Internet Info 1994 March/Internet Info CD-ROM (Walnut Creek) (March 1994).iso/inet/nren/nsf9352

Text File | 1993-05-12 | 56KB | 1,258 lines

Title  : NSF 93-52 - NETWORK ACCESS POINT MANAGER, ROUTING ARBITER, REGIONAL
         NETWORK PROVIDERS, AND VERY HIGH SPEED BACKBONE NETWORK SERVICES
         PROVIDER FOR NSFNET AND THE NREN(SM) PROGRAM
Type   : Program Guideline
NSF Org: CISE / NCR
Date   : May 6, 1993
File   : nsf9352



NETWORK ACCESS POINT MANAGER,
ROUTING ARBITER,
REGIONAL NETWORK PROVIDERS, AND
VERY HIGH SPEED
BACKBONE NETWORK SERVICES PROVIDER
FOR NSFNET AND THE NREN(SM) PROGRAM


Program Solicitation





NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION




I.  PURPOSE OF THIS SOLICITATION

NSFNET has supported the data networking needs of the research and
education community since 1986.  It has become an essential
infrastructure for that community and is used daily to facilitate
communication among researchers, educators, and students and to
provide them with remote access to information and computing
resources.  The number of users, the number of connected networks,
and the amount of network traffic continue to grow rapidly.

NSFNET also supports the goals of the High Performance Computing
and Communications (HPCC) Program which was delineated in the
President's Fiscal 1992 and 1993 budgets and which became law with
the passage of The High Performance Computing Act of 1991 (Public
Law 102-194).  The National Research and Education Network
(NREN/1/) Program, one of the four components of the HPCC Program,
calls for gigabit-per-second networking for research and education
by the mid-1990s.  As steps towards achieving the goals of the NREN
Program, "the National Science Foundation shall upgrade the
National Science Foundation funded network, assist regional
networks to upgrade their capabilities, and provide other Federal
departments and agencies the opportunity to connect to the National
Science Foundation funded network."/2/  This program solicitation
relates directly to these activities.

Since the creation of the NSFNET in 1986, the data networking
industry has evolved considerably.  New companies have been created
and a number of existing companies have shown increasing interest
in data networking.  These and other evolutionary changes have
prompted the need for a new architecture for NSFNET.  The
expiration of the current Cooperative Agreement for NSFNET Backbone
Network Services has prompted the need for a new solicitation for
NSFNET services.

To provide for the continued development and growth of NSFNET and
to support the goals of the NREN Program, a new architecture has
been formulated and is specified here.  The implementation of the
architecture includes four separate projects for which proposals
are herein invited:  one or more Network Access Point (NAP)
Managers; a Routing Arbiter (RA) organization; a provider
organization for very high-speed Backbone Network Services (vBNS);
and a set of Regional Networks which connect client/member
institutions and which provide for interregional connectivity by
connecting to NAPs and/or to Network Service Providers (NSPs) which
are connected to NAPs.  No solicitation is presented here for NSPs
as it is anticipated that costs of operation of the NSPs will be
recovered from users of the services that they provide.

The solicitation invites proposals for one or more NAP Manager
organizations to arrange for and oversee NAPs (as specified below)
where the vBNS, NSPs, and other appropriate networks may
interconnect.  This component of the architecture will provide
access for other networks to the U.S. research and education
community and will provide for the interconnection of networks in
a NAP environment .

The solicitation also invites proposals for an RA organization to
establish and maintain databases and routing services which may be
used by attached networks to obtain routing information (such as
network topology, policy, and interconnection information) with
which to construct routing tables.  This component of the
architecture will provide for an unbiased routing scheme which will
be available (but not mandatory) for all attached networks.  The RA
will also promote routing stability and manageability, and advance
routing technology.

The solicitation also invites proposals for a vBNS Provider to
establish and maintain a vBNS that will support applications that
require high network bandwidth.  In the tradition of NSFNET and as
discussed below, the vBNS Provider will demonstrate leadership in
the development and deployment of high performance data
communications networks.  This component of the architecture will:
provide for the interconnection of NSF Supercomputing Centers
(Cornell Theory Center, National Center for Atmospheric Research,
National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Pittsburgh
Supercomputing Center, and San Diego Supercomputing Center);
connect to all NSF-designated NAPs; provide for the interconnection
of other locations which may be subsequently specifiedby NSF;
support the development of a national high performance computing
environment (the metacenter/3/); support other high bandwidth
applications such as distributed high performance computing and
isochronous visualization; and promote the development and
deployment of advanced routing technologies. Traffic on the vBNS
must be in support of research and education.

Regional Networks have been a part of NSFNET since NSFNET's
inception and have been a major force in the drive towards
ubiquitous network connectivity for the research and education
community.  The important role that regional networks have played
and will continue to play is recognized in this solicitation.
Existing and/or realigned regional networks may seek support to
provide for interregional connectivity by connecting to NSPs that
are connected to NAPs or by connecting directly to NAPs. Regional
Network Providers are also anticipated to:  connect regional
network  client/member organizations; support the general
networking needs of clients/members; and provide for the special
networking needs of clients/members who have applications which
justify high bandwidth.  These later functions of regional networks
are among the evaluation criteria for Regional Network Provider
proposals, but only the interregional connectivity function will be
supported under this solicitation.

