Infrastructure Services (13)

Active Directory Development and Testing Services

The Active Directory Development and Testing Services provide an environment, tools, and services to assist IT professionals at NIH in developing, configuring, testing, and troubleshooting new applications, and in making changes to existing applications.

For developers who do not need the full AD environment, there is also an LDAP Directory Service.

IT professionals who need these services may request assistance by submitting a ticket through the NIH IT Service Desk.

Active Directory Management and Operations Services

Active Directory Management and Operations Services offer IT Professionals and IC Administrators the tools and services that are used to manage and operate Active Directory (AD), including those for monitoring, security, compliance, and account provisioning and deprovisioning.

Some of these services are provided to ICs, and some, such as Active Directory Management (ADM), can be used directly by IC IT Pros. Details regarding the large variety of available tools are contained in the FAQs below, and IT professionals who need more information about these services may request assistance by submitting a ticket through the NIH IT Service Desk.

Desktop Management Service

The Desktop Management Service provides hardware inventory, software inventory, software delivery, desktop imaging, patch management and reporting, as well as centralized management of antivirus software, antivirus software reports, automated alerts, automated updating of antivirus software, and antivirus software configuration management.

Distributed File System Namespace (DFS Namespace)

Distributed File System Namespace (DFS Namespace) allows the NIH system administrators to make it easy for NIH staff to access and manage files that are physically distributed across a network.

IT professionals who need more information about this service may request assistance by submitting a ticket through the NIH IT Service Desk.

Domain Name Resolution Services (DNS, DDNS, DNS-HA, WINS)

CIT's Domain Name Resolution Services provide several reliable methods of resolving computer and server names to Internet addresses and vice versa when connecting to the NIH Network or the Internet:

Domain Name Service (DNS), also known as External DNS, is used by computers on the Internet to resolve host names within the NIH.gov domain name space.
Dynamic Domain Name Service (DDNS), also known as Internal DNS, is used by NIH computers to connect to the Internet and resources outside of the NIH and HHS networks.
Domain Name Service-High Availability (DNS-HA) provides dynamic site resiliency for services operating in multiple data centers. The DNS-HA service provides intelligent DNS that directs the customer to the best possible site for the requested resource.
Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) is a basic network requirement in a Windows environment that allows Windows Netbios name-mapping to IP addresses used by Windows services.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol Service (DHCP)

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol Service (DHCP) provides DHCP services on multiple hosts throughout the NIH network.

IT professionals who need more information about this service may request assistance by submitting a ticket through the NIH IT Service Desk.

Enterprise Authentication Services (NIH Login, formerly iTrust)

NIH Login (formerly NIH iTrust) is an enterprise authentication service that allows users to access multiple applications with a single user credential. NIH Login also provides federated identity management, allowing users both within and outside of NIH to access multiple applications and data sources across agencies, using their local identity credentials. It provides application owners with an easy and secure way to authenticate users and control access to sensitive data.

NIH Login has multiple fail-over capabilities, thus ensuring high availability 24 x 7, 365 days a year. Additional application-specific authentication can be configured to allow for specific security measures, such as firewalls and active directory user groups.

LDAP Directory Service

CIT provides a commodity Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Directory service for application developers. Dedicated LDAP directories are available for IC applications and the services that require them. The LDAP directory comprises data from the NIH Active Directory (AD) and is built on Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS), which is an independent mode of AD that provides dedicated directory services for applications.

IT professionals who need more information about these services may request assistance by submitting a ticket through the NIH IT Service Desk.

NIHnet Enterprise Network Service (ENS)

NIHnet Enterprise Network Service (ENS) is a comprehensive network service providing managed, enterprise-level network connectivity to the customer's wall plate. The ENS service includes:

60+ Network Engineer Staff from Tier 1 – Tier 4

24x7 NOC for monitoring and repair

Immediate response for service outages

Located on and off campus to aid in response time

Immediate response for IRT related events
Network port Move, Adds, & Changes within 24 hours

Formal Network Engineering Staff

Continuously reviews service design for efficiency/effectiveness
Plans new technology integration (IPv6, NAC, etc.)

Formal Network Security Group

Continuously monitors the security posture of the network
Performs C&A for networking equipment

Formal Service Management Processes & Systems

· Planned refresh program (equipment replacement every 6 years)

· Vendor maintenance cost factored into the service cost

· Network ports are continuously monitored for utilization to allow the customer the ability to make service need changes

· Network ports are continuously monitored for bandwidth utilization to assist in network consumption planning decisions

· Formal change management system and processes

· Formal device management using OPSWARE system

o Performs global changes such as code upgrades

o Performs configuration audits

o Performs security related audits such as code vulnerabilities

Formal Device Sparing Program

· Ready on-the-shelf equipment spares for immediate replacement

Formal Service Reports

· Online service reports

Network port utilization
Network availability percentage
Bandwidth utilization

NIHnet Internet Service

NIHnet Internet Service provides internet access to all NIH customers and select Federal agencies. NIHnet is the Internet Service Provider (ISP) for the NIH.

NIHnet Perimeter Security Services

NIHnet Perimeter Security protects the integrity and confidentiality of critical and sensitive data transmissions on NIHnet.

Password Management Services

Password Management Services offer several management and reporting services of value to IC IT professionals and administrators. CIT also provides legacy support to Novell systems. For details regarding some of the available services and tools, see the FAQs below,

IT professionals who need more information about this service may request assistance by submitting a ticket through the NIH IT Service Desk.

Password Self-Service (iForgotMyPassword)

Password Self-Service (iForgotMyPassword) is a self-service, cross-platform, web-based interface used to reset and synchronize passwords.

Customers register for the service by providing their own answers to a selection of questions of their choosing. They then use those answers to reset their password if they have forgotten it, unlock their locked account, and validate their identity during future NIH IT Service Desk calls.

This service is also used by Service Desk personnel to authenticate users during service calls.

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