Faculty Ordering
After you have configured a machine using one of the sites below, you can order it through the College of Engineering PrePurchasing.
Faculty may also order directly through Aggiebuy and the Bookstore, without going through the College OPS, however you will need your account number. With Aggiebuy the order will route to CS Admin staff for approval. With the Bookstore, folks will need to get a Bookstore order form from your account manager which will need to be either faxed, phoned, or walked over.
Department accounts cannot be used to make online purchases from the UCD Bookstore or TechHUB. Please pick up a Bookstore order form, from CS Admin staff, to use when ordering from the UCD Bookstore TechHUB.
Desktops and Laptops
The Systems Support Group (SSG) advises Apple and Dell for your desktop and laptop purchasing. Because of the difficulties with obtaining onsite hardware repairs, the SSG does not advise any other companies at this time, especially for vital equipment such as desktops and laptops.
Apple
Apple computers may be purchased from the UCD Bookstore's TechHUB (530 752-1945). The TechHUB and the SSG advises you follow the TechHub instructions here for placing your Apple Order under Apple Device Enrollment.
Make sure to get the AppleCare Protection Plan, which includes a 3 year hardware warranty.
As stated above, get a Bookstore order form from your account manager which will need to be either faxed, phoned, scanned/emailed, or walked over.
Apple replacement batteries
Apple has a battery replacement program for notebooks that the UCD Bookstore’s TechHUB supports. As stated above, you can get a Bookstore order form from your account manager which will need to be either faxed, phoned, scanned/emailed, or walked over.
Dell
In order to get the best pricing on Dell computers, Log in to Aggiebuy. Once logged in, choose "Dell Computers" from the punchout menu on the right.
The Premier and Standard configuration machines generally provide the best pricing, however, other computers may be configured from within Aggiebuy's Dell page. At the top of the Aggiebuy's Dell page, click Shop -> Systems and choose what type of system interests you.
CDW-G Through Aggiebuy
CDW-G, found by Log in to Aggiebuy and choosing CDW-G from the right hand menu, has a number of Computers for sale at discounted prices. Please note that the warranties found at CDW-G may not be 3 year, and may not be on-site warranties which may require you to mail in your computer for even minor repairs. Please read the details for each computer you plan on purchasing.
Things to keep in mind when ordering computers
- Please choose the 3 Year ProSupport ( also known as Premium Support) and 3 Year NBD (Next Business Day) Onsite Service. ProSupport (Premium Support) provides the most efficient means of getting hardware repairs. If you are not ordering Dell, please purchase a 3 year warranty that has onsite service. This is for your convenience -- without an onsite warranty you will have to ship your computer to get even the most simple of repairs.
- No need to purchase Microsoft Office, anti-virus software, Visio, Visual Studio Pro and other software COE licenses for your use. See Software for details.
- If you plan on running Linux or a non Windows/Mac OS X OS on a system built only for Windows or Mac OS X (such as any Apple system, or Dell system) -- you can dual boot the system with the latest Windows OS and the OS you wish to use. That way if you have hardware issues you can boot to Windows to diagnose them with the company service person.
- Check that the computer and components you plan to order will run the OS you plan on using. These links may help:
Computer Peripherals
For various computer peripherals such as mice, keyboards, external hard drives and so on, check both the Aggiebuy Dell site (as above) and the Aggiebuy CDW site. In order to get the best pricing at CDW, Log in to Aggiebuy. Once logged in, choose "CDW Computer Peripherals" from the menu on the left.
Servers
Purchasing a server can be a daunting experience. Please feel free to contact the Systems Support Group (SSG) for assistance at support@cs.ucdavis.edu.
Things to consider when purchasing a server
Consider the Services You Wish To Run
If you want to run a service that is already provided by the Department, College, Campus IT or outside groups, why not use that service? This leaves the upfront, maintenance, and security costs and work with experts and usually results in a lower price (sometimes free). Below are some examples of services provided by the CS department, College of Engineering, or from UC Davis IET.
More services can be found at:
CS Systems Support Group (SSG) Services
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Amazon Web Services (AWS) by Amazon.com are on-demand computing resources and services hosted on the cloud via a pay-as-you-go pricing model with no upfront investment. Services include data storage, databases, servers, high-performance computing, and more. All services are provided with both point-and-click interface and a suite of powerful API tools.
Crashplan
CrashPlan is a cloud backup solution, designed for individual users but administered and secured by UC Davis Information and Educational Technology. CrashPlan backs up data automatically, with no user effort or intervention required, and enables users to quickly and easily restore their own data.
File Storage and Sharing
Box: Box allows anyone with an account to share files with the people they choose, and collaborate online with colleagues on campus or at other institutions. It offers 50 gigabytes (GB) of space at no cost to UC Davis users (In June of 2015 it will be unlimited space). To sign up for Box, visit https://ucdavis.box.com and login via CAS.
Google Drive: This is Google’s version of a cloud-based data storage and sharing service. Google Drive allows all CS staff, faculty, and students) to share files with the people they choose, and collaborate online with colleagues on campus or at other institutions. It offers unlimited file space. Drive is the home of Google Docs, a suite of productivity applications that offer collaborative editing on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. It is linked to Gmail (Davismail) and Google Workspace.
Consider Renting a Server from an Internet Hosting Service
Renting a cloud based service, shared hosting service, a virtual private server, or a dedicated server is very common now. Many companies offer a wide variety of flexible plans to meet individual needs. Please contact the Systems Support Group (SSG) for assistance at support@cs.ucdavis.edu if you need consultation in finding an offsite server provider.
