Operational Plan 2007/8 Version 4
IT Services Operational Plan 2008/9 – Summary DRAFT
IT Services Operational Plan for 2008/9 is guided by the University’s strategic Plan and the University’s ICT Strategy.
The main themes for 2008/9 are:
1 To continue with the development of the network infrastructure and network services in a standards-based environment, improving the resilience and performance of campus network and services, security management and monitoring, identity management and network authentication services, and introducing some data centre technology and system virtualisation
2 Insofar as the server room infrastructure allows, maintain the server systems we have in good order, upgrade them in line with their planned replacement cycle and requirements from administrative units, where possible consolidating these and improving their resilience to failure. To this end we will obtain external advice on priorities for Business Continuity. Another major initiative is to establish well-provisioned data centres for the University’s main servers (admin and research).
3 To maintain and develop facilities for teaching and learning and student support as required by schools and students as resources permit
4 To engage fully with University initiatives that affect IT Services
5 To build on contacts with groups within the University and systemise the development of our own staff’s skills.
I hope what follows is reasonably clear and would welcome any comment that you might have on this plan.
Dr M Bain
Director, IT Services
25 November 2008
IT Services Operational Plan 2008/9
This Operational Plan is based upon the Budget Request document submitted in April 2008 and is informed by the IT Services Strategy 2008-11 and the University Strategic Plan 2008-18. It is to be recognised however that IT Services is required to be responsive to unplanned, but legitimate demands placed upon it by academic schools and units; these are generally modest in themselves but cumulatively can be significant.
There is a continuous programme of network and server operating and system software monitoring and upgrade that has to be carefully planned and performed, preferably without significant disruption to user services.
Network infrastructure
1 In 2006-07, SuperJANET5 was delivered to two points of entry on the Fife and Tayside MAN (FaTMAN) in Dundee. Funding from SFC has been awarded to establish a new fibre optic cable link (one pair) between St Andrews and the second of these JANET points of delivery. The contract to provide this has been awarded and the fibre is due to be available in Dec 2008.
[Other parties: Dundee University ICTS, H2O Networks]
[Funding: SFC/JANET(IK)]
[Due: December 2008]
When this is in place and commissioned, we will deploy Wave Division Multiplexing equipment across these fibres to produce a) a backup IP service (Internet connection for the University) and b) a number of circuits for computer science network research. These should be delivered by February 2008. Funding for 1Gbps connections should be available through FaTMAN, 10Gbps circuit requirements will require additional funding from Computer Science and support from JANET(UK).
[Other parties: Dundee University ICTS, Computer Science]
[Funding: SFC/JANET(UK); possibly Computer Science/ITS – TBD]
[Due: March 2009]
2 There are no major core network equipment upgrades or replacements currently planned this year beyond the 10Gbps upgrade of links to the Purdie Annexe server room. The 10Gbps backbone network is operating well within capacity. However, there are current discussions relating to the Old Union Exchange and any relation of this major communication room may result a requirement to fund core network equipment into one or other of these.
[Other parties: Estates]
[Funding: Estates/PO – TBD][
[Due: TBD]
3 The current strategy of upgrading fibre links into buildings depending upon requirements and opportunity will continue. With respect to the latter, when a building or part of a building is being refurbished we generally seek to upgrade both the fibre and the environment in which the fibre is terminated within the building. Funding for this comes from a mix of project and IT Services funds.
[Other parties; Estates]
[Funding: Estates projects/ITS budget 20k]
[Ongoing]
4 We plan to continue with the present pace of replacement of older (3Com) building switches. There is approximately 2 more years of this programme at the current rate at the end of which the whole network will be using Cisco network communications equipment.
[Other parties: Procurement]
[Funding: Estates projects/ITS budget 150k]
[Ongoing]
5 The strategy for deploying the wireless network has so far encompassed public areas (such as libraries), postgraduate study areas, teaching rooms and areas where research groups or schools have funded equipment. We plan now to extend coverage to other areas with identifiable demand. Currently this includes College Gate and Psychology. Technology in this area is still undergoing significant development; the next 802.11n, is scheduled for ratification in Sept 2009. A plan will be produced to complete wireless provision by Sept 2010.