It is anticipated that this solicitation will result in two or more
separate five-year cooperative agreements between NSF and the
organizations and/or consortia of organizations chosen as NAP
Manager(s), RA, and vBNS Provider.  It is also anticipated that
this solicitation will result in a number of four-year cooperative
agreements with organizations chosen as Regional Network Providers.
Combinations of solicited services (such as NAP Manager and vBNS
Provider) may be proposed with the exception that the same
organization and/or consortium cannot propose to be both the vBNS
Provider and the RA.  If the same organization or consortium wishes
to propose for both the Regional Network Provider Project and for
one or more of the other projects, the Regional Network prop
osal must be submitted separately.  Total NSF funding for all
awards resulting from this solicitation is expected to be
approximately $18,000,000 per year.

This solicitation is issued pursuant to the National Science
Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1861 et seq) and the
Federal Cooperative Agreement Act (31 U.S.C. 6305) and is not
subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulations.


II.  BACKGROUND

The network of networks known as the Internet includes more than
10,000 IP (Internet Protocol) networks.  These networks
interconnect more than one million computers and millions of users
throughout the world.  The domestic portion of the Internet
contains a number of NSF■supported networks.  These include:
campus network connections at educational institutions; regional
networks; and the NSFNET Backbone Network Services. Broadly
speaking, NSFNET consists of all of these networks together with a
number of other networks at locations such as government
laboratories and private corporations which are connected to
regional networks.

The Internet also includes other federally-sponsored networks such
as the NASA Science Internet (NSI), the DOE ESnet, and the DARPA
DARTnet and TWBnet.  The multi-agency NREN Program includes these
networks in addition to the NSFNET.  These sponsoring agencies have
provided for the interconnection and interoperability of their
networks at Federal Information eXchange (FIX) access points.

It is anticipated that networks such as NSI and ESnet will continue
to have acceptable use policies which restrict traffic to that
which is in support of the missions of their funding agencies.  On
the other hand, any traffic which is in support of research and
education will be permitted on the VBNS.

Because of the breadth of the charter of the NSFNET and because of
its wide use by the research and education community, it is
projected that the NSFNET user base will continue to grow and that
its users will continue to require new levels of connectivity and
network services.  In addition to the  anticipated growth in
aggregated traffic, new applications such as distributed high
performance computing and isochronous visualization make the
provision of increasingly high network performance necessary for
the continued success of NSFNET and to achieve the goals of the
NREN and the HPCC Programs.

After consulting with many segments of the Internet community,
issuing a draft solicitation, and receiving and considering
comments on that draft, the National Science Foundation has
developed this solicitation for one or more NAP Managers, an RA
organization, a vBNS Provider, and Regional Network Providers. In
the manner specified below, it is anticipated that NSFNET will:
develop increasingly high performance network services; accommodate
the anticipated growth in numbers of users and networks and in
network traffic; and transition to a networking infrastructure that
is increasingly provided by interconnected network service
providers operating in a competitive environment.


III.  NETWORK ARCHITECTURE AND PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

NSF intends to establish a new network architecture for NSFNET in
the following manner.  A number of NAPs, as specified below, will
be established where a vBNS and other appropriate networks will be
interconnected.  One or more NAP Manager organizations will arrange
for and oversee the NAPs.  An RA organization will provide routing
services such as route servers and route databases for attached
networks and will provide and make available certain routing
services in support of the Internet community.  Finally, regional
networks will continue to provide various services for their
client/member organizations and to provide for interregional
connectivity through NAPs and/or NSPs that are connected to the
NAPs. This section gives more details on this architecture and
gives specific project requirements.


A.  Network Access Points

Network Access Points (NAPs) are to be proposed, subject to the
locations and characteristics described below, by organizations
responding to the NAP Manager(s) Project.  NAPs are described
separately in this section because of their relevance to all
projects described in this solicitation.

An Internet NAP is defined as a high speed network or switch to
which a number of networks can be connected via routers for the
purpose of traffic exchange and interoperation./4/  A NAP should
have capacity adequate to keep up with the switching requirements
of the attached networks.  The attached networks are presumed to be
part of the connected Internet, but the NAP itself may be of a
lower protocol level; e.g., it may be a level two network or
switch.

The NAP will be a conceptual evolution of the FIX and the
Commercial Information eXchange (CIX).  The FIX is currently built
around a level two network, a 100 Mbps FDDI ring, with attached
Internet networks operating at speeds of up to 45 Mbps.  Neither
the FIXes nor the CIX currently have dedicated route servers with
route databases.

Examples of NAP implementation include but are not limited to: a
LAN (like the FIXes); a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) using a
service such as Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS); and a
high speed switch such as an ATM switch.

Traffic on NAPs awarded under this solicitation will not be
restricted to that which  is in support of research and education.
This will, for example, permit two attached networks to exchange
traffic without violating the use policies of any other networks
interconnected at the NAPs. NSF will utilize announcements in the
Federal Register and public discussion with the U.S. research and
education community and other interested parties to develop
policies on traffic and usage at NSF supported NAPs.

Priority and desirable NAP locations are specified below. NAPs will
be established at the priority locations if at all possible.  NAPs
will be established at one or more of the desirable locations if
finances and other circumstances permit.  Only general geographic
locations are given.  Specific locations should be proposed, and
NAP attachment policies should promote fair and equitable pricing
for and access to NAP attachment.

Priority NAP locations

     o    California
     o    Chicago
     o    New York City

Desirable NAP locations
     o    Atlanta
     o    Boston
     o    Denver
     o    Texas
     o    Washington, D.C.


