Shared storage on the Hoffman2 cluster is available for purchase, subject to IDRE’s terms and conditions. Each group that purchases storage will be given a document specific to their request that must be signed by the responsible PI.

Please note that the High Performance storage provided by us is the only option for buying or using the storage on Hoffman2 shared cluster. For security and performance reasons we will neither mount any external file system on to Hoffman2 nor export Hoffman2’s file system to the outside world.

Storage Cost – The cost for one terabyte of storage for a period of one year is currently $259.

This rate includes the physical storage space, infrastructure to support it, administration of the users of your storage space, hardware and software upgrades and problem fixes. It does not include backups. See below. This rate will remain in effect until renewed through the campus. The current rate was approved in July 2017. Note that if you are using federal funds these charges will incur overhead (currently 54% as of March, 2014) as they are considered a service and not equipment, which would be exempt from overhead. See: http://www.research.ucla.edu/ocga/sr2/idcinfo.htm#FA1 for current rates.

To purchase storage, please go to https://rim.idre.ucla.edu/secure/storage.php

Space Usage Duration – Space will be made available to you for the number of years you have purchased. During your purchase period you will be notified of the amount of time you have available on your current purchase and ultimately when it needs to be renewed. If you decide that you will renew your purchase it can be done with no interruption in access to your storage at the then current rate. If you decide that you will not renew your purchase you will have to make arrangements to move your data off of the storage server within a maximum of 30 days. During this 30-day period your data access will be changed to read-only. IDRE personnel are available to assist you with moving your data.

Backups – No backups will be done on your data unless you specifically purchase this service. Although we have made every effort possible to ensure reliability and fault-tolerance of our storage systems there is no guarantee that you will not lose your data.

Backup Cost – The cost to backup one terabyte of storage for one year is $148.85. The backup service gives you effectively two copies of your one terabyte of data.

You can purchase backup services at the same time you purchase storage. You can also purchase backup services for your storage at a later date in one year/one terabyte increments.

Export Restricted Software

Pursuant to federal export control regulations, certain export restricted software must be protected. Export restricted software which must be protected includes: (1) certain strong encryption software, (2) software controlled under the Department of Energy 10 CFR §810 regulations, (3) software controlled under the Department of State, International Traffic in Arms (ITAR) regulations 22 CFR §120-130.

If you are storing any of the above export restricted software, we strongly recommend you remove it immediately. If you do decide to keep it, you must inform the Director of the IDRE Research Technology Group, in writing, about the export restricted software in your account. If a security breach occurs, you, as the custodian of the software, are liable for the exposure and subsequent export control regulatory violations. If you have questions about how your software is controlled under export regulations, contact Claudia Modlin, Research Policy and Compliance Coordinator at  cmodlin@research.ucla.edu.

Protecting Personal Information (PI) on Hoffman2

Pursuant to UCLA Policy 404 any Personal Information (PI) data stored on the Hoffman2 Cluster file systems must be protected.

Personal Information is defined as “an individual’s first name or first initial, and last name, in combination with any one or more of the following: (1) Social Security number, (2) driver’s license number or California identification card number, (3) account number, credit or debit card number, in combination with any required security code, access code, or password that would permit access to an individual’s financial account, (4) medical information, and (5) health insurance information.”

Other key point from Policy 404

• Personal Information in the custody or control of UCLA should be stored only when there is an academic, patient care or business purpose.
• Electronically stored Personal Information must be encrypted. Each organization must maintain an inventory of their electronically stored Personal Information, including individuals responsible for this Personal Information.
• Organization Heads have the authority to impose more restrictive standards for electronically storing Personal Information in their area of responsibility.
• Employees who violate this Policy will be subject to the disciplinary process in accordance with University policies and collective bargaining agreements.
• If a breach should occur, as per UCLA Policy 420, Breaches of Computerized Personal Information, its cost will be the responsibility of the organization in which it occurred. 

Since IDRE has responsibility for the Hoffman2 cluster it also has responsiblity for ensuring that users of the Hoffman2 file systems understand what is required of them.

To that end we need to know if you are storing any Personal Information on the Hoffman2 Cluster. If so, we strongly recommend you remove it immediately. If this is not possible then you must encrypt the data per UCLA Policy 404 guidelines. If you do decide to keep it you must inform the IDRE Director, in writing, what kind of Personal Information you have and why you must keep it on Hoffman2. If a security breach occurs and unencrypted Personal Information is exposed then YOU as the custodian of the data are liable for the exposure.