[Other parties; Estates]
[Funding: Estates/ITS budget 20k]
[Ongoing]
6 The telephone service will require an element of development to service new buildings. Presently, the strategy is to develop what we have in partnership with Damovo/Aastra with minimal capital expenditure; ensuring as best we can that the system remains fully functional and capable, if necessary, of providing IP-based services.
[Other parties; Damovo/Aastra]
[Funding: ITS TBD]
[June 2009]
Network services and systems
7 The current way of provisioning and managing user identities and rights of access across a range of systems has grown organically over many years. It is now a very complex mesh of locally produced procedures that we are in the process of replacing with something that is more flexible and manageable. After a review of systems, the Novell Identity Management suite of products was chosen and a project is in process. The first phase has seen student data feeding the Identity Management system, the second stage will deal with staff data. Having been successful in appointing to a systems post in October 2008, the aim is to provide full user provisioning for testing in May 2009.
[Other parties; HR, Library]
[Funding: ITS 10k]
[User provisioning due May 2009; project ongoing]
8 Having implemented Shibboleth in 2008 there may be a requirement to implement CAS to enable authorisation/authentication for the uPortal project.
[Other parties; Business Improvements]
[Funding: BI TBD]
[Due: June 2009]
9 We will continue to improve resilience of the campus network and services, security management and monitoring, and introducing some data centre technology with system virtualisation. This involves continuing the work to enable resilience for Cisco Firewall Services Modules and IPSec Hardware Acceleration Virtual Private Network Modules and RADIUS services; introducing and enabling resilience for Secure Socket Layer Hardware Encryption, and Application and Control Engine, Modules at least. IT Services in-room CCTV systems will be replaced by an IP-CCTV system that will be capable of expansion throughout the University.
[IP-CCTV Funding: ITS 10k]
[Generally, an ongoing exercise]
10 A penetration test will be carried out by an external agency. An external, internal test and testing of specific servers and services will be involved.
[Due: February 2008]
[Funding: ITS 10k]
11 We shall continue to develop the email service to provide a service that maintains speed of delivery, protection from spam and viruses and good accessibility from outwith the University. An evaluation of options for the future form of the University’s collaboration software (email, diary, etc.) will be undertaken with appropriate consultation by July 2009. There should be no budget implication in 2008/9 for this.
[Other parties: for Collaboration s/w; ICT Strategy and Planning Group]
[Outcome of study due: July 2009]
12 Provision of Internet access to anyone staying in a hall of residence study bedroom has been provided. As agreed with Residential & Business Services access to the University’s wireless network service to visitors will be delivered for the summer vacation 2009. This will use the non-JANET Internet connection to the University.
[Other parties: Residential & Business Services]
[Funding: Residential & Business Services TBD]
[Due: May 2009]
13 Policy and information will be improved for hand-held/mobile devices. In particular, we will recommend a replacement for the Palm OS range of devices, seek to fully support the Apple iPhone and investigate a lower-end system to support.The Webmail service will be upgraded.
[Due: February 2009]
[Budget: 5k]
[Due: Dec 2008; ongoing]
Media and Audio Visual Services
14 A programme for the replacement of all computer and AV equipment in central teaching rooms will be produced and used to seek funding in future years.
[Other parties: Registry/Teaching Infrastructure Strategy Group]
[Due: January 2009]
15 The videoconferencing equipment in the videoconferencing room in St Mary’s will require updating in this period. The equipment was procured in a multi-institutional initiative and this is likely to be the case again. [This room is now used for IDSN-based press voice conference calls; and these two applications seem so far to co-exist well.] We may develop this room further for other multi-media applications.
[Other parties: Scottish VC Procurement Group]
[Budget: 15k]
[Due: May 2009]
16 In 2008, the Media Services Group was strengthened through appointments to posts. This resource has already helped improve services to teaching rooms and to provide support for the Multi Media Centre in the Buchanan building. We also plan to develop a film recording/production service in liaison with schools/units with a demand for such services.
