This document is the service level agreement between Academic Technology and Networks (ATN) and the [department].

ATN has implemented a Distributed Computing Infrastructure (DCI) that leverages central resources and personnel to provide a distributed, scalable desktop-computing environment. In the context of this defined distributed computing architecture, ATN will provide UNIX Desktop Support (UDS) services as defined in this document.

UNIX Desktop Services

The basic premise of the UNIX Desktop Support Program is that participating systems will use the defined Distributed Computing Infrastructure. The UDS will approve in advance the acceptance of any computer system into this program. Given these assumptions, the UDS provides the following services:

• The UDS provides on-site maintenance of departmental UNIX desktop systems provided that the hardware can support the latest version of the vendor's operating system. Hardware that cannot meet this criterion will be removed from the program to eliminate the security threat it would pose to the remainder of the supported systems.
  
  
• UDS administrators will assist the department in monitoring usage on their hosts and will recommend and assist with the retirement of any computer that is no longer in regular use. The [department] can choose to maintain a hardware support agreement with its vendor or not. If no agreement is in place, it is the [department]’s responsibility to purchase any replacement hardware in the event of failure. UDS support staff can perform simple hardware installations, but cannot perform or support hardware customizations that go beyond the vendor's specifications.
  
  
• UDS will maintain the Operating System. System patches and bug fixes will be applied in a timely manner and security concerns will be addressed as soon as they are identified and solved. The Operating System will be maintained at the highest level that is currently stable and supported by the DCI, and system enhancements and security features will be added as deemed necessary by the UDS SysAdmins.
  
  
• Logs of system activity will be kept and analyzed for security purposes.
  
  
• Root access to these systems will be controlled and managed by UDS SysAdmins. ONLY UDS personnel will have root access to any systems participating in this program.
  
  
• The [department] will be notified in a timely manner before any major changes which will require either system downtime or will significantly change the environment of the system's users. UDS will make every effort to make such changes in a way as to affect as few users as possible for the least amount of time.
  
  
• The [department] will name a technical contact to work with the UDS. This contact will keep the UDS informed about printing needs and user account management and will also consult with the UDS on any anticipated system changes.
  
  
• UDS will maintain a “Maintenance Window” on a weekly basis. During this time any supported host can be rebooted. This is usually needed after new system patches have been installed. Since the system patch process is automated, this window will ordinarily be scheduled for one hour – from 5:00-6:00 p.m. Friday evenings.
  
  
• UDS will only install and maintain UNIX operating systems. In the event that there is a separate processor within the system that uses an operating system other than UNIX, UDS staff will endeavor to assist the Departmental PC support person in the installation of that Operating System and will assist in resolving any interoperational issues. UDS does not support systems with two different Operating Systems installed that can run on the processor and hardware as either, but not both [dual-boot systems].
  
  
• The ATN DCI will provide all external file systems using the Andrew File System (AFS) protocol and these file systems will appear as local disk on all supported systems. These systems reside in a climate-controlled environment with clean electrical power backed up by an external generator and are backed up nightly, with the results of the previous night's backups available to all users. The disk arrays used by ATN are full RAID5, mirrored, and hot-swappable. Any hardware failure should be transparent to the users. UDS WILL NOT support specialize hardware or file systems under the Desktop Support program. Special instrumentation or local disk systems requiring backups or raid management are beyond the scope of this program and must be covered separately under the UNIX Server Support Program.
  
  
• Every user in the [department] will be granted up to 250Mb of disk space in AFS for a home directory at no charge. The [department] will also receive an initial grant of 10Gb of disk space for general departmental data and workspace at no charge. Increases in these allocations can be negotiated with ATN.
  
  
• ATN will maintain a mass storage array for long-term archival storage. This array consists of a tape robot with a large disk cache as a front-end. This array appears and is accessed as a UNIX file system. Tools will be made available to facilitate file migration to and from this array and there is no charge for storage space on the mass storage array.
  
  
• ATN provides IMAP email services separate from the UDS. These services include an INBOX and the email folders for all users. Every system supported by UDS will have one or more client programs available to view and manipulate the email stored on the IMAP server and no email will be spooled locally on departmental systems. UDS will maintain an email "forwarder" for the [department] so email to all current and historical email addresses will be forwarded to the correct ATN mailbox.
  