Campus IET can provide rates and a service consultation for virtual servers.
Other companies provide virtual servers.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) by Amazon.com are on-demand computing resources and services hosted on the cloud via a pay-as-you-go pricing model with no upfront investment. Services include data storage, databases, servers, high-performance computing, and more. All services are provided with both point-and-click interface and a suite of powerful API tools.
There are more outside server providers available. Please contact the Systems Support Group (SSG) for assistance at support@cs.ucdavis.edu if you need consultation in finding an offsite server provider.
Disaster Recovery - Redundancy - Fault Tolerance - Backups
Consider the time spent in reproducing your data should it all be lost in a catastrophic server failure. If you can’t afford downtime, make sure your server has an Uninterruptible power supply and uses some sort of data redundancy with RAID. Purchasing an onsite 4 hour or next-day service warranty can help reduce downtime in these emergency times.
For desktops: If you have a small enough amount of data, and are using a desktop, CrashPlan might be a good fit for backups.
For servers: if you have large sets of data that aren’t quickly replicated, consider purchasing an offsite backup server for the server you are purchasing, then using backup software to backup your important data. Backuppc and Restic are some good open source backup solutions, but large data sets may require specialty software.
Order a correctly sized UPS for your server
APC is the preferred brand to purchase. Use Aggiebuy -- the left menu choose “CDW Computer Peripherals”. At the next menu, choose “Power, Cooling & Racks” then, “UPS/Battery Backup Products” -- the UPS units you want are “APC” brand and “Rack-Mountable” form factor. We advise a 5 to 10 minute runtime to allow the backup generator to start in the event of a power loss.
Anticipate Scalability Future Growth
Future hard drive space use isn’t the only thing to consider. If the group using the server will be small, you might get away with one or two slower CPUs and a minimum amount of ram. As you reach a dozen or more users, consider more and faster CPUs and ram. Sometimes it’s good to hold back on buying all you might need in the future, for savings; but, if you know you’ll need it soon, avoid the extra time needed to order, ship, and install the components -- buy now.
Buy a Rack Mounted Server -- Don’t Purchase a Stand Up Server
You may be thinking “I’ll just put this in my office” when you decide to buy a stand up server. The noise and heat will most likely irritate you or your researchers with noise and heat -- especially if the server uses a lot of power.
Get IPMI
IPMI will help you to manage your server remotely, with out-of-band management, as if you were at the console. It allows for remote power switching, CD/DVD mounting, console use and more. It works when other services or the OS are down, like SSH or web servers. Integrated IPMI 2.0 & KVM is a good choice - as it is integrated into the networking card or motherboard.
OS and RAID configuration
If the vendor gives you the option, choosing an OS and have the vendor configure your RAID devices may save time during the setup of your server.
If you have the option to have an OS placed on the system, choose the latest Ubuntu Server edition.
We advise RAID where you might need to reduce the risk of data loss, please choose to have the vendor configure the type of RAID when ordering.
Configuring your system with the OS on two mirrored drives, and your data on other RAID protected drives is advised. Even if you don’t mirror your OS, it’s good to have a drive for your OS and a drive for your research data. This way if your OS needs to be reinstalled, or an OS hard drive needs replacement, there is less risk to your data.
Warranty and Service Agreements
Purchasing a 3 year (or more), expanded service agreement with Helpdesk support and next day or 4 hours same day onsite repair is essential to keeping your server working. The Systems Support Group (SSG) doesn’t have the resources nor the dedicated expertise, at this time, to manage all the repairs needed on the many CS servers.
These service agreements mean that a dedicated expert will arrive onsite to repair your server when needed.
GPU Servers
Power
When ordering a GPU server be aware that it will have higher electrical power considerations, so your UPS will be more expensive, and it may require special plugs that the System Support Group (SSG) will need to know about, because server rooms don’t always have available power in the specialty plugs these UPS or GPU systems might use.
Extended GPU Lid
Also, GPU servers often come with a special lid to make extended space in the interior of the server’s case. If you are ordering a GPU server without the GPUs in it (because you already have a source for the GPUs), then you will probably need the special lid when you are configuring the server for purchase.
GPU Cooling
Depending on if the GPU you plan to use has active or passive cooling, you will need to order the correct system to take that type of GPU. Be aware that some cases won’t work with the larger cards because of this.
Where to Purchase
The Computer Science department purchases servers from a few different companies, depending on the use of the server. The most common company used is Silicon Mechanics.
Places CS Faculty have gotten bids from include:
Silicon Mechanics
Silicon Mechanics servers have been used in CS for many years. They are affordable, reliable, and come with features needed in our environment.
Please ensure your Silicon Mechanics system has these options:
Management: Integrated IPMI 2.0 & KVM
Rail Kit: Sliding rail kit that fits 26 - 33.5 inches
Standard Warranty: 3 years or more.
Advanced Parts Replacement: 3 years or more
(Advanced Parts Replacement service covers the cross shipping of replacement parts.)
Expanded Services
Getting Onsite service means you won’t have to ship your server or desktop system in for maintenance or diagnosis and should reduce downtime in situations where hardware support is needed.
3 years (or more) 8x5 Helpdesk Support, Next Business Day Onsite - Parts Required Onsite (spares kit, below)
OR
3 years 24x7 Helpdesk Support, 4 hours Same Day Onsite - Parts Required Onsite (spares kit, below)
OR
3-Year Silicon Mechanics Warranty with Advanced Parts Replacement and Onsite Service and RSL
Spares Kit
Reduces downtime with on-site spare components. These include an additional power supply, drive, and other replaceable components.