B.  NAP Manager(s) Project

One or more NAP Manager organizations will be selected to arrange
for and manage NAPs which they have proposed. Prospective NAP
Managers may utilize different subawardees for different NAPs where
appropriate.

The specific anticipated duties of the NAP Manager organization(s)
are as follows:

     o    Establish, operate, and maintain, possibly with
          subawardees, all or a subset of the specified NAPs for
          the purpose of interconnecting the vBNS and other
          appropriate networks.  Traffic on NAPs will not be
          restricted to that which is in support of research and
          education;

          NAPs can be proposed to be implemented as LANs or MANs or
          other innovative approaches. NAPs must operate at speeds
          commensurate with the speeds of attached networks and
          must be upgradable as required by demand, usage, and
          Program goals.  NAPs must support the switching of IP
          (Internet Protocol) and CLNP (ConnectionLess Networking
          Protocol) packets

     o    Develop and establish attachment policies (including
          attachment fee schedules) which would apply to networks
          that are connected to NAPs

     o    Propose NAP locations subject to the given general
          geographic locations.  Propose fair and equitable pricing
          for NAP attachment as discussed above

     o    Propose and establish procedures to work with personnel
          from other NAP Managers (if any), the RA, the vBNS
          Provider, and regional and other attached networks to
          resolve problems and to support end-to-end connectivity
          and quality of service for network users

     o    Specify reliability and security standards for the NAPs
          and procedures to ensure that these standards are met

     o    Specify and provide appropriate NAP accounting and
          statistics gathering and reporting capabilities

     o    Specify appropriate procedures for access  to the NAP
          premises (if any) for authorized personnel of connecting
          networks and ensure that these procedures are carried out


C.  Routing Arbiter Project

Under the current cooperative agreement, the same consortium which
provides the NSFNET Backbone Network Service also acts as routing
arbiter.  Under the new cooperative agreements described here, the
routing arbiter function will be distinct from the vBNS.  That is,
the same organization and/or consortium cannot propose to be both
the vBNS Provider and the RA.  The RA will provide for equitable
treatment of the various network service providers with regard to
routing administration and will provide for a common database of
route information to promote stability and manageability of the
network.

The RA will provide database management for information such as
network topology, policy (routing path preferences), and
interconnection information which can be used by attached networks
to build routing table configurations.  The RA will make this data
publicly accessible, but will not mandate its use by attached
networks.  In addition, this information will be used to configure
attached route servers in support of NSPs and other attached
networks.  Route servers are to support stable routing of the
Internet and to provide for simplified routing information to NSPs
and other attached networks.  It is expected that route servers
will use standard routing protocols, such as BGP (Border Gateway
Protocol, RFC 1267) and ISO IDRP (Interdomain Routing Protocol, ISO
10747).

The RA organization will also provide certain other services which
will facilitate the logical interconnection of the attached
networks.  For example, it will assist in the development of new
routing technologies and the deployment of simplified routing
strategies for attached networks.  It will also assist in the
development of tools which can be used to configure, manage, and
operate network routing systems.

The specific anticipated duties of the RA organization are as
follows:

     o    Promote Internet routing stability and manageability

     o    Establish and maintain network topology and policy
          databases, possibly at each NAP, by means such as
          exchanging routing information with and dynamically
          updating  routing information from the attached
          Autonomous Systems using standard inter-domain routing
          protocols such as BGP and IDRP.  RA activities must
          support the network service providers which switch IP
          (Internet Protocol) and CLNP (ConnectionLess Networking
          Protocol) packets

     o    Propose and establish procedures to work with personnel
          from the NAP Manager(s), the vBNS Provider, and regional
          and other attached networks to resolve problems and to
          support end-to-end connectivity and quality of service
          for network users

     o    Develop advanced routing technologies (such as type of
          service and precedence routing, multicasting, bandwidth
          on demand, and bandwidth allocation services) in
          cooperation with the global Internet community

     o    Provide for simplified routing strategies, such as
          default routing, for attached networks

     o    Promote distributed operation and management of the
          Internet


D.  Very High Speed Backbone Network Services Provider Project

Since its inception, the NSFNET has been a leader in providing for
high speed networking services for the research and education
community.  The vBNS will continue this tradition and will provide
for:  high speed interconnection of NSF Supercomputing Centers
(SCCs); the development of a national high performance computing
environment (the metacenter); applications involving distributed
high performance computing and isochronous visualization; and
connection to the NSF-specified NAPs.  The vBNS connections to the
NAPs will, for example, facilitate connecting the SCCs to research
institutions that have meritorious high bandwidth network
applications.

The vBNS must be able to switch both IP and CLNP packets and it
must operate initially (at least between SCCs) at speeds of 155
Mbps or higher.  Speeds should be achieved directly, not by the
provision of multiples of slower speed services.  Speeds higher
than 155 Mbps are desirable and may be preferred if finances and
other circumstances permit. Additionally, the vBNS Provider must
participate in the development and deployment of advanced Internet
routing technologies such as type of service and precedence
routing, multicasting, bandwidth on demand, and bandwidth
allocation services.

The vBNS may have connections and customers beyond those specified
by NSF provided that the quality and quantity of required services
for NSF-specified customers are not affected.  In this regard, the
vBNS Provider must be able to distinguish between NSF customer
traffic and that of other customers and to gather and report
traffic statistics (such as throughput and delay) based on these
categories.  It must also be able to assure proposed service levels
for NSF-specified customers.

