UT Dallas > Texas Schools Project > Computing Environment

Computing Environment

Data Security Environment

The UT Dallas Education Research Center (UT Dallas ERC) implements a strong, multi-layered security framework to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive data. All data is stored exclusively on a secure remote server, with access tightly controlled and limited to authorized researchers through project-specific accounts and directories. Researchers access the system via a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) protected by two-factor authentication (2FA), and Geo-blocking is enforced on the firewall to restrict access to users within the United States only. Additionally, internet access on the local machine is automatically restricted by the firewall once a VPN connection is established, further enhancing security by preventing external network access during data sessions. 

On the server, settings are configured to impose strict controls on client machines, including blocking file transfers, disabling clipboard functionality to prevent copy-paste actions, and enforcing automatic disconnection due to inactivity. These measures are in place to prevent unauthorized data exposure or breaches. 

Any data outputs intended for transfer outside the remote server must go through a thorough FERPA review process to ensure compliance with FERPA rules and regulations as outlined in the contract with the agencies. Once a project is completed, data is either archived with restricted access for a certain period and then destroyed, or securely destroyed immediately per the Data Security Agreement (DSA), maintaining the highest level of data security throughout its lifecycle. 

For more details, please refer to our Data Security Policy.

Compute Environment

The characteristics of the ERC research server environment are as follows:

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux, with a graphical desktop environment available (xfce, providing navigation by icons and menus as in Windows), and graphical applications.
  • 2TB memory to accommodate working with large files and the estimation of large models.
  • 15TB of fast tier 1 storage (each project is allocated a directory in this area for active analysis, limited to 250GB).
  • 30TB of tier 2 storage (each project is allocated a directory in this area, limited to 450GB).
  • Data backed up nightly to a separate backup server.
  • Current versions of Stata, R (with R Studio), Python, TEXmaker available for all users. Additional software can be supported as needed if platform compatible, but must be licensed by the researcher if commercial.
  • Productivity applications provided by LibreOffice (Microsoft Office compatible word processor and spreadsheet applications).
  • Our computing environment at present has ample capacity to support a large number of researchers concurrently performing substantial analyses. Researchers do not typically encounter binding computing capacity or storage constraints at the UTD ERC, or performance degradation due to concurrent use.

Onsite Facility

The UT Dallas ERC operates a visitor lab with seating for sixteen concurrent visiting researchers. The ERC facility is access-controlled, and external researchers are assigned an access card for the duration of each visit upon check-in. During periods of excess demand, it may be possible to accommodate additional visitors in our internal lab seating, space permitting. It is extremely unusual for researchers to experience any difficulty scheduling desired times for visits to the ERC.