Colocation Services
Production Services offers a Colocation Service to Carnegie Mellon University campus departments. Colocation is a service through which Computing Services supplies rack space, network connectivity, and hardware support for departmental servers.
The service is housed in Cyert Hall's main computer room where there is ample space to house hundreds of machines. The area can accommodate rack or shelf mount equipment and offers network connectivity, a temperature and humidity controlled environment, computer grade electricity and emergency power, and 24/7 staffing year round.
Under the Colocation Service, the departments purchase their own approved hardware, configure the operating system, application software and user environment according to their needs, as they typically would. Then, Computing Services transports the equipment to our facility located in Cyert Hall. We install and connect the system and then connect it to the campus network. Our hardware support safeguards the equipment in the computer room and minimizes the number of people who can access the area.
Standard services include a 10/100 Base-T network connection to the campus backbone and hardware support. Other services, such as backup tape mounting, a variety of data backup programs and customized network connections are also available for a fee. In order to safeguard personnel and equipment, all hardware changes – installations, upgrades, repairs, relocations and removals – will be performed by Computing Services technicians at prevailing hourly rates. Alternatively, access can be given to the department’s commercial hardware service provider. See the Price List for a complete list of available services and charges.
Departments using the colocation service should provide a single point of contact for server related issues. The department will continue to be responsible for system administration, software management, system monitoring and end-user support.
Many departments have found colocation to be a secure, reliable and cost-effective alternative to maintaining their own server rooms and related infrastructure. In addition, support staff overhead is reduced and personnel resources can be freed to focus on more strategic activities. Groups that must maintain their own servers in crowded spaces or in rooms where it is difficult to consistently maintain an environmentally friendly atmosphere have benefited from this service.
Terms of Service
The computer room is a restricted facility. Access to colocated equipment is limited to critical and emergency situations.
The customer is responsible for system administration, end-user support and monitoring. The customer must also provide response protocol and contact information for all equipment.
