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College of Liberal Arts Technology Best Practices

Well-Run Server Guide

Introduction
Discussion
Definitions
Well-Run Server Guidelines - Summary
Well-Run Server Guidelines - Detail
University Policies and Guidelines
Recommended E-Mail Groups for CLA System Administrators
CLA Policies

Introduction

We lay out guidelines and recommendations for a well-run server, and explain why servers without proper maintenance are subject to College or Networking Services intervention if severe problems arise. The primary focus here is on the security of the servers, but covers a wide range of related and prudent concerns. College policy recommendations are offered.

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Discussion

Servers are run under several auspices within the College of Liberal Arts (CLA): College-wide, Centers and program offices, and departmental. An Infotech Professional can be usually be identified as responsible for proper maintenance of each of these servers. A forth category would be those servers run by individuals with no control by CLA Infotech professionals, or servers that are orphaned and still running.

The College distinguishes desktops from servers. A desktop is intended to provide suitable application programs to one user sitting at the machine, and is not intended to support multiple concurrent users. A well-run desktop is maintained with respect to security and quality problems, but is not necessarily backed up anywhere. A server is intended to provide multiple concurrent users with specific services, typically file, print, web, E-mail or other. A server is expected to be highly available, secure and backed up. It also needs to be known to the relevant client or user community.

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Definitions

The following definitions are adopted from "Server Installation Security Guidelines", Paul Dokas, OIT, U of MN.

Service: The work performed on behalf of a user or client program. Usually, services are implemented by some set of software known as a "server". "Client" programs then connect to the server and request work that is done on their behalf. The language that the "client" and "server" use to communicate is a "protocol".

Server: The software that performs a "service". This software is often referred to as a "daemon" or "service". The term "server" is used in this document to refer to specific computers, but please note that any computer can be simultaneously a server and a client, and that a server software may be spread over more than one physical computer. Services that hold network ports open on a computer are the greatest target of unauthorized activity.

Client: The software that uses the "service" provided by a "server". This software may run on the server itself, but usually runs on another machine, most often a user desktop computer.

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Well-Run Server Guidelines - Summary

The items below comprise a checklist for a well-run server. Several might already be addressed by policies or guidelines from central University offices, and any conflict arising here will be resolved in favor of preexisting prudent policies.

  • Clear responsibility for the server is assigned to a College office, department, or unit.
  • Good quality hardware and software is used to provide reliability and maintainability.
  • The physical location is specific and secure.
  • Regular maintenance is performed for server software security, quality and performance issues.
  • Non-public data is protected.
  • The responsible unit takes care of network attack and intrusion events.
  • Professional quality backups of the disk contents are sustained.
  • Data recovery procedures are tested.
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Well-Run Server Guidelines - Detail

The details for each major category follow.

Clear responsibility for the server is assigned to a College office, department, or unit:

  • An identifiable office is responsible for it (CLA-Net, a specific department, or a known College unit).
  • A specific College Infotech Professional is responsible for it. This duty will have high priority in the roster of duties.

Good quality hardware and software is used to provide reliability and maintainability:

  • The College supports the use of good quality hardware, with overall reliability and capacity matched to the mission.
  • Redundancy in the most likely to fail hardware components is strongly encouraged. Use of hard drive mirroring or other redundancy techniques is strongly recommended. Redundant power supplies can improve uptime.
  • The operating system is to be designed and configured for server-level use. For example, a desktop OS like Windows 2000 Professional is not eligible; use Windows 2000 Server Edition. The platform is configured for server features, not desktop features. A server must not also be expected to be a persons desktop machine.
  • The unit performs capacity planning for growth, upgrade, and replacement of the server, including retirement of obsolete servers.
  • A hardware maintenance plan is in effect. This may be a combination of warranty, maintenance contract, spare hardware, or sufficient resources on hand to purchase suitable replacement on short notice.
  • User Authentication should use the highest quality level that is practical. Passwords must always be used except for anonymous services such as common web pages.

