Server Hosting & Support

Owned by Tiffany Linhardt (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Feb 23, 2024 by Michael Hill
4 min read

Overview of Service

Franklin OIT offers both physical and virtual server hosting and support.

Physical Server Hosting & Support

Franklin College purchased rack space within the central Boyd Data Center Hosting to meet increasing demand for services that comply with physical security requirements for relevant laws and granting agencies. The center was renovated in 2006 to include a 4,300 square foot addition (for a total of 16,000 sq ft) and is supported by an enterprise class generator, remote camera monitoring, secure card access, 2 commercial UPS units, and a gas fire-suppression system.  This provides a stable, cost-effective location for personnel to host their physical server equipment.  In addition to the physical hosting, Franklin OIT provides limited support for installation, network, and support for a minimal cost to clients.

Virtual Server Hosting & Support

Franklin College paid to participate in the PeachNet Cloud-based Virtual Data Center in response to growing demand for a more flexible server infrastructure. PeachNet’s Virtual Data Center service provides an ESX cluster environment using VMware’s Virtual Cloud Director (vCD) for University System of Georgia (USG) institutions.  This provides a stable, cost-effective location for personnel to spin-up virtual servers.  In addition to the virtual machine hosting, Franklin OIT personnel provide some basic support for installation, and networking of virtual devices, and additional support for a minimal cost to clients.

Benefits of Service

Benefits for Hosting in Boyd Data Center

  • Peace of mind for securing Sensitive and Critical Data
  • Reduction in downtime due to Generator Backup, UPS and extra Air Handlers
  • Fire Suppression/Physical Security Coverage
  • Freeing up space in your facilities
  • Freeing up monitoring staff for other functions
  • Flexibility and cost efficiency for System Administration support through Franklin OIT or EITS

Benefits of Using PeachNet Virtual Data Center

  • High Availability
    • Load balancing
    • vSphere High Availability (HA) enabled
    • Datacenter backed by UPS and generator
    • Environment monitored for fail-over and performance
  • High Performance
    • Server hardware and lifecycle management
    • Storage and networking infrastructure and lifecycle management
  • Secure
    • Network isolation provided
    • Full control of virtual private firewall
  • Flexible
    • Full management VM and vApp templates for rapid consistent deployment
    • Ability to delegate roles within a VDC organization allowing institutions to grant granular control to units or individuals
    • Web portal for VM creation/management including console access
    • VMs are thin provisioned
    • Off-site backups available through our Cloud Backup service
    • Off-site archive available through our Cloud Storage service

Requesting Use and Support

New Clients

Franklin College faculty and staff can request server hosting (physical or virtual) by contacting the Franklin OIT Help Desk.

Existing Clients

Franklin College faculty and staff can request support for servers (physical or virtual) by contacting the Franklin OIT Help Desk.

Current Rates for Service

ServiceAnnual Fees
Server Installation and Configuration (Physical or Virtual) (one-time fee)$240 / system
Maintenance and Support (Physical or Virtual)$720 / system
Additional Required Fees for Virtual ServersAnnual Fees
Hosting Fee*$115 / system*
VM Memory Fee*$49 / GB*
VM Storage Fee*$1.25 / GB*
(warning) These services are under currently under evaluation for FY25.
Additional ServicesOne-time Fees
Custom configurations$70 / hour
Server compliance certification$320 / system

Client Responsibilities

Clients are responsible for the following:

  • Initiate requests for new service, change on existing service, or support for services via the Franklin OIT Help Desk.
  • Adhere to any hosting requirements found in Additional Information for Service section.
  • Purchase of any required items; including but not limited to hardware including racking hardware, software, support services, warranty, cabling, licensing, or fees.
  • Notify Franklin OIT if a server is being decommissioned or the point of contact changes.
  • Develop data management plans, disaster recovery plans, and business continuity plans as applicable.  
  • Training users on how to utilize any applications running on the server
  • Troubleshooting, maintenance, and security of any user-run applications, scripts, or software installed on the server
  • Adhering to any relevant Franklin OIT, UGA, or USG policies. 

OIT Responsibility

Franklin OIT has particular responsibilities to every client that are detailed in our Franklin OIT Service Level Guidelines.

For Server Hosting and Support, Franklin OIT is responsible for the following:

  • Respond to initial client request for information, use of, or support for this service
  • Meet with the client to discuss needs and provide a detailed list of recommendations
  • Provide documentation to detail the work Franklin OIT will perform and confirm when that work is completed
  • Provide any additional documentation that may be required to clarify expectations
  • Provide adequate notice to clients of any proposed rate changes

When maintenance and support is included Franklin OIT is also responsible for:

  • User management
  • Maintenance and patching of the operating system and hardware
  • Troubleshooting of reported or monitored system-level issues
  • Timely communication about system outages or maintenance

Additional Documents and Information for Service

The USG PeachNet Virtual Data Center hosting website provides information on features, and benefits of the service.

You can find more information on the UGA Boyd Data Center hosting, facilities, and benefits by visiting http://eits.uga.edu/servers_and_storage/boyd_data_center/hosting.

Supported operating systems include CentOS / RedHat Enterprise Linux 8+, and Windows Server 2016+

Please note the below requirements for use of the Boyd Data Center Hosting:

  • All servers must contain adequate rack-mount support hardware such as rails and cable management arms.
    • Rails should support a standard 4-post rack design with square mounting holes.
    • Franklin OIT will NOT provide shelves or other rack mounting hardware.
    • We recommend using Dell Rapid Rails or other fast/tool-less rack mounting rails for easier installation and management.
  • All servers must have the ability for complete 'lights out' hardware remote management.
    • Hardware-level remote management generally mitigates the need to have physical access to a piece of hardware for the purposes of OS install or other direct hardware management and power state changes.
    • Franklin OIT recommends Dell iDRAC Enterprise, HP iLO, or equivalent IPMI remote management hardware.
  • Systems installed in the Franklin OIT racks in Boyd are only physically accessible by appointment Monday - Friday 8am-5pm or during emergencies when coordinated with SMT staff.
    • Personnel will be escorted or otherwise supervised by an SMT member during visits.
    • An hourly service fee may be assessed on a case-by-case basis and will be discussed with the client per instance.
  • Systems must be enterprise-class hardware and it is recommended to have built-in redundancy including: 
    • Failover or redundant power supplies (required)
    • Redundant arrays of disks (RAID) (recommend using hardware vs. software RAID)
        • A hot spare is recommended to avoid the need to make emergency/after-hours visits.
    • Dual network cards (or greater)