Service Level Agreement
Information Technology Services
The University of Texas at Austin
Effective Date: 7/20/2007
Last Edited: 9/30/2008
Score
Overview
Austin Database Services provides Enterprise Level SQL Server Database hosting on a failover cluster in a Storage Area Network environment.
Review Process
This document defines the practices that Information Technology Services (ITS) will use for the Austin Database Services service. The details of this document may be reviewed and amended as required, or at least annually, to accurately reflect business and service needs.
Time Conventions
Unless otherwise indicated, business hours are from 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays and reduced schedule days.
Scope
The following user communities at the university are the intended recipients for the Austin Database Services service: students, faculty and staff.
Service Criticality
This service has been identified as Choose an item., based on the ITS Critical Services Assessment Criteria. Please refer to the Critical Services Assessment Criteria for more information on the assessment methodology.
Service Description
- One GB of data storage space, with additional storage available
- Administration and operational support for ITS SQL Server
- Server backup and monitoring in a secured operations center
- Administration of SQL user accounts
- Up to six named databases available within one contract
Supported Computing Environment
The service and support levels documented in this SLA assume certain minimum configurations in the user desktop environment. The list below does not enumerate all possible operating systems or applications that can access the service, only those that have been tested and shown to provide complete, or near-complete, functionality. The minimum recommended operating system and client software requirements are:
- Windows 2000
-* Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Client (download)
- Windows XP, Windows 2003
-* Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Client (pre-installed)
- OS X (10.3+)
-* Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Client (download)
-* rdesktop (download)
- Linux (Kernel 2.4+)
-* rdesktop (download)
For the latest information on tested systems and a complete list of supported procedures, refer to the ITS Web site: http://www.utexas.edu/its/.
Technical Support
Technical support, problem report/resolution, and requests for changes to a service will be provided through one of two paths, depending upon whether a user has a departmental Technical Support Contact (TSC).
End users always start with Tier 1, which is basic support. Tier 2 is the second support level and is reserved for more complex issues. Departmental desktop support staff and the ITS Help Desk may escalate issues to Tier 2.
Tier 1 Support
- For users with a departmental TSC, Tier 1 support for end-user problems is provided by the TSC. This is the preferred approach and will aid in resolving the issue in the most efficient manner.
- In cases where a TSC is not available, Tier 1 support for end-user problems is provided by the ITS Help Desk during business hours at:
-* http://www.utexas.edu/its/help
-* 475-9400
Tier 2 Support
- Departmental TSCs or the ITS Help Desk may escalate issues to Tier 2 support.
- Tier 2 support is available during normal business hours.
- Routine requests are typically addressed within one business day.
Additional information and technical support can be found online at: http://www.utexas.edu/its/sqlserver .
Service Availability
This section provides information about the normal schedule of times when the service is available, the times specified for scheduled maintenance, and defines expectations for reporting service problems and changes.
Normal Service Availability
Austin Database Service is designed to be available for customer use 24-hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year (24x7x365), excluding scheduled maintenance times.
Scheduled Maintenance
Scheduled maintenance is critical for upgrades and to maintain security. It occurs weekly on Sundays from midnight until 6 AM. Services may not be available during the scheduled maintenance periods.
Problem Reporting and Change Notification
ITS will notify customers using the ITS Services Status page of service availability and service delivery issues for the Austin Database Services. To the maximum extent possible, installation of service, application, and security updates will be performed during scheduled maintenance.
| Type | Business Impact | Subscriber Notification | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | Changes or problems that may affect the service and have a potential for broad business impact. | ITS will notify TSCs of changes five working days in advance via e-mail, and will generate an alert on the ITS services status page. | The installation of an operating system or application patch. |
| Major | Changes that may affect the service across multiple departments, with an impact to the subscribers' business. | ITS will meet with TSCs ten working days in advance, will notify subscribers five working days in advance via e-mail, and will generate an alert on the ITS services status page. | New version of server operating system. |
| Critical (After-Hours) | Changes that must be performed in order to correct issues and having some impact on end-users. Impact to business does not warrant immediate correction. | ITS will notify service users as soon as possible after knowing such a change is required via e-mail, and will generate an alert on the ITS services status page. | Hung process on server needs to be cleared before the server crashes. |
| Emergency (Immediate) | Changes that must be performed in order to correct issues and having a major impact on end-users. Impact to business requires immediate action. | ITS will generate an alert on the ITS services status page, and will notify TSCs and end-users via e-mail after implementing the change. | Replacing critical hardware that has failed. |
The ITS services status page: http://www.utexas.edu/its/alerts/\
Key Service Indicators
List of Metrics/Measures
The following table describes the key service level objectives defined by this SLA.
| Measurement | Definition | Performance Target |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Availability | The percent of time that the service is available. | 99% |
| Customer Satisfaction Percent | The percent of Satisfied or Very Satisfied responses on annual user satisfaction survey. | 90% |
Note:
The Overall Availability is calculated as the hours that the service is available in the reporting period divided by the total hours in the reporting period. This availability percentage reflects scheduled and unscheduled downtime.
Dependencies
Austin Database Service is dependent upon University Data Center power, the network, the Storage Area Network, and related systems. The availability of those systems will have a direct impact on the availability of this service.
Service Report Card
ITS will publish performance for this service in the public ITS Services Report Card.
Other Party Responsibilities
In addition to the services provided by ITS, subscribers (users) of the service and identified owners/administrators agree to certain important responsibilities. All parties agree to be aware of and adhere to the university's Acceptable Use Policy.
User/Subscriber Responsibilities
Subscriber agrees to:
- Read the online documentation at http://www.utexas.edu/its/sqlserver.
- Provide contact information for primary and secondary departmental TSCs as requested by ITS for support purposes.
- Patch desktops as recommended by the vendor. See http://www.utexas.edu/its/iso/ for additional information.
- Use supported client software.
- Be aware of and adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy at http://www.utexas.edu/its/policies/responsible.php .
- Provide critical information within four hours of receiving a request from ITS seeking to resolve a subscriber issue.
Departmental IT Support Staff
- Provide ITS with contact information for departmental TSC through your ITS contact, and notify ITS of changes.
- Designate at least one secondary TSC for each department.
- Be familiar with the online documentation at http://www.utexas.edu/its/sqlserver .
- Provide information to ITS in a timely manner when requested for purposes of resolving subscriber issues.
- Provide Tier 1 support for subscribers in the supported department.
Cost of Service
As of September 1, 2008, the base price for SQL Server is $150 per year for up to six named databases. Additional named databases can be purchased in quantities of six for an additional $150 per year. Additional storage space is $7 per year per GB.
