70 -- 70 -- RAID LEVEL 5 TOWER SUBSYSTEM

Notice Date

May 21, 2001

Contracting Office

Social Security Administration, Deputy Commissioner for = Finance, Assessment and Management, Office of Acquisition and Grants, = 1710 Gwynn Oak Avenue null, Baltimore, MD, 21207-5279

ZIP Code

21207-5279

Solicitation Number

SSA-RFQ-01-1025

Response Due

May 23, 2001

Point of Contact

Kathleen Spangler, Contract Specialist, Phone 4109660392, Fax = 4109659560, Email kathleen.spangler@ssa.gov

E-Mail Address

Janet K. Reese (jreese@wstf.nasa.gov)

Description

The purpose of this modification is to extend the due date for = the receipt of offers to May 23, 2001 3:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, = and to provide answers to the following questions. Any additional = questions must be received by 11:00 A.M. May 21, 2001. The previous = questions received are as follows: 1. Based on the configuration = listed here I was wanting to know if this RFQ is asking for a server = and drive chassis containing the hot-swappable drives or just the drive = chassis with self contained computer components making this sub-system = self sufficient? ANSWER: This is not a server. It is a RAID Level 5 = tower subsystem containing its own controller. 2. Most if not all = sub-systems we configure for server based usage are solely SCSI based. = I?m confused by the reference to Ultra-2 to EIDE and Hot Swappable = Ultra DMA 100 EIDE Hard Drives. There is a lot of mixing of terms here = concerning the drive configuration. Please clarify. ANSWER: Host = Channel Interface is Ultra SCSI (LVD),Disk Channel ? EIDE with Ultra = DMA 66 Support. 3. You mention 128mb SDRAM Cache. Is this supposed to = be the processor onboard level 2 or 3 cache or the amount of system = memory contained on the motherboard of this self-contained sub-system? = 128mb of RAM in most cases is not nearly enough system memory to allow = a hardware configuration like this to run effectively. ANSWER: 128Mb = SDRAM Level 2 External Cache for the Intel i960 processor. 4. There is = a mention of a built-in Intel i960 64 bit processor family solution = named Itanium is of an EPIC (Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing) = not RISC architecture. Please clarify your needs here by possibly = providing any MFG. Part Numbers you might have. ANSWER: The requirement = is an Intel i960 64-bit processor. We believe that EPIC is a subset = of RISC (i.e., RISC with Instruction Level Parallelism). 5. In what = operating system environment will the RAID Level 5 Tower systems be = used? ANSWER: WindowsNT 4.0 now. Windows2000 in the near future. 6. Who is the = manufacturer? ANSWER: No specific manufacturer intended. 7. Is this = simply an external RAID system or a complete computer system with RAID = built in? ANSWER: It is an external RAID subsystem. See the answer to = question 1. 8. Is 650 GB Max RAID storage capacity a typo? Using 80GB = Hard Drives in RAUD 5 configuration gives max capacity of 560GB in = eight drive unit. If you want 650GB storage in RAID 5, do you want = additional bays? ANSWER: The use of the term ?storage capacity? was a = poor choice. You correctly point out that while an eight 80GB drives = will total 640GB of disk space in a RAID 5 configuration only 560GB are = available for data storage. The intent of the requirement is that the = RAID enclosure contain 8 bays. Each bay should support the use of no = less than an 81.25GB drive. Our hope is that the unit will support = even larger drives as they become more commonly available. 9. The 350W = power supplies do not exist, do you want 400W or will dual 300W power = supplies be sufficient? ANSWER:That was an error on our part. Dual = 300W power supplies would be sufficient. 10. I can?t determine from the = solicitation if you require SCSI or IDE hard drives? Any additional = information would be great. ANSWER: The enclosure should support the = use of ?Hot Swappable User Replaceable Ultra DMA 100 EIDE Hard Drives? = but no drives are included in the solicitation. 11. You ask for = U2WSCSI-to-EIDE RAID Subsystem however later in the solicitation you = emphasis U3WSCSI host interface. Are you asking for U3WSCSI-to EIDE = Subsystem? ANSWER: Host Channel Interface is UltraSCSI (LVD), Disk = Channel ? EIDE with Ultra DMA 66 Support. 12. 650GB Max capacity is not possible using 80GB HDD in RAID level 5. = Should this be 560GB? ANSWER: The use of the term ?storage capacity? = was a poor choice. You correctly point out that while an eight 80GB = drives will total 640GB of disk space in a RAID 5 configuration only = 560GB are available for data storage. The intent of the requirement is = that the RAID enclosure contain 8 bays. Each bay should support the = use of no less than an 81.25GB drive. Our hope is that the unit will = support even larger drives as they become more commonly available. 13. Would dual redundant 300W power supplies be sufficient? ANSWER: Dual 300W power supplies would be sufficient.

Web Link

Visit this URL for the latest information about this (http://www.eps.gov/spg/SSA/DCFIAM/OAG/SSA-RFQ-01-1025/listing.html)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010523/70SOL006.HTM (D-139 SN50M5P4)