 Equipment registration: Equipment must be registered in the machine room inventory. Send an email to if you experience problems accessing the Data Center Inventory System.
5.3 Essential information: The system owner will enter the essential information into the Machine Room Inventory System and update that information if it changes. Essential information includes:
- System hardware: A complete description of the machine's hardware configuration, including vendor, model, on-board memory, secondary storage media vendor/type, etc.
- System software: A complete description of the machine's software configuration, including operating system vendor, version, patch level, and other major software components on the system
- System function: A complete description of the machine's function (the service that it provides)
- System recovery: Accurate startup and shutdown procedures and special information relating to crash or other emergency recovery situations
- On-call notification: Primary and secondary system contacts and schedules, plus contact information for the manager supporting the system (Please provide prior to production date.)
- Vendor and maintenance contract: Vendor contact information, including information related to the maintenance/service contract and warranty (The Operations Manager will assist in negotiating maintenance contracts on behalf of UITS, but budgets for ongoing maintenance should be managed in the individual units.)
5.4 Change Management: The system manager or system administrator needs to participate in the Change Management process, by representing the deployment of a new production system before implementation. At the start of fall and spring semesters, aLimited Change Periodof approximately 2 weeks takes place -- dates are posted on the ChangeManagement web site.
The following types of changes will be allowedduring the Limited Change Period following standard Change Management procedure:
- Routine patches, security patches, and bug fixes for applications
- Low-risk application deployments with limited impact on user experience
Essential Changes(previously called Emergency Changes) not represented in Change Management must continue toreceive director approval AND be communicated to the Change Management email list.These are changes that cannot waituntil the Limited Change Period ends and are deemed important enough to assume the risk of making the change.
The following types of changes will generally not be allowedduring the Limited Change Period (unless deemed an Essential Changeby the director and communicated to the Change Management email list):
- Medium- and high-risk changes requiring significant changes and testing.
- Anything impacting the usability, functionality or availability of certain key services required for a smooth semester start-up. This includes:
i.Tier0 and Tier1 services as defined by the Incident Management Team
ii.CrimsonCard
iii.Google at IU
iv.Box
v.IU Print (except to load allotments for the new semester)
5.5 Monitoring tools:Network monitoring tools will scan incoming machines as appropriate. Please supply the network address and any special considerations for the monitoring mode.
5.6 Security:All servers are expected to be administered in a secure manner using industry best practices IT Policy 12, including employment of host based firewalls and operation behind the machine room firewall.You are expected to properly review and formally acknowledge all relevant security polices and standards. For more information, please see the University Information Security Office Resources page.
5.7 System backups:Best Practices should include the implementation of a proper system backup schedule. This includes the deployment of incremental, full, and archive program processes as needed. You must use proven, supported backup software and apply appropriate standards for off-site backup data for production systems.
Enterprise Infrastructure offers a data backup service as part of the Intelligent Infrastructure suite of services.
5.8 Data Center tours: All tours of the machine room must be scheduled with the Operations Manager.
6. Data Center Networking
System Classification:
- IU Enterprise Systems: Indiana Universitysystems using IU IP addressing that reside in the enterprise environments at the IUPUI and IUB data centers. These systems the standard top-of-rack (TOR) switching configuration.
- Non-IU Colocation Systems: Systems that are using only Indiana University data center space, power, and cooling. These external customers are not using IU IP address space and networking.
- IU Research Systems: Indiana University systems that are located primarily on the IU research networks. Physical placement lies within the areas designated as research environments at the IUPUI and IUB data centers.
6.1Campus Network Availability: All enterprise racks come standard with one switch installed at the top of the cabinet to provide 48 ports of 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet connections into the data center switching infrastructure. 10G or additional 1G switches are available by request at an additional cost. All public and private Ethernet connections are to be provided by UITS unless special circumstances are reviewed and approved by Campus Network Engineering (CNE). This policy applies to Enterprise and any Research System using IU campus networks.
6.15 VLAN Availability: Data Center VLANs can only be extended between the IUB or IUPUI Data Centers. Data Center VLANs cannot be extended to other areas on campus.
6.2 Projects / RFPs: If you are embarking on a new project, include Campus Network Engineering (CNE) in these discussions. They can help assist you with the networking requirements and ensure they are compatible with our existing network design and will achieve the performance you require. Contact to schedule a meeting with these individuals.
6.3 Requesting Network Connectivity: Entire Data Center VLANs/subnets are allocated to departments/teams specifically. Data Center VLANs/subnets are designed to not be shared across multiple departments/teams. If your department does not have a Data Center VLAN/subnet yet, contact to request one. Once you have a VLAN/subnet assigned, you must request network switch portsby going to and selecting “Data Center – Networking”and then “Switch Port Activation”.
Static IP addresses must be assigned by using the Campus Network Portal (CNP).More information regarding the management of static IPs with the CNP can be found in the IU Knowledge Base.
This policy applies to Enterprise and any research system located in the enterprise environment using IU campus networks.
6.4 Firewall Security: This policy applies to Enterprise and any Research Systems using IU campus networks. All servers must be protected by the Data Center firewalls. Request firewall rules via firewall.uits.iu.edu. The firewall request page includes additional information on firewall policies and standards. A full explanation of firewall policies and best practices can be found in Section 7 of this document.