ULAKBİM
University Informatics Infrastructure Disaster Recovery Center (ULAKFKM)
The University Informatics Infrastructures Project (UBA) is a national e-infrastructure development project that aims to strengthen the informatics infrastructures of higher education institutions in Turkey, ensure the secure protection of institutional and research data, provide cloud computing services, and guarantee the continuity of critical information systems of universities. The project is supported by the Presidential Strategy and Budget Directorate and developed and operated by TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM.
Within the scope of the project, a national infrastructure has been established to meet the increasing cloud, data storage, backup and disaster recovery needs of universities. The University Informatics Infrastructures Disaster Recovery Center (ULAKFKM), one of the main components of this infrastructure, aims to ensure that the critical data of universities are stored in secure data centers off-campus and to ensure the sustainability of services in case of possible disasters or interruptions.
The infrastructure developed under UBA is based on an object storage-based architecture that enables universities to back up their data in a secure and scalable environment. State universities are allocated a certain capacity of object storage space within the scope of the project and universities can use this space to back up their research data, corporate information systems and critical applications. The data sent is encrypted and protected at the hardware level and kept in triplicate and stored in secure data centers in line with the principles of redundancy.
The system, built using open source technologies at the infrastructure layer, consists of modern components such as Ceph-based distributed storage, OpenStack cloud infrastructure and orchestration with Juju. High availability (HA), multiple access zones (AZ) and automatic failover mechanisms ensure uninterrupted service. With this service, universities can quickly create and manage virtual server, storage and network resources according to their needs. This powerful infrastructure not only provides a centralized disaster recovery solution, but also creates a sustainable and efficient model by preventing high-cost investments that universities would make on their own.
Access to and management of the project infrastructure is carried out through the FKMPortal developed by TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM. Through this portal, universities can perform user authorizations, manage data transfer processes and use the disaster recovery infrastructure effectively. The system is also integrated with the YETKİM Identity Federation, ensuring that institutions' authentication and authorization processes are carried out securely.
UBA infrastructure is designed based on open source technologies and offers a sustainable and cost-effective solution that reduces license dependency. Thus, the need for universities to establish high-cost cloud disaster recovery and data backup infrastructures within their own organizations is reduced, and more efficient use of IT resources is ensured through a shared infrastructure model on a national scale.
Services Provided to Universities
Within the scope of the University Informatics Infrastructures Project, various informatics services are provided to higher education institutions for data security, business continuity and strengthening their research infrastructures. These services aim to enable universities to manage their critical data and systems on a secure, scalable and sustainable infrastructure. In parallel with the increasing data and IT needs of universities, infrastructure capacity can be expanded and service continuity of universities is contributed.
Disaster recovery infrastructure is provided to ensure the protection of universities' critical data and systems in the event of a disaster, hardware failure or service interruption. By using this infrastructure located in secure data centers off-campus, universities can back up their data and quickly restore their critical services in case of interruptions.
The project provides infrastructure services that can meet the data backup and long-term data storage needs of universities. Thanks to this service, institutions can minimize the risk of data loss and securely store their critical data.
Within the scope of UBA infrastructure, OpenStack-based cloud computing service is provided to universities. Thanks to this service, universities can use virtual server, storage and network resources in a flexible and scalable environment. Thus, institutions can benefit from cloud computing resources without making high-cost physical infrastructure investments.
Universities can manage the services provided under the project through the FKMP portal. Through the portal, user and authorization management can be performed, storage areas and data transfer processes can be monitored, and disaster recovery infrastructure can be used effectively.
Within the scope of the project, user support services are provided for universities to use the services offered effectively. Universities can submit their technical problems and support requests through the central ticket system and receive fast support from expert teams. Technical documentation and guidance support is also provided for the installation, integration and use of the services.
ULAKPaylaş is a service offered on ULAKFKM infrastructure that facilitates secure file sharing between universities. The platform, which is only accessible to academic and administrative staff thanks to YETKİM integration, allows users to share large-scale data in a fast, secure and controlled manner. Working with an institutional authentication infrastructure, ULAKPaylaş offers a practical solution that supports research and administrative collaboration while centrally managing data security and authorization processes.
Training and information activities are carried out to support the effective use of the services provided under the University Informatics Infrastructure Project and to ensure the widespread use of the infrastructure. Thanks to the infrastructure built on open source technologies, trainings and technical workshops are organized for the technical staff of universities. With these activities, it is aimed for institutions to use the infrastructure more effectively, to increase the sharing of technical knowledge and experience, and to develop a sustainable open source ecosystem on a national scale.