Dedicated Web Server Hosting
Who is this for?
UNI IT will host virtual or physical servers for faculty and staff at UNI. For virtual servers there is quarterly billing for resources allocated and for physical hardware individuals or departments are expected to purchase a server or provide a billable account if NIS is purchasing the equipment. We recommend a replacement lifecycle for physical servers that ensures consistent hardware support.
What services are covered?
Virtual servers
Reliable system uptime. Virtual servers will exist within our core infrastructure and will be treated as necessary to remain online.
OS installation. We will provide an operating system fully installed and updated with any basic applications installed to ensure you can connect via the desired method and get started developing and hosting right away.
Baseline security.
Servers will be scanned by UNI IT Security's vulnerability scanner and patches will be required. Host based FW rules will be configured to allow inbound access by these scanners.
UNI IT will ensure OS and core services (Apache, PHP, Drupal, WordPress) patches are applied. Without a separate test instance we are unable to guarantee patches we apply will not negatively affect the application.
Patches related to the Application or Libraries used are the responsibility of the requester of the system.
Typically we integrate these systems to our configuration tools to ensure that firewalls, users access, and system settings are set safely.
Systems not patched within deadlines provided by IT Security may be taken off line.
Optionally and as time and resources permit, IT Security may perform mild-to-moderate penetration testing of web applications dependent on custom coding outside a standard Drupal or WordPress installation.
Backup and data integrity. We use a Storage Area Network (SAN) to ensure storage is fast and reliable. Backups are provided at the virtual machine level (no user configuration!). See notes on charge back rates about backups.
Networking and access. We can provide a secure network and offer additional services such as F5 proxy, DNS, SSL certificates and static IP addresses to ensure safe and reliable connectivity.
Physical servers
Server racking and initial configuration. We will mount, power, and connect your server.
OS installation. We will provide an operating system fully installed and updated with any basic applications installed to ensure you can connect via the desired method and get started developing and hosting right away.
Baseline security.
Servers will be scanned by UNI IT Security's vulnerability scanner and patches will be required. Host based FW rules will be configured to allow inbound access by these scanners.
UNI IT will ensure OS and core services (Apache, PHP, Drupal, WordPress) patches are applied. Without a separate test instance we are unable to guarantee patches we apply will not negatively affect the application.
Patches related to the Application or Libraries used are the responsibility of the requester of the system.
Typically we integrate these systems to our configuration tools to ensure that firewalls, users access, and system settings are set safely.
Systems not patched within deadlines provided by IT Security may be taken off line.
Optionally and as time and resources permit, IT Security may perform mild-to-moderate penetration testing of web applications dependent on custom coding outside a standard Drupal or WordPress installation.
Networking and access. We can provide a secure network and offer additional services such as F5 proxy, DNS, SSL certificates and static IP addresses to ensure safe and reliable connectivity.
Supported Operating Systems
Any supported version of Windows Server (licensing provided by UNI)
Any mainstream Linux server distribution, recent versions only. Examples:
RHEL licensing provided by UNI
Ubuntu most recent LTS
Debian most recent LTS
Rocky/Alma Linux most recent release
What do I need to do?
If you are looking to get started with a dedicated server, please consult with NIS to find the right hosting solution. Visit https://servicehub.uni.edu to submit a request explaining your needs.
What are the application administrator's responsibilities?
If you are managing the application hosted on a dedicated server your expected responsibilities can include tasks like:
Updating packages within application environment(s).
Providing application configuration
Updating the web application itself and providing any integration workflow required for functionality.
Testing and staging without affecting your production application (if required or desired)
Why would I need a dedicated server instead of UNI's typical shared hosting solution?
NIS typically recommends running in our shared hosting environment, Types of Web Hosting at UNI, but in some cases we will recommend a separate dedicated server (will incur additional costs):
Programming language or database incompatibility. Our shared hosting solution works best with HTML/CSS, PHP, or JavaScript applications with a MySQL backend, essentially browser friendly languages. Should you need a system friendly language (Python, Node, Ruby) you'll have a better time on a dedicated server.
Performance based restrictions. To ensure the reliability of all sites in our shared environment, if you have a performance intensive application you'll be asked to move to dedicated server space.
Additional reasons can be provided. We have seen requirements in grants for purchasing a physical device.
Common Recommendations
If you are using Python, Ruby, Java, or JavaScript please use isolation tools instead of relying system packages. This allows you to control the version and makes it less likely your site will break on required system updates.