Geode-Project: Terms of service

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Last updated: July 1, 2019

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1. Overview

1.1 General

This document provides terms of service for the use of the Geode-Project fee-based storage service for research projects at Indiana University. The terms of service in this document apply to all Project Users and the Service Provider.

This document is subject to change and may be modified at any time by UITS Research Technologies (UITS-RT). Communication will be sent to all Project Users when modifications to this document are made. If Project Users fail to operate within the terms of service, access to their Project Spaces may be revoked.

1.2 Terms and definitions

Geode: IU's disk-based online storage service that hosts Geode-Project
Geode-Project: The Geode-Project fee-based Project Space storage service
Project Users: All users of Geode-Project, both Project Owner(s) and Project Members; Project Users must agree to the terms outlined in this document
Project Owner: Project Space requester; considered by UITS-RT as the Project Owner and a Project Member
Project Member: An individual who has requested access to a Project Space that has been authorized by the Project Owner
Service Provider: The Research Storage group of UITS-RT that manages and provides support for Geode and Geode-Project
Project Space: A directory created by the Service Provider for use by Project Users on Geode-Project; Project Spaces will have the following naming convention: /gpfs/projects/department_name/project_name
Billable Allocation: Entire project allocation
Total Allocation: The capacity reserved for a Project Space
Subscription Service Agreement (SSA): A document that defines a Billable Allocation, provides an estimate of any monthly charges, and requires Project Users to read and agree to these terms of service before signing.

2. Service description

2.1 Geode-Project

Geode-Project fee-based Project Space storage service provides disk-based persistent storage to research projects using IU's research supercomputers.
Project Spaces are storage allocations created upon request and are primarily intended to support collaborative use for multiple Project Users.
Geode-Project is operated and maintained by the Service Provider.
With the exception of scheduled maintenance, Geode-Project is generally available 24x7.
Geode's regularly scheduled weekly maintenance window is Sunday 7am-10am (US/Eastern time zone). Geode also participates in UITS-RT's monthly maintenance window on the second Sunday of every month, 7am-7pm (US/Eastern time zone). Geode-Project will typically be unavailable during the maintenance period.
If Geode-Project requires extended maintenance or unplanned emergency maintenance, notifications are posted to Status.IU.
Geode-Project is not backed up. Files stored in Project Spaces are replicated, by default, at the IU data centers in Bloomington and Indianapolis. Also, daily snapshots are taken and stored in a hidden .snap directory within each source Project Space; see Recover deleted or corrupt files from your home directory or Geode-Project space on the IU research supercomputers.

3. Roles and responsibilities

3.1 Project Users

Project Users may store Critical data elements on the Geode-Project only if those Critical data elements satisfy the definition of protected health information (PHI). Project Users are not permitted to store any non-PHI Critical data elements on the Geode-Project.
Although PHI is classified as Critical data, other types of institutional data classified as Critical are not permitted on Research Technologies systems. For help determining which institutional data elements classified as Critical are considered PHI, see About protected health information (PHI) data elements in the classifications of institutional data.
Project Users are allowed to store sensitive data, such as electronic protected health information (ePHI or HIPAA-protected data), on Geode-Project in accordance with the policies and standards outlined in the following documents:
- Your legal responsibilities for protecting data containing protected health information (PHI) when using UITS Research Technologies systems and services
- About dedicated file storage services and IT services with storage components appropriate for sensitive institutional data, including research data containing protected health information
Project Users will monitor and respond to email sent to their primary IU email address for official communications from UITS-RT about their Project Space.
Project Users are responsible for their use of all UITS resources under Appropriate Use of Information Technology Resources (IT-01). Specifically, as regards the use of Geode-Project, Project Users must not store data that is illegal or protected under state and/or federal regulations, except that which is explicitly allowed above. If a Project User becomes aware of data having been stored on Geode-Project that violates this provision, that person shall contact it-incident@iu.edu.
Project Users acknowledge and agree that if a catastrophic disaster occurs, resulting in complete data loss, Project Space files will not be recoverable by the Service Provider. Information about the IU Scholarly Data Archive, which Project Users can use to archive their data, can be found here: About the Scholarly Data Archive (SDA) at Indiana University.
Because Geode-Project relies on group quota, Project Users agree to maintain the following permissions and group ownership:
- Group ownership of files and directories will be the Unix Group ID (GID) associated with the Project Space.
- All files and directories in the Project Space that do not have the correct GID will be administratively changed by the Service Provider, and notifications will be sent to the Project Member owning the data, as well as to the Project Owner.
- All Project Users share in the responsibility to ensure that all data contained within the Project Space has the correct GID ownership.

3.2 Project Owners

Accept any financial responsibility for charges incurred for the Billable Allocation
Are considered account holders; by requesting access for additional Project Members, the Project Owner is granting permission for those Project Members to use Project Space that has been allocated to the Project Owner
Are responsible for the administration of data contained within the requested Project Space
Are responsible for authorizing and revoking Project Member access to the Project Space
Have the right to request that UITS-RT administratively change and/or grant permissions to allow read-write access to project data contained within the Project Space that is inaccessible to the Project Owner or that has been abandoned by former Project Users
If a Project Owner separates from the university and does not specify a successor, the Service Provider will discontinue access to the Project Space until such time that a Project Owner is designated according to Privacy of Electronic Information and Information Technology Resources (IT-07). A new SSA will need to be completed once a new Project Owner is designated.
A change in Project Owner will require a new SSA to be signed.

