Safety and fire prevention also in historical rooms

In April 2000 there were invitations of tenders for a new EDP system for the Federal Chancellery in Vienna with the target to be ready for operation in autumn 2000. Therefore the department "IT-Matter" in the Federal Chancellery looked for a site suited to the installation of a systems room. It turned out that there was no other appropriate room to be found, but a room on the ground floor, classified as historical monument. So setting up the IT-systems there was required at short notice in order to allow a start of the operation on time.
However, this room completely lacked the entire infrastructure necessary for a systems room. In spring 2001 Hofrat Christian Schlegl was instructed to attend to the planning and arranging of this room, which meant taking preliminary action for creating the infrastructure required for systems rooms, with a special focus on safety (first priority to the technical equipment for fire prevention).

High fire-alertness and false floor in the portico

The difficulty resulted particularly from the fact, that a room protected as historical monument could not be altered substantially. Nevertheless, to meet the current technical standard, there remained the necessity to install safety- and electro-technical equipment as well as air-conditioning. The construction of a false floor (which rests on bonded steel pillars since also the tiled floor of the room is classified as historical monument), the installation of a system that is highly alert to any blaze, of fire alarm and fire monitoring equipment, was combined with that. As the already existing air conditioning was not suitable for computer rooms, it had to be completely exchanged for a new one. In the same way the consideration of safety demanded an exchange of all the electrical fittings.

COMPAREX as the general contractor

There was a limited procedure as to invitations of tenders for the new equipment of the systems room. Hofrat Christian Schlegl and Karl Hrdlicka, responsible for budget and procurement: "In order to simplify coordination and workflow organization we wanted to have a general contractor instead of assigning single services. As a result of an evaluation procedure COMPAREX proved to have submitted the best offer and thus was engaged to adapt the systems room in July 2001.
Having received the order COMPAREX immediately had the first project meeting for the detailed planning. The project manager was satisfied: "Our partner had processed the documents (particularly graphic) at best, which of course allowed us to survey the proceedings easily. COMPAREX also submitted a project structure plan of which the deadline was exactly kept. The technical okay was given in late November 2001."

Smooth systems adaptation within one weekend

An important milestone was the weekend of 20/21 October 2001, as this was the date fixed for carrying out the change of systems. Hofrat Christian Schlegl remembers: "At midnight on 20 October we began to deactivate the system in a safe way and to separate the hardware-components so that they could be displaced to the new site in the next morning within the room. At this time the false floor had already been prepared to an extent that allowed a 'removal'." All the new underground laying of electric cables and also the preparation of the new air-conditioning were completed so that after the finishing of the false floor the hardware could be newly placed and the new current supply as well as the new air-conditioning equipment could be started. All old supplies were dismantled.

Hofrat Schlegl: "Systems adaptation smooth"

On Sunday at 23 o'clock the system officially started operation. All components were fully functional again. For reasons of security both the systems space and the entrances were also fitted with video monitoring so that status displays of the systems space could be remotely received from predefined places of work. On the other hand also other persons (not entitled to constant admission) should be allowed to enter the systems room, if work is being done there, which can be achieved via monitor recognition from the systems space.
Because of requirements imposed by monument protection, the project management was confronted  with the situation to fit the technical safety devices for fire alert cautiously. Hofrat Christian Schlegl: "We were not allowed to change doors and windows both in shape and in material, nor could we exchange the window frames, so that we had to meet the requirements for safety within the door- and the window area - putting fire protection windows with sight and burglary protection into an in-room position and fixing a fire door.
In order to guarantee an optimal operability of the system components, system guiding-states were fitted for the console components, which now prove extremely handy and clear.

Office automation: Electronic processes replace piles of paper

In the systems room the office automation system of the Federal Chancellery is run and all task set are fulfilled electronically. Ing. Reinhard Knapp: "Since January 2001 there has not been any process involving paper in the Federal Chancellery; all of the about 75.000 files a year are dealt with electronically within the house. Additionally the servers installed allow running a system of document management as well as a mailing and fax service, safety being a main concern. Hofrat Christian Schlegl: " In the early eighties I was responsible for the planning of the systems rooms and the office building of the Zentralen Ausweichsystem des Bundes in St. Johann and gained extensive experiences. I am responsible for the safety in a sector requiring highest possible safety; so it is obvious that it is my aim to meet all requirements with regard to safety here in Vienna as well."

Future orientated cooperation with COMPAREX

"After COMPAREX had changed its activities from the classical distribution of hardware components to integrating whole systems", Hofrat Christian Schlegl confirms, "the cooperation was at hand, especially as we had also fitted disc subsystems of this company in our secondary research centre. Due to the positive experiences which we had previously made with COMPAREX, we felt very comfortable to know for sure that we could find a partner for this project who would finish the task set in a satisfactory way. In this connection I would like to explicitly name COMPAREX’s project manager, Mr. Friedrich Ziehfreund, whose outstanding planning and organization made it possible to realise the project so smoothly. Since our project was also the first one that COMPAREX undertook in its new function of system integrator, one can only pay compliments to the company and all participants in the project.
However, I would also like to thank my colleagues Ing. Reinhard Knapp and Karl Hrdlicka for the outstanding cooperation and support."

Secondary computing centre: Server-Housing instead of Server-Hosting

The secondary computing centre has been established by the Federal Chancellery of the Republic of Austria and offers hot backup possibilities in case of loss or planned putting out of action of a computer centre of the federal or any regional government. However, a participation of third customers is possible as well. Hofrat Christian Schlegl: "Lately we have also been permitting data storage for private organizations in our high-safety areas or rent out utility spaces for server-components that enterprises concerned about safety would not like to have installed in their own sites, a classical case of Server-Housing. In contrast, ASP - Application Service Providing, that is Server-Hosting, is not offered by us."

Internet- and Intranet-administration

Hofrat Christian Schlegl’s task in Vienna has been fulfilled with the completion and putting into operation of the systems room, so, from now on, he will direct his main concern to the tasks in
St. Johann. These do not only contain the secondary computing centre, but also a second productions-computing centre for the Federal Chancellery.
Hofrat Christian Schlegl outlines the dimension of this task in the following way: "All information and documentation systems for the Federal Chancellery both on the Intranet as well as on the Internet, so for example the federal government’s system providing legal information and further information systems are run in St. Johann."
Without any doubt all of Hofrat Schlegl’s responsibilities will focus on the aspects of safety techniques, so that an operation without any failure is guaranteed to the entire IT environment of the Federal Chancellery and all other platforms.- and for all customers who have to cope with problems that safety measures are supposed to turn away the Zentrale Ausweichsystem is available (e-mail: christian.schlegl@bka.gv.at)