Server and Storage Hosting

Summary

This article describes the hosting services provided by OTS Enterprise & Infrastructure Services, with details on the benefits of using OTS's hosting services, chargeback rates for our services, and the process for requesting assistance.

Body

This article describes the hosting services offered by the Office of Technology Services (OTS), including virtual and physical server hosting, large file share (Jumboshare) hosting, and other custom arrangements.  The document will help guide departments in understanding the available hosting options, associated costs, and the process for requesting these services.

Table of Contents

Hosting Services Offered

This is a summary of hosting services offered.  Be sure to review the Rates and Requesting Services sections for additional important details.  All requests will involve consultation and review.

Virtual Servers

Departments can request virtual server hosting for most server needs:

  • Virtual machines (VMs) will run on the Microsoft Hyper-V hypervisor, and will be deployed with a recent, supportable version of Windows Server or Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating systems.  Requests for non-standard configurations (e.g., very large VMs, non-standard operating systems, VMware hypervisor requirement, large storage needs) will require further discussion.
  • OTS will deploy the VM, maintain a highly available hosting environment, and ensure automated operating system patching.

Physical Servers

For more specialized or resource-intensive workloads, departments can request physical server hosting:

  • OTS will work with you to identify options for physical servers, such as hardware vendor, sizing, and cost, as well as determine if a virtual server would be an appropriate alternative.
  • OTS will then assist in the purchase and racking/installation of the new server, including operating system deployment.
  • OTS will maintain a highly available hosting environment and ensure automated operating system patching.

Large File Shares (Jumboshare Service)

Departments can request large file shares ("Jumboshares"):

  • OTS will work with you to determine if your size and performance requirements can be met with the Jumboshare service, or if an alternative solution will be required.  In some cases, there may be no-cost solutions that may be appropriate.  If you require smaller or secure storage solutions, we offer Customshares and Secureshares, which can be requested through TechHelp (http://techhelp.towson.edu), which may also require a consultation.
  • The Jumboshare service provides Windows file shares, a few TBs (terabytes) or less in size, with performance that's slower and meant for archival or similar purposes.
  • OTS will create the share and the department will manage read/write permissions to the share.

Custom Arrangements

For unique needs beyond the solutions above (e.g., large storage needs, specific hosting requirements), we can arrange a consultation to discuss if OTS is able to assist.

Benefits

Departments are encouraged to reach out to OTS when they believe they have a need to use one of the hosting services above.  Some of the benefits of using OTS's services include:

  • Security and Compliance:   IT security policies limit what departments can host on their own or through a partner without proper review.  Working with OTS ensures that departments are compliant with TU, USM, Maryland state policies and other regulatory requirements.  OTS datacenters and hosting services are routinely hardened and audited, services are highly available, and data is backed up and recoverable.
  • Cost-Effective:  Our services are competitively priced, and reduce surprise or indirect costs associated with using a third party to host services.
  • Support:  OTS will consult with you to find an appropriate and right-sized hosting service.

Rates

Chargeback Process

Charges for services are billed back to departments twice per fiscal year, typically in August/September and February/March.  When a hosting arrangement is first arranged, departments supply a cost center (budget code) for each service being hosted (e.g., server, Jumboshare).

Change in Rates (for new requests as of 1/1/2025)

The newest rate schedule is being provided to help departments estimate costs in advance of making a request.  Rates are reviewed periodically and based on a combination of rates from other hosting services (like Microsoft Azure), industry trends, and actual datacenter hardware and software costs.

Customers currently using our services under previous agreements will retain those rates through at least the end of Fiscal Year 2026.  Please reach out for specific details on grandfathered pricing.  Any change in pricing will be communicated in advance.

Rates for Virtual Servers

Following are the rates for each virtual server requested:

