Universität Bonn

University IT and Data Center

2010s - 2024

2010s - anniversary year 2024

Below you will find an overview of the transition decade of today's University IT and Data Center (HRZ), at that time still the Regional University Computing Center (RHRZ), and its development steps in the 2000s.

HRZ-timelapse

For the anniversary year 2024, we are going into the time capsule and travelling back in time. We show you an insight into the working world at the HRZ then and now.

2010-2024

The 2010s until today at a glance

More information on the individual years:

In 2010, the bandwidths in Bonnet are expanded. The change to 10 Gbit/s for the internet connection takes place in several steps, with each service area being connected with 2 x 10 Gbit/s.

The HRZ is introduces ‘Multiprotocol Label Switching’ technology to ensure better separation and security-related demarcation of different network areas. This results in a continuous expansion of security-related demarcation based on multiprotocol label switching and virtual firewalls.

In March 2010, the University IT and Data Center hosts the DINI annual conference in the main building of the University of Bonn for the first time. The conference, with 90 participants, was held under the motto: ‘Business process management and organisation at universities’. Five more DINI annual conferences would follow until 2018, which would be organised by the HRZ and hosted at the University of Bonn.

From 20 to 21 June, the HRZ hosts the 4th DFN Forum on Communication Technologies ‘Distributed Systems in Science’ in the main university building's ballroom with 60 participants.

After an initial testing phase, the central eLearning platform eCampus, based on the open source software ILIAS, goes online in the winter semester 11/12. The project is a co-operation between the ULB, for the didactic part, and the HRZ, for the technical part, and is further expanded in the coming years.

The anti-spam national licence, for which the University of Bonn took over the consortium management in December 2006, is extended.

As part of the introduction of standardised support for the campus management system (BASIS), the HRZ is introducing a university-wide support ticket system based on the software OTRS. However, several university institutions also use the system beyond campus management support in order to better organise and more easily process enquiries.

In April, a multimedia training system (pedagogical network) is installed to connect the PCs in the course rooms. It is now possible to interactively control the lessons on the participants' monitors and receive support from the lecturers.

The university's own network (BONNET) is being expanded further: The HBFG application for the ‘Expansion of the university data network: BONNET 4th construction phase’, with the aim of renewing and expanding parts of the active network components and the fibre optic cabling, was fully supported by the DFG. A particular point of the proposal is the connection of the Klein Altendorf campus via its own optical fibres and thus full integration into the BONNET. The realisation of this project requires a great deal of effort and determination until the connection can finally be put into operation in 2018.

The University Computing Centre has been a RIPE member since 2013 and operates its own Local Internet Registry (LIR). As LIR, the University IT and Data Center manages a very large, provider-independent IPv6 address range. Should a change of provider become necessary for the internet connection at some point in the coming decades, the provider-independent IPv6 addresses can continue to be used and the IPv6 addresses of many thousands of computers and servers do not have to be changed.

Following the expansion of the eCampus team in the previous year, electronic exams and lecture recordings can be offered as a centralised service for the University for the first time on a larger scale in 2014.

In March 2014, the university's central AFS (Andrew File System) is finally shut down. The main tasks will be covered by the newer FSI.
The central AFS had provided the university's IT users with centralised storage space since 1992. Later, all users were also able to provide their own small websites on the Internet.

The anti-spam national licence, for which the University of Bonn took over the consortium management in December 2006, is being extended again.

The Atlassian tool Confluence is introduced for the first time in 2018. The programme managed at the HRZ operates like a classic wiki system with which information and knowledge can be easily documented, shared and stored in a structured manner across the university.

In order to cope with the growing volume of data and research at the University of Bonn, the internet connection is upgraded to 2 x 15 Gbit/s in 2018.

The expansion of the university network (BONNET) is continuing to make great strides: the Klein-Altendorf campus is connected to the BONNET and is converted from DSL to a fibre optic connection with a bandwidth of 10 gigabit/s. This independent fibre optic connection is possible thanks to a cooperation with the Studierendenwerk.

Another novelty in 2018: the University IT and Data Center puts the first backup machine room in Katzenburgweg into operation, which can be used to maintain the services of the most important IT components in an emergency.

With its computing services, the HRZ continuously supports scientific work and talented researchers at the University of Bonn. In 2019, the University of Bonn succeeded in acquiring six Clusters of Excellence thanks to its research achievements.

After more than ten years, the HRZ's first virtualisation cluster can also be replaced. Since then, the HRZ has also offered VMs for the university's institutes and facilities (UniVM).

The IT helpdesk processes more than 16,400 support requests on site, with peaks of 1,180 requests in one week at the beginning of the winter semester. More than 4,500 requests for help with the installation of eduroam and VPN clients for using the Wi-Fi were made on site. Around 4050 emails were answered via the ticket system in 2019.

Right at the start of the pandemic, the HRZ staff is divided into two teams, working alternately in the home office and on site, to ensure the university's IT supply. This will prevent staff and technology from becoming unavailable throughout the pandemic and operations will continue to run smoothly as before. The only restriction: on-site support from the IT helpdesk is discontinued, while IT courses will continue to run online in reduced numbers after a brief interruption.

