The AIS Public Web
Server may be helpful to MSU units that are
providing web applications for departmental, University or public use. We can
provide a secure, reliable and robust Windows Server environment where
you can
develop and run your HTML/ASP/SQL Server applications within a shared
environment. Here are some details:
AIS Public Web Server Environment
- Is available to all University units.
- Is intended as a web hosting service for
customer-unit-developed web applications.
- Is housed within a physically secure
space.
- Provides a secured web site location for
your application(s).
- Provides a development environment to
create and test your applications. All
application changes will be tested in this environment.
- Provides a production environment to serve
the application(s) to your customers.
- Is available 24x7 except for:
- Planned system outages that will be
coordinated with application owners.
- Campus network service outages outside our
control. Service Alerts for campus-wide
network outages are generally posted at http://servicestatus.msu.edu
- Unexpected Hardware or software failures. Service Alerts are posted by AIS for these
types of outages.
NOTE: AIS will not pay damages if there
is a system outage.
- Is monitored 24x7 for continuous operation (the
server, and optionally, the application: see below).
- Provides sufficient resources to
accommodate new applications of reasonable size.
Details regarding the application and database needs
will be discussed at a kick-off meeting.
NOTE: The
Public Web Server Service is a shared environment, meaning that many
other
applications owned by other MSU units are running on the same server. It is the Client’s responsibility to ensure
applications are running efficiently and do not cause problems for
other
applications. It is recommended that
the Client not run University mission critical applications in this
shared
environment.
Supported
Hardware/Software
AIS provides a Microsoft environment
that includes the following:
- Microsoft IIS (Internet Information
Services) is provided.
- ASP/HTML
- Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Access
are available to
develop applications that will need a database.
NOTE:
Though Microsoft Access is available
for use,
it is problematic when used with web applications; therefore, it is
recommended
that you use Microsoft SQL Server.
- Microsoft SQL Server development /
management desktop (Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio) software is available if the requesting
University department does not have it.
- JMail is available for use.
Database
Support
AIS will provide the following:
- Microsoft SQL Server
database creation.
- Microsoft SQL Server
user account creation and permissions.
- Primary “application
owners” will be set up as dbo (database owner) for database
modifications.
NOTE: Customers
cannot add users: AIS must be contacted. Once user accounts have been added,
customers designated as dbo can assign permissions to database objects
as
desired.
Security
- The AIS-developed web security utility
application
(D6501 Web Security System) is available for:
- Authenticating users
using MSUNetID and password
- Providing your application
with additional identity information (SSN, ZPID, APID, Name) about the
current
logged in user.
- Authorizing users
to
different components of your application and validating access via
D6501 API
calls.
- AIS will set up initial
security arrangements for development.
- AIS will consult
with
you on your application security design and can help you maintain all
security
arrangements.
- The Public Web Server
environment is behind the AIS firewall and Intrusion Prevention System
(IPS).
Non-Supported Services
The
following services will not be supported or provided by AIS:
- Application programming.
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol).
- A job scheduling system.
- File or print server services.
- Testing of client applications.
- .NET services are provided.
However, AIS does not offer support for this product.
Cost
- $100.00 Initial Setup fee.
- No monthly charge if under 100 MB ($10 /
100MB / month over initial
100MB).
Problem Reporting / Help Desk
Services
- At your request and for a cost, AIS can
provide a monitoring mechanism to detect application problems and
report them to you. This service would
require a designated individual(s) from the client’s department to be
available to accept emergency calls 24x7. To
discuss this service in further detail, please contact the AIS Help
Desk at 353-4420, ext. 311 or e-mail ais311@msu.edu
- To report Public Web Server problems as
well as response time issues, contact the AIS Help Desk at 353-4420,
ext. 311 or e-mail ais311@msu.edu
- Normal business hours
are Monday - Friday 7:45am - 5:00pm.
- Assistance for calls
received outside normal business hours is covered by AIS Computer
Operations
staff after 5:00pm Monday - Friday and Saturday until 3:30pm by phone
at (517)
353-4420, x311.
- AIS is unattended from
3:30pm Saturday until 8:00pm Sunday and on University holidays. During
unattended hours, contact AIS by phone at (517) 353-4420, x311 and the
AIS
voice mail system will pickup and provide further instructions,
including
emergency contact information.
Storage and Backup
- AIS provides the Public Web Server space
and server-side software.
- Full backups of files and databases are
completed weekly and ”differential” backups are completed nightly. In addition, databases may be defined for full
transaction logging meaning that they may be recovered up to the point
of failure.
Server System Administration
- Server-side system administration is
provided by AIS.
- AIS is responsible for operating system
installation, configuration and subsequent upgrades, including the
timely application of critical and non-critical service packs and
patches for supported platforms.
- AIS is responsible for operating system
backup and restore.
- AIS is responsible for installation,
maintenance, and administration of server anti-virus and backup
application software.
- AIS is responsible for server-side system
rebuilds due to hardware failure or security breach.
- Application owners will be notified of all
server environment changes except
for the non-critical service packs and patches described above.
Assumptions
- Separate disaster recovery hardware is not
included. In the event of a hardware
failure, next business day hardware vendor maintenance is relied upon
for replacement of applicable hardware components.
- Operating System (OS) and Microsoft SQL
Server patches are anticipated. These
patches, particularly security related patches, may have to be applied
immediately upon their availability to protect the Client and AIS
infrastructure. Such patches are not
anticipated to impact the Client applications residing on the servers,
but this cannot be guaranteed.
- AIS will periodically upgrade the releases
of the OS and
Microsoft SQL Server for the various servers it supports.
AIS will apply upgrades to the development environment
first, allowing clients to test their applications. Since OS and SQL
Server upgrades may cause significant changes in functionality, it is
important that application testing occur prior to an OS or Microsoft
SQL Server upgrade in the production environment. Details
of any such OS or Microsoft SQL Server upgrade and needed application
testing will be distributed to the Application Owner.
It is expected that the Application Owner will
conclude such testing in a timely fashion.
- AIS will periodically
upgrade the hardware for the
various servers it supports. Typically, AIS will apply
upgrades to the development environment first, whenever possible,
allowing Clients to test their applications prior to the upgrade
completed in the production environment. Since
hardware upgrades may cause changes in the functionality of the Client
application, it is important that applications be tested as soon as
possible after the upgrade. Details of any
such hardware upgrade and needed application testing will be
distributed to the Application Owner. It
is expected that the Application Owner will conclude such testing in a
timely fashion.
- Application development and application
problem resolution remains the Client responsibility. Application-level
alerts generated by AIS monitoring tools will be sent to the
Application Owner(s), if requested (see Problem Reporting above).
|