Service category: Software

The service includes licence procurement and management as well as the central provision of scientific software used in university teaching and research. This includes mathematical and scientific/technical program packages, statistics programs, software for data visualisation and analysis as well as development tools such as compilers and numerical libraries. The software is provided both by installing it on the generally accessible kiz computers (HPC clusters, PC pools) and in the form of installation packages and instructions for local installations on users' workstations and departmental servers. This does not include licences for information systems and media or other non-scientific software, such as office software, virus scanners, databases or operating systems, or licences for the exclusive use of online services offered by external service providers as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

A central licence server is operated for programmes with network licences, which regulates the number of network licences currently in use (concurrent user licences) and grants every authorised user university-wide access to these licences.

The service also includes the provision of documentation and specific support and advice on the use of the scientific software packages provided.

Overview & terms of use: software catalogue

Performance features

Software provision and documentation

• Regular recording of licence requirements for scientific software through user surveys and anonymised usage statistics.
• Budget planning and event-related clarification of co-operative financing options with working groups and deaneries and, if necessary, application for funds from the President's Office.
• Applying for QA funds for scientific software to improve and maintain the teaching and learning infrastructure for studying at Ulm University.
• Conducting negotiations with providers of scientific software, reviewing contract terms, carrying out procurement processes for new contracts or for the continuation of existing licence and maintenance contracts, including invoice verification.
• Provision of installation media and instructions for university-wide scientific software packages in the kiz software portal (https://portal.uni-ulm.de/SoftwarePortalWI/secure/software.html).
• Access authorisation to the software download area is granted through authentication with the kiz account via the university services portal. If compliance with the licence conditions requires this, only authorised subgroups are granted access to the respective installation media (e.g. only students for student versions). Confirmation of the respective licence conditions is required for downloading.
• In the case of single user licences subject to a charge, access is via an activation code ("voucher"). This can be purchased at the Service Point circulation desk in the library centre. Payment is made via the chip card. In some cases, the software is also made available via the manufacturer's portals or via local distribution channels.
• Technical operation of a licence server with installation of software and version-specific management software for the provision of network licences and updating of the associated licence keys for software updates and/or licence renewals.
• Pre-installation of scientific applications, including updates and bug fixes, on the computer systems provided centrally by kiz. In addition to the Ulm University PC pools, the supported environments also include the HPC environments of the bwUniCluster, which is operated jointly with the universities of the state of Baden-Württemberg, and the state-wide bwForCluster JUSTUS, which is operated at the Ulm site for research groups in the field of "Computational Chemistry and Quantum Sciences". In the HPC area in particular, the service focuses on providing highly optimised software modules for parallel applications that are specifically tailored to the respective cluster environments.
• Creation of HPC-specific documentation on the state-wide bwHPC pages and information on the availability and fields of application of the scientific software packages offered, which are listed in the software catalogue on the kiz website.

Support and counselling

• Members of Ulm University can take advantage of advice on availability and licensing options as well as 1st and 2nd level support for the installation of campus-wide software packages.
• Contact via e-mail at kiz.software-support(at)uni-ulm.de or via KIX support ticket. The operator of the respective system is responsible for the use and operation of the software on local workstations and departmental servers. This also applies in particular to compliance with the licence regulations for the use of the software.
• HPC users of the bwUniCluster and the bwForCluster JUSTUS are provided with 1st and 2nd level support for the use of the installed software modules via the state-wide bwSupport portal https://www.bwhpc.de/supportportal. As the headquarters of the state-wide HPC competence centre "Computational Chemistry and Quantum Sciences" in Baden-Württemberg, kiz also provides "high-level support" for subject-specific applications in this area in individual cases. In individual cases, support can be offered by telephone or video conference.

Produktgruppen

• Betreiben von Lizenzservern für kommerzielle Software, Aktualisierung der Lizenzschlüssel beim Auslaufen von Lizenzen
• Statistik-Pakete (SPSS, SAS) & Computeralgebra (Maple, Mathematica)
• CAE-Applikationen, Numerische Anwendungen/Bibliotheken & Visualisierung
• Software Theoretische Chemie
• Software Moleküldynamik/ Molekülvisualisierung
• Compiler

User Groups

As a rule, the use of the scientific software provided is restricted to academic (i.e. non-commercial) research and teaching by members and institutions of Ulm University. In addition, the specific licence terms and contractual regulations with the respective software providers stipulate bindingly whether deviating restrictions apply to a subset (e.g. students, scientists, individual working groups) or extensions (e.g. in the case of nationwide framework agreements or special cross-location HPC licences). Further information on the applicable terms of use is published in the respective sections of the software catalogue on the kiz website. To clarify individual cases, users can make use of the counselling services offered for scientific software.

The support and counselling services for the use of scientific software are aimed at all members and institutions of Ulm University. For selected scientific applications on the bwUniCluster and the software modules on the bwForCluster JUSTUS, the support offer is also available to users from other locations as part of the federative support concept (bwHPC-S5).

Service hours

24 x 7 x 365 (Support request via e-mail and access to compute services)

Application modalities

A kiz account is required to log in to the University Services Portal Studies & Teaching and to log in to the Baden-Württemberg Support Portal for HPC applications. As a rule, no application for the use of the scientific software is required for authorised users.

For some software packages, an application must be submitted in the form of an email to kiz.software-support(at)uni-ulm.de before use. When collecting the installation media, the user must confirm by signature that the licence conditions of the software are complied with. Corresponding details are described in the kiz software catalogue.

Fee / charge

The use of the installed software on the central systems and the use of the university-wide network licences for local installations is free of charge. No fees or charges are levied for advice and support or for the use of the software portal.