[Other parties: Residential & Business Services]
[Budget: 20k]
[Due: Feb 2009]
17 A video streaming server is in operation and use and requires documentation on its use to be produced.
[Other parties: School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies]
[Due: Mar 2009]
Computer equipment environments
18 The environment in which IT services servers are kept continues to cause serious concern. We are at capacity in terms of electrical power, air conditioning and UPS capacity. This continues to feature amongst the highest identified risks on the IT Services Risk Register. The proposed solution is the delivery of the two new server rooms (data centres) but until at least one is operational (assumed to be the backup room), our central filestore, backup and server-based developments are seriously constrained. Following the University’s ICT Strategy, the procurement of the smaller, backup data centre in Butts Wynd will proceed first, followed by that for the main data centre
[Other parties: Estates/Schools]
[Budget for BW data centre: £2m]
[BW data centre due: Autumn 2009]
19 When the location of the data centres is securely defined we will wish to discuss options for improving the resilience of our main communications rooms with Estates. Initially, this involves completion of improvements to the air con systems, followed by determining options for backup power provision. It would be premature to try to solve this problem in isolation from the server room/data centre development.
[Other parties: Estates]
[Budget: TBD]
[Plan due: May 2009]
User servers and filestore
20 The central filestore system (CFS) has had some persistent operational difficulties that, whilst partially resolved do not seem likely to be wholly removed. Discussions are being held with Sun to in order to produce a long-term solution, probably by replacement of the current CFS. When this is done, we hope also to significantly extend the capacity of the CFS with a view to significantly increase user allocations and to cater for specific requests from schools and units. The target for staff base allocation is 10GB.
[Budget: 60k]
[Due: April 2009]
21 We shall have to review our mail list management software (currently majordomo). This is under consideration as part of the Identity Management project..
[Budget: TBD]
[Due: June 2009]
22 Business systems will be migrated to Oracle 10 platform (servers, arrays, tape backup provision required)
[Other parties: BI]
[Budget: TBD]
[Due: As per BI operating plan]
23 FoI service moved to newer platform
[Other parties: BI]
[Budget: TBD]
[Due: As per BI operating plan]
24 Portal platform required
[Other parties: BI]
[Budget: TBD]
[Due: As per BI operating plan]
25 We will continue work on transferring the Data Warehouse applications from their old hardware to the Sun E4900. In addition, the document management system and user-owned Oracle applications will be housed on this system.
[Other parties: Business Improvements]
[Budget to develop E4900: TBD]
[Due: As per BI operating plan]
Business continuity
25 We reiterate the importance of the new server rooms/data centres for business continuity. We will work with others to improve our preparedness with respect to both Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity. An external company has been engaged to assist the University and IT Services develop its Business Continuity plan and will produce a report by end Feb 2009. The current DR plan will be thoroughly tested.
[Other parties: Principal’s Office, Business Improvements]
[Ongoing]
23 We shall continue to review and upgrade our back-up services to cater for the increasing volume of data we are required to save. This review will be completed by April 2009 with a view to implementation in the summer. An element of funding is available to cater for expansion of the central filestore and other requirements.
[Other parties: Service units]
[Budget: 25k]
[Due: April 2009]
24 We shall continue to assess the relevance and potential of VMWare in our environment. Virtualisation offers a route to greater resilience for some applications.
[Ongoing]
Student/teaching & learning services
27 It is proposed to roll-out a Windows XP desktop to students PC labs in 2009. This service will include new services to enable, for example, students to be given up-to-date information on which labs are being lightly used. It will also enable improved power management of these systems in order to reduce operational costs.
[Due: February 2009]
28 A new cluster will be created in Management specifically to cater for SecondLife requirements.
[ITS Budget: 10k]
[Due: November 2008]
29 The Library cluster will have 18 systems added to it and 30 others will be replaced.
[ITS Budget: 30k]
[Due: February 2009]
30 The equipment in the PC laboratory in the Physics Building (34 systems) will be replaced in the second semester.
[Other parties: Physics]
[ITS Budget: 20k]
[Due: June 2009]