The new research data infrastructure is launched. In cooperation with other universities in NRW, a large CEPH-based storage cluster for research is also being set up and put into operation at the University of Bonn. At the same time, the HRZ is setting up the Research Data Service Centre in cooperation with the ULB, which will support researchers with advice and specific IT services in the future. The national anti-spam licence, for which the University of Bonn took over the consortium management in December 2006, is extended.

The pilot phase for desk-sharing workstations at Wegelerstrasse 6 starts in January. 3 offices are initially equipped with height-adjustable desks, monitors and docking stations. Acceptance is high, so that most of the workstations in the HR centre have now been converted and can be reserved using a tool.

From June 2022, the HRZ's IT courses can once again take place in person in the course room of the University IT and Data Center.

Also in June, the HRZ launches its new website. As part of the switch to Plone 5, it was revised and optimised for mobile use in particular, with the addition of an English version.

The University Computing Centre, which has already been involved in the organisation and implementation of numerous DFN and DINI conferences in the past, will once again be the organiser and venue for the ZKI Spring Conference of the Supercomputing Working Group in 2023, focusing on the topic of artificial intelligence.

A Girl's Day is held at the HRZ for the first time in April. In this Germany-wide event, girls can spend a day getting a taste of professions in which women are underrepresented. The HRZ takes part with the apprenticeship as a system integrator and eight girls take the opportunity to get to know the profession and the University IT and Data Center on this day.

In order to meet the general security standard, the HRZ introduces multifactor authentication (MFA for short) in 2023. This means that the Uni-ID and the services that can be accessed with it will gradually be secured by a second factor, thus protecting the university more effectively against cyber attacks.

In July, the HRZ launches its own new social media channels: in the future, the HRZ will inform all university members and IT enthusiasts via its own Instagram and LinkedIn channel. The existing YouTube channel will be relaunched and will feature the first videos on the arrival of ‘Marvin’, the University of Bonn's new supercomputer, and a look behind the scenes at the HRZ.

A new home for research data is set up with HRZ involvement: The new repository for the publication of research data, bonndata, is launched in August.

The inauguration of the new high-performance computer ‘Marvin’ takes place on 20 October. The supercomputer has 18,432 computing cores and is ranked 423rd in the ‘Top500’ ranking of the world's fastest high-performance computers when it goes into operation.

The beta version of the Uni Bonn app is available for the first time in December. Since April 2022, a campus app has been developed in collaboration with several universities. This means that the HRZ is responsible for part of the development as well as the technical connection and provision of the app at the University of Bonn.

The year 2024 begins with a special challenge for BONNET and thus the employees of the network department at the University IT and Data Center: the road construction work at Endenicher Ei and the further course of the A565 requires the largest remodelling of the backbone cabling since the beginning of the cooperation with the Studierendenwerk in 2000. As part of this measure, the main network connection of the backbone fibre optic ring between Poppelsdorf and Endenich, which runs in an old route partly under the motorway, must be completely cut and relocated to new routes outside the future construction areas.

With JupyterHub, the University Computer Centre is introducing a new multi-user data science platform in February. This enables users to work in their own interactive environment directly in the browser. In March, the HRC introduces another new IT service: GitLab provides support in research projects, collaborative version management of software and other text-based data.

The HRZ takes part in the Girl's Day again in 2024. This time even with a scavenger hunt in which the participants can get to know the HZR in teams. At the end, everyone can take home a medal from the in-house 3D printer.

The Uni Bonn app is officially launched in summer semester 2024. The Uni Bonn app combines the student ID card, university service card and canteen meal plan in one user-friendly application and makes everyday university life more digital and sustainable.

In June, the first hackathon on the topic of artificial intelligence takes place at the HR Centre. Employees will meet for this in the form of an internal working group entitled ‘HRZ KI-Lab’. The group regularly discusses the development and use of AI machines and gathers initial practical experience in order to actively support research and teaching at the University of Bonn.

50 year of HRZ: The anniversary

The University IT and Data Center at the University of Bonn is celebrating its 50th anniversary at the beginning of November 2024 with a ceremony and a week of events. The anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on the development, transformation and progress of the digital world at the University IT and Data Center as a central IT service provider in the academic sector. As part of the campaign week, the HRZ is embarking on a ‘journey into the past’ and dedicates each day of the campaign week to a decade, starting with the work at the HRZ ‘today’ and concluding with the work at the HRZ in the decade in which it was founded, the 1970s. The working methods and technologies of the University IT and Data Center over the past 50 years are compared and illustrated with today's innovations. This has resulted in the new website section ‘History’ and the video series ‘HRZ Time Travel’ (YouTube).

Das HRZ
© Volker Lannert/Universität Bonn

Picture gallery 2010s - 2024

Our picture gallery gives you an insight into the work at the University IT and Data Centre in the 2010s until 2024.

Working at the University IT and Data Center today

The world has changed and so has the working environment at the University IT and Data Center. 

You can learn more about how we work at the HRZ and what defines us via a click on the button below. 

GF_und_Team_HRZ_Bonn_2024-2602.jpg
© HRZ
Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© Volker Lannert/Universität Bonn

Development over the decades

IT service provider in the course of digital transformation

Not only are today's tasks and areas of activity at the University IT and Data Center exciting, the development of the University IT and Data Centre is also interesting. If you would like to find out more about the beginnings and development of the HRZ, you can gain an insight into the working world at the HRZ in the various decades since its foundation on the following pages:

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