The specific anticipated duties of the vBNS Provider are as
follows:

     o    Establish and maintain a 155 Mbps or higher transit
          network service which switches IP and CLNP packets and
          which interconnects NSF SCCs (Cornell Theory Center,
          National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Center
          for Supercomputing Applications, Pittsburgh
          Supercomputing Center, and San Diego Supercomputing
          Center) and the NSF-specified NAPs (and possibly other
          specified locations in the future)

     o    Propose and establish a set of quality of service (QoS)
          metrics which will be used to characterize the proposed
          network services and to ascertain and publicize network
          performance on an ongoing basis

     o    Propose and establish a schedule to enhance the speed at
          which the network operates, quality of service measures,
          and type of service offerings in line with NSF's broad
          program goals and consistent with anticipated NSF
          customer requirements and available funding

     o    Propose and establish procedures to work with personnel
          from the NAP Manager(s), the RA, and regional and other
          attached networks to resolve problems and to support end-
          to-end connectivity and quality of service for network
          users

     o    Participate in the development of advanced routing
          technologies (such as type of service and precedence
          routing, multicasting, bandwidth on demand, and bandwidth
          allocation services) in cooperation with the RA and with
          the global Internet community

     o    Subscribe to the policies of the NAP Manager(s) and the
          RA; implement procedures based on standard inter-domain
          routing protocols such as BGP-and IDRP-based to assist in
          establishing and maintaining the network topology and
          policy databases


E.  Regional Networks Project

Regional Networks have been a part of NSFNET since its inception
and have been a major force in the drive towards ubiquitous network
connectivity for the research and education community.  Regional
Network Providers connect an increasingly broad base of
client/member organizations, provide for interregional
connectivity, and provide other networking services for their
clients/members.  One such networking service may be the provision
of special connections for their client/member institutions that
have meritorious high bandwidth network applications.

It is anticipated that regional networks will continue to play
these important roles. Existing and/or realigned regional networks
are invited to propose how they will meet the interregional
connectivity needs of their client/member organizations.  Under
awards resulting from this solicitation, NSF will support regional
networks for the provision of interregional connectivity. They may
connect to NSPs which connect to NAPs, or they may connect to NAPs
directly.  (If they connect to NAPs directly, they may require
additional arrangements with one or more NSPs to provide them with
inter-NAP connectivity.)

Under awards resulting from unsolicited proposals and/or from
proposals submitted in response to existing and anticipated
solicitations and program announcements, NSF may support regional
networks for activities such as:  providing special connections for
client/member institutions that have meritorious high bandwidth
network applications; providing innovative information services to
client/member organizations; and providing connection  assistance
to new client/member institutions of higher learning.

Regional networks may attach to one (or more) NSPs that are
connected to NAPs to obtain interregional connectivity. Regional
networks may also attach directly to one (or more) NAPs.  Under
this second approach, some further arrangement (such as procuring
inter-NAP connectivity services from an NSP) would be required to
obtain full interregional connectivity.

Under this solicitation regional networks may propose to NSF for
support of the fee for either attachment to and use of one NSP or
attachment to and use of one NAP.  The amount of available funds
may limit the number and size of awards that can be made.  The
amount of each award will in general be related to the number of
proposed clients/members which are institutions of higher learning
and to the aggregate bandwidth requirements of those
clients/members.  In each year after the first, NSF support for the
NSP fee and/or the NAP fee will decrease and will cease at the end
of the regional network cooperative agreement (which shall be no
more than four years).

The specific anticipated duties of the regional network providers
are listed below. Only the first-listed duty will be supported
under awards resulting from proposals submitted in response to this
solicitation.

     o    Provide for interregional connectivity by means such as
          connecting to NSPs which are connected to NAPs and/or by
          connecting to NAPs directly and making inter-NAP
          connectivity arrangements with one or more NSPs

     o    Provide for innovative network information services for
          client/member organizations (in cooperation with the
          InterNIC, the NSFNET Network Information Services
          Manager)

     o    Propose and establish procedures to work with personnel
          from the NAP Manager(s), the RA, the vBNS Provider, and
          other regional and other attached networks to resolve
          problems and to support end-to-end connectivity and
          quality of service for network users

     o    Provide services which promote broadening the base of
          network users within the research and education community

     o    Provide for, possibly in cooperation with an NSP, high
          bandwidth connections for client/member institutions who
          have meritorious high bandwidth network applications

     o    Provide for network connections to client/member
          organizations


F.  Other Architectural and Policy Considerations

It is possible that other NAPs beyond those specified by NSF may be
established by members of the networking community. The various
network service providers called for in this solicitation may at
their own discretion and expense utilize the services provided by
such NAPs provided that the quality and quantity of required
services for NSF-specified customers are not affected. These
providers will be neither required by nor supported by NSF to
include such NAPs in their interconnectivity tasks unless
specifically designated and/or approved by NSF in advance.

It is anticipated that networks other than the vBNS will connect to
the NSF-specified NAPs.  Examples of such networks include:  NSPs;
other federally-sponsored networks; other network service providers
(beyond those connecting regional networks); and international
networks.

To qualify for NSF support for NSP attachment and/or for the
provision of interNAP connectivity, a regional network must attach
to an NSP that connects all NSF-specified priority NAPs.  Such NSPs
must also be able to assist such attachment-supported regional
networks to provide special connections to a NAP for client/member
institutions which have meritorious high bandwidth network
applications. Other qualifying networks can connect to one or more
NAPs as requirements dictate.

