Service declaration
20 August 2008
The IT department shall deliver stable, high-quality IT services that help users in their work.
This service declaration applies to joint standard IT services for which the IT department has
operational responsibility, and to user support in connection with these services.
The declaration applies to all UIB employees who use these services.
Separate agreements may be entered into for extra service/capacity and other services in
addition to the standard services.
The IT department delivers the following joint standard services:
- A personal user account that provides access to IT services.
- Installation and operation of Windows, Linux or Mac OS X operating system and standard set-up on the client computer (PC).
- Installation of software on the client computer.
- Storage space and data backup on a personal home directory and shared directories.
- Network printing.
- E-mail, including spam and virus filter.
- Electronic calendar.
- Storage space and a technical system that enables users to create their own web pages.
- Land-line telephone to locations in the university area.
- Basic user support for mobile phone services linked to UiB’s agreements and other services.
- User support and operation of standard electronic equipment in teaching rooms.
- Operation of joint systems for UiB, including administrative support systems, study administration systems and research-related activities.
- Information and advice regarding the purchase of telephone equipment, computer equipment and software.
The services delivered by the IT department shall be of high quality. By this, we mean that the IT department will:
- Design and operate the IT infrastructure so that the services are as stable, robust and error-free as possible.
- Ensure that the most important joint services are available to users round-the-clock and without unnecessary interruptions. The components included in these services will be monitored and repaired, also outside working hours.
- Normally notify users about planned interruptions to services at least five days in advance. Notification will be given on the IT department’s website.
- Plan modifications, maintenance work and planned shutdowns in a manner that causes as little disruption as possible to users.
- On request, report the use of software/licences that have been installed automatically by the IT department.
- Provide prompt on-site user support in the event of problems arising with standard electronic equipment in auditoriums or teaching rooms. The telephone number for auditorium assistance (first-line standby IT support) and other information will be displayed in all such rooms.
- Run the user support centre - BRITA – the IT department’s user support section – as an available point of contact for all enquiries about services from Monday to Friday between 08.00 and 15.45. You can contact BRITA by phoning (555) 84700 or through UiBhjelp.
- Deal with enquiries regarding errors etc. in an efficient manner that minimises problems for users. This includes:
- Registering and updating all incoming enquiries and keeping users informed about the status of their problem.
- Prioritising problems on the basis of urgency and impact. Acute problems will be dealt with as urgent matters. Problems that affect several users will be given higher priority than problems for individual users.
- Referring issues that cannot be solved immediately to a member of staff.
- As a rule, a problem will be referred to a member of staff within four hours of it being registered in UiBhjelp (this applies in working hours). The user will then receive a response.
- Solving 80% of known error types that can be solved without calling in external service by the end of the following working day (applies to matters that are reported before 14.00).
- Rectifying errors or faults on client computers, software and printers, and dealing with contact with suppliers/external service partners. User entities cover the cost of external repairs, or, if the repairs costs are too high, the purchase price of replacement equipment.
In order for the IT department to deliver these services as described, the departments/sections must help by:
- Budgeting for purchases of computer equipment and software licences, and making any such purchases in consultation with the IT department.
- Purchasing and administering the software licences they use.
- Always following recommendations from or conferring with the IT department before purchasing equipment or systems that will be operated by the IT department or that are to be run together with the IT department’s systems.
- Ensuring hardware is adequately maintained so that it can run the standard programs and operating systems used by the IT department on its client computers. This also entails having warranty/service agreements for the equipment if this is recommended by the IT department. The IT department is not normally responsible for equipment for which there is no warranty/service agreement, and it will as a rule disclaim operating responsibility and not provide user support for PCs older than five years.
- Having equipment for lending (to guest lecturers, for teaching purposes etc.) and spare equipment (for example, in the event of theft or hardware breakdowns).
In order for the IT department to deliver these services as described, the individual user must help by:
- Ensuring that he/she is sufficiently computer literate and skilled in the use of the computer systems to use the IT services and tools in his/her work.
- Complying with UiB’s ICT regulations (http://regler.app.uib.no/regler_en/Part-4-Estate-Economy-and-ICT/4.3-Information-and-communication-technology).