Hosting Base Cost
  • $1,220/year
  • This includes licensing costs and labor overhead.  Licensing includes operating system, endpoint security, and system management licensing costs. 
  • A consultation and custom arrangement will be required if the virtual server is not running a standard, current operating system (Windows or Red Hat Enterprise Linux) that OTS would manage, or is a type of virtual "appliance."  OTS cannot guarantee we're able to host a non-standard virtual machine without discussion.
CPU
  • $150/CPU/year
  • CPUs will be hyperthreaded.  All VMs require a minimum of 2 CPUs, which tends to be sufficient for many workloads.
  • VMs requiring more than 8 CPUs require a consultation and custom arrangement.
RAM
  • $75/GB/year
  • All VMs require a minimum of 4GB RAM, although we often recommend 6GB for newer operating systems. 
  • VMs requiring more than 16GB of RAM require a consultation and custom arrangement.
Standard Storage
  • $1.80/GB/year
  • Used for the operating system (OS) disk and comparable medium-level tier of storage performance.  Default OS disk size varies by operating system, but may be 80-100GB.
  • VMs requiring more than 500GB of standard storage require a consultation and custom arrangement.
Performance Storage
  • $3.70/GB/year
  • Used for specific workloads, like databases that requiring greater storage performance.
  • VMs requiring more than 250GB of performance storage require a consultation and custom arrangement.
Capacity Storage
  • $1.10/GB/year
  • Used for bulk storage which can run on a lower tier of storage performance.
  • VMs requiring more than 1TB of capacity storage require a consultation and custom arrangement.
Backups
  • Weekly backups for 4 weeks included in storage costs. 
  • Provides ability to request occasional restores or snapshots (such as during an upgrade) as needed. 
  • Any increase in frequency will require a consultation and custom arrangement.
Additional Software Licensing
  • Microsoft server software like Microsoft SQL Server which requires additional licensing, or other software that OTS will administer licensing for, will require a consultation and custom arrangement. 
  • These costs can also fluctuate over time.  Example cost of licensing SQL Standard edition for 4 cores in 2024 was approximately $550/year.
High Availability
  • OTS datacenters provide an industry-standard level of redundancy and high availability at the datacenter and network layer. 
  • In addition, there is no guarantee of the hosted service remaining online if datacenter planned or unplanned maintenance is being performed. 
  • Any additional redundancy (like clustering or load balancing) will require a consultation and custom arrangement, and is not a typical service offered by OTS.
SSL Certificates
  • Most SSL certificates can be provided by OTS at no cost. 
  • If there is a very specific need that requires a non-standard SSL certificate or non-standard certificate provider, there may be a cost that will be charged back as part of server hosting or as a separate chargeback.

Example Calculation:  A VM with 4 CPUs, 8 GB RAM, and a 150-GB OS disk, without other customization, would cost:

  • $1,220/year for hosting
  • $600/year for CPUs
  • $600/year for RAM
  • $1.80*150*12 = $3,240/year for OS disk
  • TOTAL COST:  $5,660/year


Rates for Physical Servers

Following are the rates for each physical server requested:

Hosting Base Cost
  • $1,780/year
  • This includes licensing costs and labor overhead.  Licensing includes operating system, endpoint security, and system management licensing costs. 
  • If a hypervisor is required (for hosting virtual machines), Hyper-V licensing is included; any requirement for VMware will require a consultation and custom arrangement.
  • A consultation and custom arrangement will be required if the physical server is not running a standard, current operating system (Windows or Red Hat Enterprise Linux) that OTS would manage, or is a type of physical or storage "appliance."  OTS cannot guarantee we're able to host a non-standard physical server without discussion.  Appliances with less licensing or labor overhead may have a reduced hosting cost.
Server Hardware Cost
  • There will be a one-time cost for server hardware.  The cost will depend on hardware vendor and sizing. 
  • OTS will work with you to determine the right hardware solution.
Hardware Warranty
  • OTS will require that server hardware be purchased, wherever possible, with 5 years of included hardware warranty support. 
  • OTS will assist in replacing failed hardware under warranty. 
  • Any change to this standard will require a consultation and custom arrangement.
Backups
  • $1.10/GB/year
  • Weekly backups for 4 weeks included in the rate. 
  • Provides ability to request occasional file-level restores, or full restore if required. 
  • Any increase in frequency will require a consultation and custom arrangement. 
  • Backups over 1TB in size will require a consultation and custom arrangement.
Additional Software Licensing
  • Microsoft server software like Microsoft SQL Server which requires additional licensing, or other software that OTS will administer licensing for, will require a consultation and custom arrangement. 
  • These costs can also fluctuate over time.  Example cost of licensing SQL Standard edition for 4 cores in 2024 was approximately $550/year.
High Availability
  • OTS datacenters provide an industry-standard level of redundancy and high availability at the datacenter and network layer. 
  • In addition, there is no guarantee of the hosted service remaining online if datacenter planned or unplanned maintenance is being performed. 
  • Any additional redundancy (like clustering or load balancing) will require a consultation and custom arrangement, and is not a typical service offered by OTS.
SSL Certificates
  • Most SSL certificates can be provided by OTS at no cost. 
  • If there is a very specific need that requires a non-standard SSL certificate or non-standard certificate provider, there may be a cost that will be charged back as part of server hosting or as a separate chargeback.

Rates for Jumboshares

Following are the rates for each Jumboshare requested:

Storage
  • $1.10/GB/year
  • Jumboshares requiring more than 4TB of space require a consultation and custom arrangement.
Backups
  • Daily backups for 4 weeks included in the rate. 
  • Provides ability to request occasional file-level restores, or full restore if required. 
  • No other custom arrangement possible.

Custom Arrangements

For unique needs beyond the solutions above (e.g., large storage needs, specific hosting requirements), a consultation and custom arrangement will be required to determine if OTS can provide hosting services and what potential rates may be.