3.3 Project Members

Project Members agree to grant read-write access to the Project Owner for all data in the Project Owner's Project Space that has been assigned the Project Member's User ID (UID) throughout the lifetime of the data's existence in the Project Owner's Project Space.
If at any time a Project Member's data in the Project Owner's Project Space become inaccessible to the Project Owner, the Service Provider may, at the Project Owner's request, administratively grant the Project Owner read-write access to said data.
At the Project Owner's discretion, Project Members may be granted full access to all project data, including the ability to remove other individual's data inside the Project Space.
Acknowledgment of this agreement by the Project Member fulfills the "Permission Granted by Owner" requirement for access described in Procedure 1(a) of Privacy of Electronic Information and Information Technology Resources (IT-07).
Project Members can request a copy of data that has been assigned their User ID (UID) if the Project Member becomes separated from the Project Space. The Service Provider will make a best effort to fulfill the request.

3.4 Service Provider

The Service Provider will administer Geode-Project using best practices for security, performance, and availability. In particular, strict adherence to the privacy provisions outlined in Privacy of Electronic Information and Information Technology Resources (IT-07) will be maintained as it is on all UITS systems.
The Service Provider will monitor all email to the address store-admin@iu.edu for all operational communication from Project Owners and Project Members concerning Geode-Project and their use of the service.
The Service Provider will provide support to Project Users on UITS-RT's recommended tool set for the storage and access of Project Space data.
The Service Provider reserves the right to suspend a Project User's access to the Project Space on Geode-Project in the following non-exhaustive circumstances:
- As required by law or regulation
- As the Service Provider determines in its sole discretion is necessary to protect Geode-Project from unauthorized access or damage to its content
- As the Service Provider determines in its sole discretion that the Project User's use of Geode-Project is illegal, infringes upon the intellectual property rights of a third party, or otherwise violates the restrictions, representations, or warranties herein
- As the Service Provider determines in its sole discretion that the Project User's use of Geode-Project may subject Indiana University to civil or criminal liability
- For the purpose of "Emergency Problem Resolution" as defined in Procedure 4(a) of Privacy of Electronic Information and Information Technology Resources (IT-07).
The Service Provider will assist the Project Owner with guidance on custom permission settings but strongly recommends maintaining the permission model available with new Geode-Project allocations. (For permission management information, see Share access to your home directory space or Geode-Project space with other IU research supercomputer users.)
The Service Provider will assist the Project Owner with guidance on data movement options based on the data movement need. Due to the intricacies of each case, it is considered a best practice for the Project Owner (or delegate) to manage their data movement within their Geode-Project allocation.

4. Data purge

There is no regular automated purge of Geode-Project.
When a Project User's account is disabled by UITS, the Project User's data residing on Geode-Project will be removed by the Service Provider after 180 consecutive days of account deactivation.
All active Project Members will be notified via email when a Project Member's account becomes disabled or when a Project Member is removed from the project. All data owned by the disabled Project Member will be identified in that notification.

5. Hours of support

The Service Provider will monitor all email to the address store-admin@iu.edu for all operational communication Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm, with the exception of university holidays.
The Service Provider will respond to email inquiries within one business day.
During unexpected services outages, the Service Provider will work after business hours to the best of their ability to restore service.

6. Billable Allocations

6.1 Approval

The Service Provider will evaluate requests for Billable Allocations and has the option to refuse requests.
Final approval by the Project Owner's fiscal officer will be required before the Billable Allocation is available for use on Geode-Project.
The Billable Allocation term begins the on the first of the month, after the following events:
- The SSA is signed and accepted
- Approval by the Project Owner's fiscal officer
- The Billable Allocation is available for use on Geode-Project

6.2 Calculation

Billing is calculated on the first of the month, for that month, based on the published rate for Geode-Project space and the Billable Allocation.
- Billable Allocation multiplied by the Published Rate results in the amount the Project Owner will be billed monthly.
The Published Rate for Geode-Project space is subject to change. For current rate information, see "Replicated Research Storage (Geode)" on UITS Rates for Direct-Bill Services.

6.3 Interval

Billing will occur after each month, thus in arrears for a single month's Billable Allocation, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

6.4 Mechanism

The Service Provider will bill via the university ID billing system.

6.5 Changes

To increase, decrease, or terminate the size of a Billable Allocation, a request must be sent to store-admin@iu.edu from the Project Owner.
Increases and decreases to the size of a Billable Allocation are subject to the Approval (6.1) and Calculation (6.2) sections above, and will require a new SSA to be signed.

6.6 Suspension

All Project Users and the associated Fiscal Officer will be contacted in the event of non-payment.
Non-payment for a given Billable Allocation will result in a suspension of all access to the associated Project Space.
Project Spaces that have been in suspension for 180 days will be eligible for termination and immediate data removal.

6.7 Termination

Requests to terminate a Billable Allocation should be sent to store-admin@iu.edu from the Project Owner.
Termination notifications will be sent to all Project Members and the Fiscal Officer from store-admin@iu.edu.
Access to project data will be revoked for all Project Members 30 days after processed termination.
The final billing will occur at the beginning of the month, following an accepted termination request.
All project data will be deleted 180 days after project termination.

7. Service retirement

UITS-RT reserves the right to retire the system at the end of the system's life cycle. The Service Provider will notify Project Users at least 180 days before decommissioning the system.