- Keeping up to date with information concerning the IT services that is published on the IT department’s website (http://it.uib.no/en).
- Always saving important data on the network drive (personal and shared directories on the IT department’s servers), and ensuring that backup copies are made of any data stored locally.
- Deleting superfluous data (e-mails and files).
If you have any comments or questions about the service declaration or believe that it has been breached, please contact us through UiBhjelp, or on phone 55584700.
Documents relating to the service declaration:
1. Description of the service: installation and operation of client computers
- a. Main functions
- b. Hardware requirements
- c. Operating categories of Windows client computers
- d. Operating categories of Linux client computers
- e. Description of the service: installation of software on the client computer
2. Description of the service: personal user account
3. Description of the service: storage in a personal home directory with backup
Annex 1:
Description of the service: installation and operation of client computers
Main functions
The IT department’s system of centralised and standardised operation of client computers includes:
- An automatically installed operating system (Windows XP, Fedora Linux or Mac OS X).
- Automatic updates of the operating system and programs (security updates).
- An antivirus system with automatic updates of virus signature files in Windows.
- Automatic distribution of software insofar as this is technically feasible and costeffective, including subject-specific programs.
- A set-up that entails minimal risk of users losing their data, as all programs are configured to save data on the server (with the exception of laptops, and in very special cases).
Hardware requirements
Minimum specifications for client computers for client operation:
- Pentium IV or Athlon XP with ACPI support, or better.
- Minimum 512 MB internal memory.
- Minimum 20 GB hard disk
- Support for network booting
Operating categories of Windows client computers
The IT department uses different categories of installations on Windows client computers.
The category to which a PC belongs is defined by the role of the client computer.
The four categories are:
- managed computer
- unmanaged computer
- laboratory computer and
- laptop
The IT department’s goal is that most client computers should be managed computers.
The department maintains a large and expanding software library (see Description of the service:
installation of software on client computers). This is an important factor in relation to how
large a proportion of the computers can be classified as ‘managed computers’.
The reason the IT department wants to limit the use of unmanaged computers is that they are often
demanding in terms of resource use, in addition to the security risk associated with the user’s
installation rights.
Managed computers
These are client computers with standard software. Standard software is defined here as any
software for which the IT department has created a centralised installation (see
http://bs.uib.no/adprogs/). This system will cover most users' requirements:
- Users must not store other data or software on the system disk (C:) than data or
software that comes via the IT department’s Windows installation or that complies
with the Active Directory’s rules set.
- In the event of problems or maintenance work, the computer (system and software)
may be reinstalled by the IT department by arrangement with the user. Reinstallation
will not result in changes to the user’s data or configurations.
- It is preferable that the user does not have access to the D disk.
- The user has no installation rights.
Unmanaged computers
This category is intended for users who have software for which the IT department has not
been able to create a centralised installation. Users are entitled to install software on their own
responsibility.
- Users have their own administration account for the installation of software that has
not been packaged by the IT department.
- Users should not have data and software on their system disk (C:) that should not be
deleted. The reason for this is that it must be possible for the IT department to reinstall
the computer as efficiently as possible.
- Users have access to the D disk for the temporary storage of data, but must be aware that this data is not backed up.
- Some problems can be solved by reinstalling the computer or resetting the user profile instead of carrying out time-consuming troubleshooting. Users must note that, in such case, they must reinstall software they have installed themselves.
Laptop computers
- The same as for managed computers, but adapted for laptops.
- Laptops can be connected to the network using a mobile telephone. However, a mobile phone of a type approved by the IT department must be used (see http://it.uib.no/?link_id=1531).
- The user can synchronise files with the home directory. This is done automatically when the user connects to UiB’s network.
Laboratory computers
In special cases, there are laboratory computers with specialised instruments that often have to
collect data over a period of several days.
These computers must remain logged on for the data collection to proceed.
It would not be sensible for a user to log on as him/herself, as there
are often several people simultaneously monitoring the collection of data.
- The same as for unmanaged computers.
- Lab computers have a separate local ‘lab’ account that is accessible with a password known to all users.