  
• The UDS must be notified in advance of the physical movement of systems participating in the UDS to ensure the proper shutdown and recovery of the affected system.
  
  
• UDS supported systems must have a UDS approved Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS).
  
  

Applications Support

Applications are NOT the responsibility of UDS. Applications support is available through the ATN Applications Support Group on a first-come, first-served basis and participation in the UDS is not a prerequisite to obtaining applications support. Individual users of UDS systems can install applications of local interest either in their individual or departmental AFS space. If the applications have wide usage, they will be maintained by ATN Systems Personnel and made available to all ATN users. User environments will be maintained by UDS in a manner that will make the applications available on all supported systems.

License arrangements will be negotiated between [department] and ATN on a case by case basis. If a licensed application is already installed campus-wide, departmental licenses will be merged with the existing campus license. License servers will be maintained by ATN and UDS so that products can be "locked" to licensed systems as needed.

User accounts will be "synced" with the ATN user database. Our goal is a "single sign-on". One unique userid and password (the Onyen) will grant access to all public ATN resources, and to the [department] resources participating in this program for which the user is authorized. Accounts for persons not affiliated with UNC will be granted via the "Exception Form" provided by ATN. A Department Head must sponsor such persons and provide documentation that this account is to be used for an adjunct faculty member, a consultant, or a research collaborator. No group accounts are permitted. If it is found that the user of such an account has moved beyond the scope of their project, or is abusing resources available to the larger UNC community, their account will be disabled.

How To Get Help

The [department] agrees to adopt the UDS client build based on the DCI on participating systems. The [department] understands that UDS systems administrators are a shared resource and that work priorities are established as follows: 1) security related issues, 2) individual system failures, 3) operating system installation and patches, and 4) file system maintenance,

To obtain assistance you must submit a Remedy Ticket from the web. If you do not have access to the web, you can call the ATN IT Response Center (962-4357) for support. Support requests can be made Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm on scheduled university workdays. Clients will identify themselves as UDS clients and provide their name and phone number. A UDS SysAdmin will contact the client via E-mail or telephone within 60 minutes to discuss the problem and will arrange a site visit if required (the client must be available to consult and/or demonstrate the problem). This does not mean that all problems will be solved in 60 minutes. Emergency (after-hours) service is provided for major security breeches or equipment failure only.

The [department] will make adequate training and reference materials available to promote successful application usage by departmental personnel. ATN will make its staff available for consultation for all software installed for the use of the greater UNC community.

Leaving the Program

The UDS “build” is a customized computing environment, which secures and enhances the Operating System as supplied by the vendor. When a machine enters the program, the existing Operating System install will be removed and replaced by UDS to insure that it complies with UDS standards.

If a machine is removed from UDS support, UDS SysAdmins will remove the enhancements to the point where the Operating System is covered by documentation available from the vendor. Since the DCI is well documented in UNC webspace the DCI enhancements will remain. Once the root password is handed over to a designated administrator UDS assumes no responsibility for support of either the computer or the administrator and recommends that the new administrator reinstall the Operating System from vendor media.

No refund is available when leaving the program and this agreement is not transferable to any other systems without the prior approval of the Manager of the UDS in writing. Transfer of this agreement will require execution of a new SLA.

How to Enroll

The cost of this service is $1000.00 a year for each managed system (see attached itemized list). This amount is based on an estimate of technical support and resource allocation adequate for system maintenance in the DCI. Support levels and resource allocations will be monitored and service cost may change if deemed appropriate by ATN and the [department]. This fee includes licensing fees (if any) for the supported UNIX operating system but may not include the license fees for other vendor-supplied software such as compilers. Any contracts initiated after the beginning of the fiscal year will be prorated and no refunds will be given for systems leaving the program before the end of the fiscal year. Your signature authorizes the ATN Business Office to debit your account for payment. This service level agreement will be reviewed and may be revised as needed.

Signature: ___________________________
Date: _______________________________
Anne Blanchard
Manager, UNIX Distributed Services
ATN Computing Systems
Signature: ___________________________ Date: _______________________________
Acct #: _____________________________
[department rep.]
[title]