Attachment to one or more NAPs will require the payment of
both an initial and an annual fee (which will depend on parameters
such as number of NAP connections and bandwidth of each
connection).  Fees will be proposed by the NAP Manager(s) and
approved by NSF.

To attach to a NAP, a network must implement BGP- and IDRP-based
procedures to assist in establishing and maintaining the network
topology and policy databases maintained by the RA. Networks
attaching to NAPs must operate at speeds of 1.5 Mbps or greater and
must be able to switch both IP and CLNP packets.  The requirements
to switch CLNP packets and to implement IDRP-based procedures may,
however, be waived by NSF based on the overall level of service to
the R & E community, stimulus to the growth of the network and
economies of scale, the Governments' desire to foster the use of
ISO OSI protocols and other considerations of the public interest..


IV.  QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS SOLICITATION

In order that all proposers receive the same information, all
questions regarding this solicitation should be directed to the NSF
in the manner indicated below.  All questions must be submitted in
writing. Questions must be received by 3:00 P.M. Eastern Standard
Time, Monday, May 31, 1993, at:

     National Science Foundation
     Division of Networking and Communications Research
          and Infrastructure
     1800 G Street, N.W., Room 416
     Washington, D.C. 20550

     ATTN: D.Mitchell (NSFNET Inquiry)

Telephone, facsimile, and electronic mail questions will not be
accepted.

Substantive questions received and the NSF's answers to them will
be sent to all solicitation recipients approximately fourteen (14)
calendar days thereafter.


V. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION   INFORMATION

The following subsections describe:  who may submit proposals in
response to this solicitation; key personnel requirements; proposal
submission address and due date; public access rights to proposals
that result in an award; and  evaluation criteria that will be
applied to submitted proposals.


A. Who May Submit

Proposals for these projects may be submitted by U.S. entities
including academic institutions, not-for-profit or for-profit
organizations, or a consortium of several such organizations.
Should an award be made to a consortium in response to this
solicitation, that consortium must have a single lead organization,
and the Principal Investigator/Project Director (PI/PD) must be an
employee of that organization.

If the same organization wishes to propose for both the Routing
Arbiter and the Very High-Speed Backbone Service provider, please
be advised that while an organization may propose to perform both
of these functions, these two activities will not  be awarded to a
single organization. Organizations submitting proposals for both
should clearly indicate any preference.

If the same organization or consortium wishes to propose for both
the Regional Network Provider Project and for one or more of the
other projects, the Regional Network proposal must be submitted
separately.

It is recommended that appropriate administrative officials of
proposing organizations be familiar with the policies and
procedures stated in the NSF Grant Policy Manual/5/ (GPM) which are
applicable to NSF awards.  If a proposal is recommended for an
award, the NSF Division of Grants and Contracts will request
certain organizational, management, and financial information from
the submitting organizations.  This information must be submitted
before any award is made. These requirements are described in
Chapter III of the GPM.


B.  Key Personnel

For each award made, the individual designated as PI/PD and other
personnel deemed critical to the effort will be named in a key
personnel clause.  NSF approval is required prior to diversion or
replacement of key personnel. The PI/PD will be the primary point
of contact with NSF.


C.  Proposal Submission and Due Date

Ten (10) copies of the proposal, including one copy bearing
original signatures, should be mailed to:

     Proposal Processing Unit - Room 223
     Attn: NSFNET Project, NSF 93-52
     National Science Foundation
     1800 G Street, NW
     Washington, D.C. 20550

Only one (1) copy of NSF Form 1225, Information About PI/PD, should
be sent, attached to the original signed proposal.

Proposals may also be submitted electronically.  For information,
contact the Electronic Proposal Submission Program Director,
Division of Information Systems, via phone [phone], or via
electronic mail ([e-mail]).

Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation must:  (a)  be
received by NSF no later than Tuesday, August 17, 1993; (b) be
postmarked no later than five (5) days prior to the deadline date;
or (c)  be sent via commercial overnight mail no later than two (2)
days prior to the deadline date to be considered for award.
Proposals submitted electronically will be dated when they enter
the NSF system.


D.  Rights to Proposal Information

A proposal that results in an NSF award will become part of the
record of the transaction and will be available to the public on
specific request. Information or material that NSF, after
consultation with the awardee, determines to be of a privileged
nature will be held in confidence to the extent permitted by law,
including the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). Without
assuming any liability for inadvertent disclosure, NSF will seek to
limit dissemination of such information to its employees and, for
purposes of evaluation of the proposal, to outside reviewers.

Accordingly, any privileged information contained in the proposal
should be clearly marked or indicated (as with an asterisk or
highlighter) and identified by a legend similar to the following:
"Following is ((proprietary) or (specify)) information that (name
of proposing organization) requests not be released to persons
outside the Government, except for purposes of evaluation."


E.  Evaluation of Proposals

Evaluation of proposals in response to this solicitation will be
administered by the Division of Networking and Communications
Research and Infrastructure of NSF.  The proposals will be reviewed
by one or more merit review panels chosen by NSF.  At the
discretion of NSF, site visits may also be conducted.

The proposals offering the greatest overall merit in meeting the
requirements of these NSFNET Projects will be determined in
accordance with the following special criteria. The first set of
criteria applies to all of the projects contained in this
solicitation, and the subsequent sets of criteria apply to each
specific project in turn.  For each specific project, the general
criteria and the specific criteria are of equal importance.