- The computer will normally only have network access to UiB’s network (no internet access).
- No automatic restart in connection with updates of the computer. The users must restart the computer themselves between data collection sessions.
Special exceptions
In cases where it is not possible to install the latest operating system on a computer that is
nonetheless deemed to be critical (usually equipment that is directly connected to laboratory
equipment and that cannot be replaced without a major investment), a hardware firewall will
be installed between the computer and the network. This box will be delivered fully
configured and free of charge by the IT department.
In exceptional circumstances, there may be systems where the user administers the
workstation him/herself. Such workstations will be connected to UiB’s VPN (Virtual Private
Network), which requires additional authentication and is partially isolated from the ordinary
network.
Operating categories of Linux client computers
The IT department has three categories of installations on Linux client computers: desktop
computers, computational resources and laptops. In exceptional cases, deviation from these
categories can be considered, but this must be decided in consultation with the IT department.
Desktop computers
These are client computers with standard software. Standard software is defined as all
software for which the IT department has created a centralised installation (see
http://marimbaconsole.uib.no/software/ ). Most users' needs are met by this arrangement:
- The user must not store data or software on the system disk (root partition) other that data or software that comes via the IT department’s Linux installation or that complies with the rules set from administration tools.
- In the event of problems or maintenance work, the computer (system and software) may be reinstalled by the IT department by arrangement with the user. Reinstallation will not result in changes to the user’s data or configurations.
- The user has the option of storing data and installing software in a home directory and scratch partition (/scratch). User support is not provided for this, and the RPM format is not supported. Backup is not normally taken of the data on /scratch.
Computational resources
This category is a variant of the desktop computer category. It is intended for servers that are
client operated as a joint resource for groups of users, and preferably exclusively as a log-on
and computational resource. It may be possible to set up such server services in exceptional
circumstances and in consultation with the IT department. Such resources can be part of
computational clusters.
- The same as for desktop computers, but with the possibility of server services and cluster connection.
- Should be possible to mount in a rack.
- To be mounted in one of the IT department’s computer halls.
Laptop computers
- The same as for desktop computers, but adapted for laptops
- It should be possible for users to configure the network themselves for connection elsewhere than UiB.
- The user has the opportunity to synchronise files with the home directory when using the UiB network.
Description of the service: software installation
In principle, the IT department wants all software to be centrally installed (packaged) even if
it is only used on a small number of computers. This also applies to scientific software, lab
software etc.
In some cases, however, it is not expedient to package software, e.g. when it is only to be used
for a limited period by one user. All requests for software packaging will be considered.
The packaging of software entails certain requirements relating to how the program handles
licences.
The IT department cannot package software with:
- Licence systems that require user activation for each computer installation
- Licence systems that require a dongle during installation
- Licence systems that generate licence information based on the hardware
The IT department can package software with:
- Licence systems that require a dongle while the program is running
- Licence systems that can use a licence server when running
- All other licence systems
If in doubt, the IT department should always be consulted before purchasing software.
Annex 2:
Description of the service: personal user account
All UiB employees shall have a personal user account, home directory and access to e-mail
and a web directory.
Employees have a user account as long as they are included in the UiB personnel system.
Persons attached to one of the companies at UiB and who require access to UiB’s IT services
can also be granted a user account.
UiBtilgang is UiB’s central user administration system, where you can apply for and create an
account, change passwords, apply for additional access etc.
Annex 3:
Description of the service: storage in a personal home directory with backup
Standard allotment size for home directories is increased regularly - approx. once a year. The
limit is currently set at 50 GB for employees (from August 2010). Should this prove insufficient for some users, the
allotment can be increased, for a fee, by contacting BRITA.
User files are backed up daily. If users lose files accidentally, they can be retrieved from
backup by contacting BRITA.
The regulations that apply to the backup of data are available on the IT department's website
(see http://it.uib.no). Users who have more extensive backup requirements, can, in return for a
fee, make special arrangements by contacting BRITA.
All employees can create personal web pages. Entities and organisations affiliated to UiB can
be allocated space for their web pages on UiB’s servers.
