Server Requests

Virtual Machines

Virtual Machine Hosting (Windows & Linux) – Purdue Infrastructure Enterprise Resources (PIER) offers virtual machines hosted on highly available infrastructure capable of meeting a wide array of needs from simple web servers to high-demand database and multi-tier applications.

Windows Virtual Machine hosting service includes standard Microsoft operating system patching monthly. More information about the patching cycle can be found here. The current standard Windows Server operating system version is 2022.

Linux Server Virtual Machine hosting service includes standard non-kernel patching monthly. The current standard Linux install is Oracle Linux 9 with the Red Hat compatible kernel.

Linux non-production systems (dev, test, pre-prod, etc.) are automatically patched on the 2nd of each month between 2AM and 6AM. It is highly recommended that customers test their non-production systems before the patches go into Production. Linux production systems are automatically patched on the 21st of each month between 2AM and 6AM.

Linux kernel patching is performed at least twice a year. Because this requires a reboot to take effect, the Linux team will give notice two or more weeks in advance. If the date chosen doesn’t work for a particular system, the Linux team will work with the customer to find a better date or, if necessary, let the customer handle the reboot themselves.

Non-production system kernels will be patched at least two weeks before Production to give ample testing time.

Eligibility

University departments are eligible for this service.

To request service

• Linux: How do I request a new Unix server from Purdue IT?
  
• Windows: How do I request a new Windows server from Purdue IT?
  

Related Costs

Linux Server Cost per Year:
$89 -  Small: 1 CPU, 2 GB RAM, 56 GB Storage
$143 - Med: 2 CPU, 4 GB RAM, 56 GB Storage
$251 - Large: 4 CPU, 8 GB RAM, 56 GB Storage

Windows Server Cost per Year:
$160 - Small: 2 CPU, 4 GB RAM, 90 GB Storage
$268 - Med: 4 CPU, 8 GB RAM, 90 GB Storage
$484 - Large: 8 CPU, 16 GB RAM, 90 GB Storage

Additional RAM:
$27 per GB annually

Additional Disk:

• $25 per every 50 GB annually - Standard auto-tiered disk (average 10 ms response time, data moves between disk types automatically to accommodate performance needs).
• 1.50 per GB annually - High performance solid-state disk (sub 1 ms response time for databases and other data intensive applications).
• Disk prices include normal backup for production and development workloads with a 14 day recovery window (weekly full, daily incremental).
• Replication services available equal to the above cost for each tier of disk (e.g., standard disk with a single replication would cost $1.00 per GB).

Please note: these are recurring annual charges.

How to report problems or issues:

For problems of availability, monitoring or maintenance that require Purdue IT assistance, contact the  Service Desk.