The physical location is specific and secure:

  • The server is in a physically secure and stable location.
  • The server has adequate fire-suppression in place. This is ordinarily a sprinkler system.
  • The server has adequate air supply to provide for cooling, including the air supply to the room.
  • The server has an uninterruptable power supply to cover short interruptions of power and power surges. Smooth power-loss shutdown software is recommended, if possible.

Regular maintenance is performed for server software security, quality and performance issues:

  • The operating system is well-maintained for quality and reliability repairs issued by the vendor or vendor(s). These may be patches (service packs) or operating system upgrades.
  • The responsible infotech person or team promptly attends to problems with the server. This includes hardware failures, software failures, intrusion, any new intrusion possibilities, viruses, etc.
  • There is support coverage in place for every working day. There is provision for alternate coverage by a College infotech professional when the primary is away.
  • Activity logs are kept. These record authentication attempts and suspicious activity.

Nonpublic data is protected.

The responsible unit takes care of network attack and intrusion events:

  • The operating system is well-maintained to prevent intrusion via the network by any method, known or emerging. This includes virus protection, as well as intrusion exploits against services offered.
  • The responsible infotech persons(s) tracks emerging security and quality issues.
  • There is provision for non-working hours response to major problems, including complete failure, network problems, any intrusion, or newly emerged intrusion weakness. Without this provision, Networking Services assert the right to turn off the network feed to a server causing severe problems to others when no one can be contacted to fix the server in a timely way. This outage might be an entire subnet to a building, so responsiveness is critical. Long holiday weekends are hardest to cover well.

Professional quality backups of the disk contents are sustained:

  • The contents of the server must be backed up regularly on a suitable off-line media such as magtape. This will include off-site storage of a reasonably recent and complete copy of the backup contents, in the event of disaster within the server room.
  • All backup media must be safe against malicious destruction.
  • Random checks must be made that the backups are indeed correct and accessible.
  • A disaster recovery plan exists and covers various scopes of outages.
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University Policies and Guidelines

Other relevant documents include:

University of Minnesota "Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources":
http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/ppd/documents/ policy/Acceptable_Use.cfm

"Server Installation Security Guidelines" by Paul Dokas, OIT:
http://www.umn.edu/oit/security/ServerInstall.pdf and also
http://www.umn.edu/oit/security

"OIT Security Incidents" are described in
http://www1.umn.edu/oit/security/incident.shtml

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Recommended E-mail Groups for System Administrators

cla-server-admins@cla.umn.edu
Established Fall, 2001; system administrators for servers in CLA.
subscribe http://atlas.socsci.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/cla-server-admins

cla-security@cla.umn.edu
Established Summer, 2001; security task force, started from CLA-Net and SSRF.
Subscribehttp://atlas.socsci.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/cla-security

net-people@nts.umn.edu
Long-established; monthly meetings. High value content.
Subscribe via STUB

comp-sec@nts.umn.edu
Long-established; security focus; restricted membership.
Subscribe via STUB

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CLA Policies:

  • All servers will be affiliated with either the College offices or with a College unit, such as a department or lab or facility.
  • All servers will have an assigned InfoTech Professional or suitable staff person who is responsible for security and maintenance.
  • All servers will be established and run according to the "Well Run Server Guidelines", above.
  • All servers will also comply to all applicable University policies.
  • All servers will consider the OIT/NTS "Server Installation Security Guidelines".
  • Nonpublic data is protected.
  • All desktop users in the College are to have one or more servers available for file storage, web publishing, and other needs.
  • College policies can not be less restrictive than established University policies.
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CLA Office of Information Technology
110 Anderson Hall
257 19th Ave S.
Minneapolis, MN 55455

612-624-4357 (4-HELP)
help@cla.umn.edu
Contact the CLA-OIT website maintainer: webhelp@cla.umn.edu