Question
I am in need of an academic/research computing capability or plan/grant that can not be completed with a standard office device or existing ITS service; what should I do?
Answer
If you are creating a grant proposal and need assistance defining the technical requirements, or have a research computing need that is outside the scope of existing centrally managed offerings, you can reach out to Information Technology Services (ITS) for assistance. Each solution will be customized to the needs of the individual faculty.
For examples of services provided, please review our Examples of Custom Instructional/Research Compute or Storage Request article.
Please Note: Some large projects or projects that require significant desktop hardware may have a cost. ITS will communicate this cost with you prior to making any purchase.
Examples
Typical examples of services provided include:
General Purpose Instructional/Research UNIX Computing
Systems such as BGLinux which are utilized by courses across multiple departments for UNIX-based instructional use and course releated research computing needs. Requests for new or additional software or language systems can be submitted to meet evolving curricular needs. Research usage that does not require highly specialized software, dedicated computational requirements, or dealing with sensitive data bound by data use agreements may also be supported.
Specialized Instructional/Research Computing
Individualized virtual computing environments for research or instructional use where there are unique constraints regarding software, data use or computational requirements. Often related to a specific grant or research initiative, and built in consultation with the research team to meet specific computational or data use requirements from the granting agency or data provider. This solution may also be appropriate for grant or research related projects involving hosting of internally developed web or on-line services related to research activities.
Research File Storage and Management
Centralized file share space or document imaging support for research teams to facilitate collection of data, sharing of data and documentation within the team, and centralization of data access throughout the data life cycle. This allows the research team leader to control access to the data and provides multiple levels of enterprise backup (both on and off site) to ensure the integrity and safety of research data.
Instructional Web Services
Systems such as the Blogs server can be utilized by courses across many departments for uses that require creation of HTML or general web facing constant for instructional purposes.
Instructional Enterprise Application Hosting
Implementation of centralized, server-based applications to support highly specialized instructional uses to meet specific curricular needs for departments or programs. Typically built in consultation with the requesting department and the software vendor to design a solution that meets the needs of the requester and is sustainable and supportable by ITS and the vendor.
Specialized Research Computing Infrastructure Hosting
For highly specialized research situations where solutions are provided and maintained by a third-party vendor requiring placement of physical commuting resources on campus, limited capability to provide physical data center infrastructure (rack or floor space, physical security, redundant power, UPS, HVAC, etc.) may be available. Evaluation of the needs and requirements with the requsting Faculty member and their vendor are undertaken to evaluate availability of space or resources available on a case-by-case basis.
Coordination with the Ohio Supercomputer Center
For Faculty members who have high performance computing needs beyond the scope provided internally, assistance in connecting researchers with resources at the Ohio Supercomputer Center specific to their research interests can be provided.
For additional assistance, please contact Information Technology Services at 419-372-0999 or through chat.