Requesting Services

Virtual Server Hosting

To request that OTS host a new virtual server:

  1. Review this article, especially the Rates section above
  2. If you are hosting a new application that has not yet been reviewed and approved by OTS, you may be required to submit a Software Purchase review request first before proceeding with any hosting request.  A Software Purchase review ticket can be opened at https://techhelp.towson.edu/TDClient/1879/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=53340
  3. If ready to submit a server hosting request, submit a ticket in TechHelp at https://techhelp.towson.edu/TDClient/1879/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=51293 .  In the ticket, specify:
    1. The purpose of the server
    2. As many technical details about the server requirements as you know (see the Rates section above)
    3. Any vendor documentation associated with software to be installed on the server
    4. Your cost center (budget code) which will be charged back as described in the Rates section above
  4. The ticket will be reviewed.  OTS staff will either communicate through the ticket or request a consultation if there are remaining questions.  In most cases, there will need to be additional consultation.
  5. A quote on the annual cost will be provided, and additional discussion may occur as needed.
  6. A Server Hosting Agreement will be sent to the server owner(s) and supervisor/chair to formalize the roles and responsibilities of OTS and the department.  (The Server Hosting Agreement may not be available until mid-2025, at which time, the agreement may be signed after the service is already being hosted.)
  7. OTS will build the server and notify you when ready.
  8. Chargeback will occur as described in the Rates section above.
  9. Any future changes to the server (e.g., changing system specifications, addressing issues with the server, performing a snapshot or restore, or shutting down the server permanently) should be submitted as a ticket in TechHelp at https://techhelp.towson.edu/TDClient/1879/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=51293 . OTS may monitor and alert on any significant performance issues that may require a change in system configuration.

Physical Server Hosting

To request that OTS host a new physical server:

  1. Review this article, especially the Rates section above
  2. If you are hosting a new application that has not yet been reviewed and approved by OTS, you may be required to submit a Software Purchase review request first before proceeding with any hosting request.  A Software Purchase review ticket can be opened at https://techhelp.towson.edu/TDClient/1879/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=53340
  3. If ready to submit a server hosting request, submit a ticket in TechHelp at https://techhelp.towson.edu/TDClient/1879/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=51293 .  In the ticket, specify:
    1. The purpose of the server
    2. As many technical details about the server requirements as you know (see the Rates section above)
    3. Any vendor documentation associated with software to be installed on the server
    4. Your cost center (budget code) which will be charged back as described in the Rates section above
  4. The ticket will be reviewed.  OTS staff will either communicate through the ticket or request a consultation if there are remaining questions.  In most cases, there will need to be additional consultation.
  5. OTS will collaborate to determine appropriate hardware options and work with vendors to obtain quotes for hardware and warranty/support. 
  6. A quote on the annual cost from OTS will be provided, and additional discussion may occur as needed.
  7. A Server Hosting Agreement will be sent to the server owner(s) and supervisor/chair to formalize the roles and responsibilities of OTS and the department.  (The Server Hosting Agreement may not be available until mid-2025, at which time, the agreement may be signed after the service is already being hosted.)
  8. OTS will assist in purchasing the server and charging back the department, unless an alternative arrangement is made.
  9. Once delivered, OTS will rack the server, install and configure the operating system, and notify you when ready.
  10. Chargeback will occur as described in the Rates section above.
  11. Any future changes to the server (e.g., performing a restore, addressing issues with the server, or shutting down the server permanently) should be submitted as a ticket in TechHelp at https://techhelp.towson.edu/TDClient/1879/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=51293 . OTS may monitor and alert on any significant performance issues that may require a change in system configuration.

Large File Shares (Jumboshare)

To request a Jumboshare file share:

  1. Review the rates above
  2. Submit a ticket in TechHelp at https://techhelp.towson.edu/TDClient/1879/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=51214 .  In the ticket, specify:
    1. That you want a Jumboshare
    2. The amount of storage you are requesting
    3. The type of data and the purpose of the share
    4. Who the share "owner(s)" are -- these individual(s) will determine access to the share
    5. Your cost center (budget code) which will be charged back as described in the Rates section above
  3. The ticket will be reviewed.  OTS staff will either communicate through the ticket or request a consultation if there are remaining questions.
  4. Once approved, the Jumboshare will be created, and you will be given instructions on how to provide access to others.
  5. Chargeback will occur as described in the Rates section above.

Questions

The Office of Technology Services continues to refine this process and provide new hosting services.  Some potential future plans include:

  • Server Hosting Agreements which provide more detail on the roles and responsibilities between OTS and the department whose server is being hosted
  • Microsoft Azure-based services, like virtual machines and cloud-based file shares or other cloud storage

For more information or to get assistance with your hosting needs, please contact us using the information at TechHelp (http://techhelp.towson.edu), or follow the links in the "Requesting Services" section above.

Details

Details

Article ID: 153331
Created
Fri 10/11/24 1:17 PM
Modified
Mon 1/13/25 8:29 AM