From steve.francis@commserv.ucsb.edu Wed Jan 21 14:47:01 1998 Date: Fri, 09 Jan 1998 14:37:24 -0800 From: Steve Francis To: "calren2-tech@hub.ucsb.edu" Subject: First draft of specifications. Resent-Date: Fri, 09 Jan 1998 14:37:24 -0800 Resent-From: calren2-tech@hub.ucsb.edu This will look best in Netscape's mail client. Specifications for new UCSB data infrastructure. UCSB is in the process of evaluating vendors for the purpose of installing a new backbone data communications network. We would like to have the vendors prepare presentations for how they would install a network to best meet our specifications. Our specifications are presented in two differing sets, allowing two different responses from the vendors. The first set of specifications lists the minimum connectivity requirements, with no constraints on how these requirements are to be achieved. The vendors response may be the same as the response to the second set of requirements, or it may be in a completely different direction. It is anticipated that in this response vendors will be able to demonstrate innovative designs and architectures, possibly using unique features of their products, that the committee has not anticipated. Where this response does differ from the second response, the vendor should define why those differences exist, and the advantages of such a different implementation. The second set of specifications is more constrained, and is based on an architecture our committee anticipates could best meet our requirements and provide the best value, scalability, manageability and performance. Specification set one: The vendor should propose a solution that will provide: WAN: * OC12 ATM connection to an non-campus ATM switch for WAN connectivity. Number of backbone switches * a minimum of two backbone switches will be required, due to limitations of the campus fiber cable plant * the ability to extend one IP subnet or VLAN over ports on different backbone switches would be advantageous. Departmental connectivity to backbone switches * This connectivity will be, at the departments option, either OC3 ATM or fast ethernet, so the infrastructure must support both. * Departmental LANs will be different IP subnets * Departments have a wide variety of routers and switches, from a variety of vendors, some of which could support Fast ethernet or OC3. Re-use of such devices to minimize cost would be looked at as a benefit (to be balanced against the complexity of managing disparate devices.) Routing: * All WAN routes will be learnt via a BGP session from a router in another autonomous system * a cisco 7513 and a cisco 7000 is available to be incorporated into the infrastructure. * The infrastructure will need to support forwarding between the departmental subnets, ideally at wire speed * multicast support at the IP layer is required * The infrastructure will need to support forwarding between the departmental subnets and the WAN port, ideally at wire speeds (OC12) * Routing decisions may be made anywhere in the infrastructure Other factors: the less new equipment needed to buy, the better. The more fully featured the ATM feature set that is supported (UNI 4.0, LANE v2, etc.) the better. Manageability methods should be specified. Specification set two: The vendor should propose a solution that will provide all the features of specification set one, within the following constraints: * the backbone switches must be capable of supporting ATM and frame based interfaces within the same box to simplify manageability, reduce cost and single points of failure. * departmental connections will be via switches that need not support layer 3 decisions, in order to keep costs to a minimum. (i.e. a simple ethernet switch with an OC3 or fast ethernet uplink may be the most common device) * layer 3 forwarding between subnets will be done in the backbone switches. Layer 3 routing protocols may or may not be running on the same box. -- Steve Francis Network Analyst, UCSB Communications Services 805 893 7775 fax 805 893 7272 [Part 2, Text/HTML 115 lines] [Unable to print this part]