1.  Criteria for all projects

Criteria are listed in descending order of criterion importance.

     o    Quality and quantity of the proposed services.  Also, the
          quality of performance measures which the proposer must
          develop and adopt to ascertain (at least quarterly) the
          quality and quantity of the proposed services

     o    Plans to assure high quality services to the networking
          community during the transition to this new NSFNET
          architecture

     o    Comprehension of the current Internet environment, vision
          as to how the NSFNET and NREN program should evolve, and
          relationship of proposed services to emerging
          international standards such as SONET, ATM, SMDS, and
          FDDI

     o    Capability to design and provide and/or coordinate the
          proposed services.  Factors include:  use of innovative
          (but not untested) approaches; ability to adjust to
          rapidly changing service requirements; and ability to
          develop, adopt, and employ new technologies and relevant
          standards

     o    Proposed procedures to work with personnel from the NAP
          Manager(s), the RA, the vBNS Provider, and regional and
          other attached networks to resolve problems and to
          support end-to-end connectivity and quality of service
          for network users

     o    Documentation of the qualifications of the proposing
          organization(s), including: experience applicable to the
          provision, operation and management of the proposed
          NSFNET Project(s); if a consortium and/or major subawards
          are proposed, experience in managing subawards with
          special emphasis on establishing performance standards
          and monitoring quality control; and description of
          proposed facilities

     o    Capabilities and experience of key personnel including
          those that are part of any subaward

2.  Criteria for individual projects

Evaluation criteria that are specific to each project are specified
in the subsections below.  Criteria are listed in descending order
of importance.

a)  Network Access Point Manager(s) Project

     o    Proposed plan to establish, operate, and maintain all or
          a subset of the specified NAPs. Also proposed plan to
          insure that NAPs operate at speeds commensurate with the
          speeds of attached networks and will be upgradable as
          required by demand, usage, and Program goals

     o    Proposed attachment policies (including type of equipment
          supported and attachment fee schedules) which would apply
          to networks that connect to NAPs; and the degree to which
          they promote fair and equitable pricing for NAP
          attachment

     o    Proposed NAP priority and/or desirable locations

     o    Proposed reliability and security standards for the NAPs
          and proposed methods to ensure that these standards are
          met

     o    Proposed NAP accounting and statistics gathering and
          reporting capabilities

     o    Proposed access procedures to the NAP premises (if any)
          for authorized personnel of connecting networks and
          proposed method to ensure that these procedures are
          carried out

b)  Routing Arbiter Project

     o    Proposed plan to promote Internet routing stability,
          integrity, manageability, and quality

     o    Proposed plan to establish and maintain route servers
          with network topology and policy databases

     o    Proposed plan for developing advanced routing
          technologies in cooperation with the global Internet
          community

     o    Proposed plan for developing simplified routing
          strategies for attached networks

     o    Proposed plan to promote the distributed operation and
          management of the Internet in  cooperation with similar
          functions from other domains; proposed tools to aid in
          the management of the Internet

c)  Very High Speed Backbone Network Services Provider Project

     o    Proposed plan to establish and maintain a (minimum) 155
          Mbps vBNS which interconnects NSF SCCs and the NSF-
          specified NAPs

     o    Proposed quality of service (QoS) metrics, including
          ability to verify and assure proposed service levels for
          NSF-specified customers

     o    Proposed schedule for enhancing the speed at which the
          network operates, quality of service measures, and type
          of service options

     o    Proposed participation in the development of advanced
          routing technologies (such as type of service and
          precedence routing, multicasting, bandwidth on demand,
          and bandwidth allocation services) in cooperation with
          the global Internet community

     o    Proposed plan for subscribing to the policies of the NAP
          Manager(s) and the RA; proposed implementation of BGP-and
          IDRP-based procedures to assist in establishing and
          maintaining the network topology and policy databases

d)  Regional Network Providers Project

     o    Proposed plan to provide for interregional connectivity
          including relationships with and descriptions of any
          involved NSPs

     o    Number of client/member organizations that are
          institutions of higher learning and justification of
          proposed bandwidths of connections to those institutions;
          plan for broadening the base of network users in the
          research and education community

     o    Cost effectiveness of proposed services for client/member
          organizations; plan and/or proposal to leverage funds
          sought from NSF

     o    Proposed plan to provide for innovative network
          information services for client/member organizations (in
          cooperation with the InterNIC, the NSFNET Network
          Information Services Manager)

     o    Proposed plan to provide for high bandwidth connections
          for client/member institutions who have meritorious high
          bandwidth network applications

     o    Proposed plan to provide for network connections to
          client/member organizations

In addition to technical merit, the cost of all proposed services,
both to the government and to the networking community as a whole,
will be considered.


VI.  AWARD INFORMATION

NSF reserves the right to make two or more awards as a result of
proposals received in response to this solicitation. NSF also
reserves the right to make no award.

Should two or more awards be made, it is contemplated that they
will be Cooperative Agreements providing operational support for a
period of five years (four years in the case of regional network
awards).  It is expected that any resulting awards will be
announced in the winter of 1993.

Following the awards, the NAP Manager(s), the RA, and the vBNS
Provider will be required to develop operations agreements with the
current NSFNET Backbone Network Services Provider (Merit, Inc.) and
with each other to insure that NSFNET continues to operate smoothly
both during the transition and afterwards.

