Terms of use

Guidelines for the use of the bwDataArchive service

[04/11/2016] [Draft 0.95]

The state service bwDataArchiv provides a technical infrastructure for long-term data archiving, which is made available in particular to universities and public research institutions from Baden-Württemberg. The service is not an online storage system rather an archive! Data archiving takes place at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and includes reliable storage of even large data sets for a period of ten or more years. The service enables a qualified implementation of the recommendation of the German Research Foundation (DFG) for securing and storing research data.

The service operator is the Scientific Computing Center (SCC) at KIT.

  1. Authorization, registration and deregistration

     

    The service is available to members of institutions that have concluded a service agreement with KIT for the use of the service. The administration of the individual authorization to use the Service by the actual user is not performed by KIT but by the contracting institution.

     

    Registration as well as deregistration to the service is done via the website: https://bwidm.scc.kit.edu.


  2. General Provisions

     

    The regulations for digital information processing and communication (IuK, available at: https://www.kit.edu/downloads/201310_IuK_Ordnung.pdf) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and these guidelines apply.


  3. Readability of data

     

    The SCC makes every effort to create the best possible technical conditions for a long lifetime of the data with the available means (Best Effort). This includes adequate air conditioning, uninterruptible power supply, manufacturer-approved tape material, and building protection. Two copies of the data are made on magnetic tape at two separate locations and with different drive technologies.

     

    The SCC migrates the archive data to the successor system in the event of a change to new data media or an upcoming system change (both hardware and software).

     

    The SCC ensures the readability of the data carriers. The customer is responsible for ensuring the interpretability of the data, for example by managing suitable metadata.

     

    A one hundred percent guarantee for the unlimited readability of the data on the storage media of the archiving system is excluded.


  4. Responsibility for data content

     

    Archive data is stored by the user personally. The data stored by him are always linked to the user's account data in the archiving system.

     

    The User of the Service is solely responsible for the contents of the stored data. The User undertakes to observe the legal regulations when storing sensitive and personal data(https://www.zendas.de/themen/personenbezogene_daten/index.html data). By default, the system stores the data unencrypted on the tapes.


  5. Access authorization

     

    The access to the bwDataArchive is obtained by the user after registration on the website http://www.rda.kit.edu/userinfo.php and successful login. During registration, the operator checks the data provided and the agreement on the use of the service with the respective home institution.

     

    The user can access his data at any time as long as he has a valid access.


  6. Transfer protocols

     

    The data transfer is done via SFTP. The data transfer is encrypted.


  7. Retention rules and periods

     

    Archive files are kept for 10 years by default. After 10 years, calculated from the time of archiving, the data is automatically deleted without prior inquiry. If requested in advance, this period can also be extended.


  8. Deletion of files by the user

     

    Archived data can be deleted and modified by the user without any restrictions. However, it should be noted that bwDataArchiv is an archiving system with a connected tape system. Only short-term storage of data and the storage of dynamically changing data should not happen in bwDataArchiv. The user must switch to another service for this storage application.


  9. Maximum file size

     

    The maximum file size is limited to 600 gigabytes.


  10. Privacy of registration data

     

    By using the archiving system, the user agrees to the storage of the contact data assigned to his/her identifier. This data will be used for contact purposes and will not be passed on to third parties. However, they will be kept until the end of the data retention period.

     

    A user may request the deletion of his personal data, but must first delete all his posted data. If a user has not stored any data under his user account, his account will be automatically deleted after six months.

     

    Some connection information is kept in the log files of the systems for billing purposes until 6 months after billing. The connection information includes, among other things, the date of access, the number and volume of data transferred. Additional further processing and evaluation of this data is only carried out in anonymized form for statistical purposes. The SCC takes reasonable precautions to ensure that the security and integrity of the data is maintained.

     

    The SCC uses the means at its disposal to ensure that no unauthorized external access is possible to the data stored at bwDataArchiv.


  11. Data protection of the stored data

     

    It is the user's responsibility to encrypt the data, especially in the case of confidential and personal data, using suitable procedures or recognized cryptographic methods. The archive system prevents unauthorized access (reading, copying, changing, removing) to data that does not belong to the user.

     

    Physical access to the archive system and computer rooms is protected by an electronic key system with an appropriate authorization and authentication procedure and is only allowed to authorized persons.

     

    Data media are demonstrably destroyed in compliance with data protection regulations by an ISO 27001-certified company on behalf of the SCC after the recommended period of use has expired or in the event of prior replacement, for example as a proactive measure in the event of suspected unreliability of the storage medium. Data archived on this medium is migrated to other data carriers beforehand.


  12. Costs

     

    The SCC charges fees for the use which are regulated in a contract with the participating institution.

     

    For KIT users, the costs are calculated according to the applicable budgeting regulations.


  13. Availability and maintenance times

     

    The SCC endeavors to ensure the highest possible availability of the archive service. The systems of the service infrastructure run around the clock in regular operation. The major components of the system are configured redundantly. Troubleshooting by SCC staff is guaranteed only on weekdays from 09:00 to 17:00.

     

    Maintenance agreements have been concluded for all hardware and software components of the archiving system. As a rule, the applicable agreements only cover normal business hours on working days with an on-site response within the next working day.

     

    Planned service interruptions (e.g. for maintenance work) are announced in advance with a notice period of five days. In case of emergencies and security problems, an immediate service interruption may also be announced.

     

    The availability of the servers, services and connections is permanently controlled. The responsible administrators are automatically notified in the event of an error.


  14. Support by the SCC

     

    The SCC can only provide very limited assistance with the installation/configuration of the client software and with any problems that arise and sees itself as second level support for the client software. The task of familiarizing oneself with the client software is the responsibility of the user.

     

    Requests for the archiving service must be made via the bwSupportPortal https://bw-support.scc.kit.edu/. The support team will endeavor to respond to requests by the next business day at the latest.

     

    Error messages can be reported around the clock to the bwSupportPortal https://bw-support.scc.kit.edu/.


  15. Limitation of the amount of data

     

    The amount of data that may be stored in the archive system is limited by what is agreed in the contract with the participating institution.


  16. Periods of validity, changes

     

    Unless otherwise agreed, the archiving period of 10 years valid at the time of posting the data applies.

     

    The SCC reserves the right to change its storage concept, if necessary, after an appropriate notice period of at least one year.

     

    Any change requests (e.g. other archiving times, extended functionality, etc.) of the customer must be announced to SCC in good time, but at least 6 months in advance. Changes shall be made in consultation.


  17. Further obligations of the user

     

    • The user undertakes to observe the legal framework conditions.
    • If the data is encrypted by the user, the custody and administration of the key lies solely with the user. If the key is lost, decryption is no longer possible.
    • The user is responsible for the accuracy and timeliness of the information provided during registration.
    • The user is obliged to take note of the automatically generated messages of the archive system and, if necessary, to answer them promptly or to raise an objection. The messages are considered accepted if no objection is raised within one month.

  18. Final provisions

     

    Should one or more provisions of the above policy be or become invalid, this shall not affect the validity of the remaining policies or provisions.

     

    Furthermore, the SCC reserves the right to take appropriate measures in the event of a violation of the guidelines listed here. This may lead to the exclusion of the user from the archiving service bwDataArchive.