General information

SCC provides infrastructure at KIT Campus North and KIT Campus South that enables KIT institutions (KIT OUs) to operate virtualized server systems there, i.e. on the basis of a so-called virtual machine = VM. *)  (In the following, virtualized server system is abbreviated to VM).

There are two variants in which VMs can be provided for KIT institutions by SCC. For details, see the section Characteristics below.
SCC's networking department is responsible for operating the virtualization environments on which this service (based on VMware vSphere) is provided.
*) Note: For housing of physical systems at SCC see Serverhousing.

Prerequisites

To prepare a VM, we need all the information listed on the page https://vsphere.scc.kit.edu/doc/voraussetzungen/.
Further technical information can also be found there.

Characteristics

In the following two variants are described of how (virtualized) server systems for KIT facilities can be provided by SCC.

Variant 1: Root server (= VM with superuser rights) SCC provides the institution with a VM based on the requirements. Complete system responsibility is then transferred to the institution.

• Initially, various Linux derivatives or Windows Server can be provided as the standard operating system.
• For other operating systems, a VM is provided only as a basic system (CPU, RAM, disk) and it is the responsibility of the KIT institution to install the desired operating system (any license costs have to be covered by the institution itself).

The operation of a VM is associated with costs that are charged to the OU. See the price calculator.

Option 2: Resource pool within the virtualization environment If a KIT OU wants to operate several VMs at SCC, it is possible to provide part of SCC's virtualization environment as a so-called resource pool exclusively for the OU. This relieves the institution of the operation and associated risks of running its own virtualization environment.

• Within the framework of this resource pool, the KIT institution can set up and operate VMs under its own responsibility.
• The institution has full operational responsibility for all VMs that are set up as part of this resource pool, including responsibility for any license costs for the guest operating systems and the applications there.
• This resource pool therefore represents an exclusive virtualization environment for the KIT institution.
• The technical staff at the requesting institution must have knowledge of the operation of VMs based on VMware vSphere.

See the price calculator for the costs incurred.

Ordering/commissioning

must be placed via the "sample ticket" Ordering a virtualized server system in the SCC ticket system.