The progress, plans, and services of all the providers will be
assessed annually.  In particular, the quality and quantity of the
services should be ascertainable annually during the period of the
agreement by performance measures which the proposers must develop
and adopt. Reasonable determination(s) may be made at any time
about any additional, increased, decreased, or modified services
within the general scope and context of the agreements and NSF may
negotiate appropriate modification(s) to the award(s).

After eighteen (18) months of operation, the performance of the NAP
Manager(s), RA, vBNS Provider, and the Regional Network Providers
will be externally reviewed.  The review will determine if the
awardees are meeting established goals and objectives.  The review
will be used to determine whether and at what level NSF will
continue to support the awardees beyond the second year.

Awards resulting from this solicitation are administered in
accordance with the terms and conditions of GC-1, "Grant General
Conditions", and CA-1, "Cooperative Agreement General Conditions".
Copies of these documents are available at no cost from the NSF
Forms and Publications Unit, via phone [phone], or via
electronic mail ([e-mail]). More comprehensive information is
contained in the NSF GPM.


VII.  CONTENTS OF PROPOSAL

Proposals should be prepared as follows in accordance with the
guidelines contained in the brochure Grants for Research and
Education in Science and Engineering, (GRESE) (NSF 92-89 rev 10/92)
(available from the NSF Forms and Publications Unit as referred to
above).  Each proposal should reflect the unique combination of the
proposing organization's interests and capabilities in providing
network services to support research and education users of the
NSFNET.

Since reviewers will be asked to review more than one proposal,
lengthy proposals are not recommended.  However, proposers are
specifically advised that the page limits contained in the GRESE
have been waived for proposals submitted in response to this
solicitation.  Appendices other than those from the GRESE brochure
and Appendices A and B described below will not necessarily be
considered in the merit review process. Proposals should be
securely  fastened together, but not placed in ring binders.

Proposals should contain the following Sections and Appendix A.
Regional Network Proposals should also include Appendix B.
(References below to appendices with roman numerals are references
to appendices in the GRESE brochure):

A.  NSF Cover Page(s) (Appendix IV)

All consortium members and/or all major subawardees should complete
and submit a copy of this page.

B.  Information about Principal Investigator/Project Director
(Appendix III)

Attach one copy to the original signed proposal.  Do not include
the form within the body of the proposal.

C. "Certification Regarding Lobbying" form See page 26 of GRESE.

D.  Results from prior NSF support

E.  List of collaborators within past 48 months and names of
graduate and postdoctoral advisors of each investigator

F.  Current and pending support for key personnel (Appendix VII)

G.  Table of Contents with page numbers keyed to the major sections
of the proposal

H.  Executive Summary of no more than two pages which provides a
brief description of the proposed effort

I.  Explicit procedures for monitoring the quality, availability
and effectiveness of the services provided. Risk/benefit analysis
of proposed new technologies

J.  Plans to assure high quality services to the networking
community during the transition to this new NSFNET architecture

K.  Vision as to how the NSFNET and NREN program should evolve, and
relationship of proposed services to emerging international
standards such as SONET, ATM, SMDS, and FDDI

L.  Proposed procedures to work with personnel from the NAP
Manager(s), the RA, the vBNS Provider, and regional and other
attached networks to resolve problems and to support end-to-end
connectivity and quality of service for network users

M.  Documentation of the qualifications of the proposing
organization(s), including

     o    experience applicable to the provision, operation and
          management of the proposed NSFNET Project

     o    if a consortium and/or major subawards are proposed,
          experience in managing subawards with special emphasis on
          establishing performance standards and monitoring quality
          control

     o    description of proposed facilities

N.  Documentation of technical and managerial qualifications of key
personnel including those that are part of any subaward.
(Curricula vitae  of key personnel should be placed in Appendix A.)

Sections for the Network Access Point Manager(s) Proposers

O.  Proposed plan to establish, operate, and maintain all or a
subset of the specified NAPs.  Also proposed plan to insure that
NAPs operate at speeds  commensurate with the speeds of attached
networks and will be upgradable as required by demand, usage, and
Program goals

P.  Proposed attachment policies (including type of equipment
supported and attachment fee schedules) which would apply to
networks that connect to NAPs

Q.  Proposed NAP locations

R.  Proposed reliability and security standards for the NAPs and
proposed methods to ensure that these standards are met

S.  Proposed NAP accounting and statistics gathering and reporting
capabilities

T.  Proposed access procedures to the NAP premises (if any) for
authorized personnel of connecting networks and proposed method to
ensure that these procedures are carried out

Sections for the Routing Arbiter Proposers

U.  Proposed plan to promote Internet routing stability, integrity,
manageability, and quality

V.  Proposed plan to establish and maintain network topology and
policy databases

W.  Proposed plan for developing advanced routing technologies in
cooperation with the global Internet community

X.  Proposed plan for developing simplified routing strategies for
attached networks

Y.  Proposed plan to promote the distributed operation and
management of the Internet; proposed tools to aid in the management
of the Internet

Sections for the Very High Speed Backbone Network Services Provider
Proposers

Z.  Proposed plan to establish and maintain a vBNS which
interconnects NSF SCCs and the NSF-specified NAPs

AA.  Proposed quality of service (QoS) metrics, including ability
to verify and assure proposed service levels for NSF-specified
customers

AB.  Proposed schedule for enhancing the speed at which the network
operates, quality of service measures, and type of service options

AC.  Proposed participation in the development of advanced routing
technologies (such as type of service and precedence routing,
multicasting, bandwidth on demand, and bandwidth allocation
services) in cooperation with the global Internet community

AD.  Proposed plan for subscribing to the policies of the NAP
Manager(s) and the RA; proposed implementation of inter-domain
routing procedures to assist in establishing and maintaining the
network topology and policy databases

Sections for the Regional Network Proposers

AE.  Proposed plan to provide for interregional connectivity
including relationships with and descriptions of any involved NSPs

AF.  List of client/member organizations that are institutions of
higher learning and proposed bandwidths of connections to those
institutions.  Plan for broadening the base of provided services to
the research and education community

AG.  Cost effectiveness of proposed services for client/member
organizations.  Plan and/or proposal to leverage funds sought from
NSF

AH.  Proposed plan to provide for innovative network information
services for client/member organizations (in cooperation with the
NSFNET Network Information Services Managers)

AI.  Proposed plan to provide for high bandwidth connections for
client/member institutions who have meritorious high bandwidth
network applications

AJ.  Proposed plan to provide for network connections to
client/member organizations

Sections for all proposers

AK.  A proposed five-year (four-year in the case of Regional
Network proposers) budget narrative/business plan (referred to as
"the narrative" in this paragraph) for funds requested from NSF

The narrative should be organized by the (proposed) sub-areas
described in Section III, Project Requirements of this solicitation
on a per year basis.  The narrative should contain information
about the services proposed and explain the significant costs
associated with the individual sub-areas proposed.  The annual
costs of each sub-area should be explained in sufficient detail to
allow identification of such items as the proposed level of effort
for professional and support personnel (and associated direct and
indirect costs), travel, equipment, subawards, and profit (if any).
If for estimating purposes, the proposer normally uses fully loaded
labor rates, such rates may be used if their derivation is
explained.

AL.  Summary Proposal Budget (NSF Form 1030) for the cumulative
five-year period plus individual annual budgets (on NSF Form 1030)
for each year (Appendix V)

As instructed on the reverse side of NSF Form 1030, identify each
year's request (e.g., ■Cumulative Budget■, ■First Year■, etc.) in
the margin at the top right of the form.

Upon completion of the project, a Final Project Report (NSF Form
98A), including the Part IV Summary, will be required. Proposers
should review this form prior to proposal submission so that appro
priate tracking mechanisms are included in the proposal plan to
ensure that complete information will be available at the
completion of the project.


Appendix A.  Curricula Vitae

Biographical information (limited to two pages) on the principal
investigator and other key individuals from all organizations who
will be directly involved in the management and operation of the
project.  Lists of publications for each individual should be
limited to the five most relevant.


Appendix B.  (For Regional Network proposers only) Letters of
intent from Institutions of higher learning

Regional Network Provider proposers should include a letter of
intent from each client/member which is an institution of higher
learning. These letters should be signed by a suitable officer of
the institution.



FOOTNOTES

/1/NREN is a service mark of the United States Government,
administered by the National Science Foundation. Organizations
receiving awards as a result of this solicitation may be asked to
enter into trademark licenses in connection with the use of the
NREN service mark.

/2/Public Law 102-194--Dec. 9, 1991.  15 USC 5521 (Section 201)

/3/MetaCenter Networking: A White Paper, Lambert et al, 1992

/4/The interconnection of networks produced by a NAP should be
viewed more as a FIX interocnnection than as a CNSS (Core Nodal
Switching Subsystem) or ENSS (External Nodal Switching Subsystem)
interconnection both of which are components of the current NSFNET
Backbone Network Service.

/5/The NSF Grant Policy Manual (NSF 88-47, July 1989) is for sale
through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing
Office, Washington, D.C.  20402.  Telephone [phone].




In accordance with Federal statues and regulations and National
Science Foundation (NSF) policies, no person on grounds of race,
color, age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded
from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subject to
discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial
assistance from the NSF.

Privacy Act and Public Burden. Information requested on NSF
application materials is solicited under the authority of the
national Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended.  It will be
used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals and
may be used and disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff
assistants as part of the review process and to other government
agencies.  See Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal
Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records" and NSF-51,
"Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records" 56 Federal Register
54907 (October 23, 1991).  Submission of the information is
voluntary.  Failure to provide full and complete information,
however, may reduce the possibility of your receiving an award.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is
estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for
reviewing instructions.  Send comments regarding this burden
estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information,
including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Herman G.
Fleming, Reports Clearance Officer, Division of Human Resource
Management, NSF, Washington, DC, 20550; and to Office of Management
and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (3145-0058), Washington, DC
20503.

The Foundation has TDD (Telephonic Device for the Deaf) capability
which enables individuals with hearing impairment to communication
with the Division of Personnel and Management for information
relating to NSF programs, employment, or general information.  This
number is [phone].

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities
(FAD) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable
persons with disabilities (investigators and other staff, including
student research assistants) to work on an NSF project.  See the
FAD program announcement (NSF Publication 91-54), or contact the
FAD Coordinator in the Directorate for Education and Human
Resources.  The telephone number is [phone].

The Foundation provides awards for research and education in most
fields of science and engineering.  The awardee is wholly
responsible for the conduct of such research and preparation of the
results for publication.  The Foundation, therefore, does not
assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation.

The Foundation welcomes proposal on behalf of all qualified
scientists and engineers, and strongly encourages women,
minorities, and persons with disabilities to compete fully in any
of the research and research-related  Programs described in this
document.

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance, Number 47.070, Computer and Information Science and
Engineering


NSF 93-52 (new)