🚀 go-pugleaf

    CREN hereby solicits from all interested parties, responses to a
Request For Proposals for a CREN Computing and Network Server.  Briefly...

    CREN is seeking proposals from prospective contractors to provide
certain computing and networking services such as the computing needs of
CREN, a BITNET/Internet gateway (INTERBIT), BITNET File Transfer
Protocol server (BITFTP), a mail list server and distributor (LISTSERV),
NETSERV, etc. The contract period would be for at least two years with a
CREN option for renewal. If hardware needs to be acquired, that hardware
may be purchased or leased by CREN or the contractor at the discretion
of CREN.

    The computing and networking platform must satisfy a number of
technical specifications due to the unique application software needs
and because of the system that it will replace. The server must be an
IBM compatible mainframe computer (or one or more dedicated processors
on a shared IBM compatible computer system) in order to support the VM
operating system, current applications, LISTSERV software, BITFTP
software, etc. The server must have stable and reliable connections to
the network to allow high speed communications and support both NJE and
TCP/IP protocols. It must have sufficient data storage to accommodate
the storage and transmission of large numbers of electronic mail and
files.  It must have its own node name, to be determined by CREN, on
BITNET and on the Internet.

    The CREN Server is intended to provide a cost-effective and stable
set of computing and network services for the CREN office and BITNET NJE
community in addition to the volunteer effort currently underway, during
the transition to IP-based connectivity and services.

    The full RFP is now available on-line from several sources and in a
variety of formats, for those who may wish to review it:  from
LISTSERV@BITNIC.BITNET (listserv@bitnic.educom.edu), as the plain-text
file SERVER RFP-TXT, and in RTF interchange format as the file
SERVER RFP-RTF; also via anonymous ftp (or the Internet Gopher)
from info.cren.net, as the text file /cren-rfp/cren-server.txt,
the PostScript file /cren-rfp/cren-server.ps, and the RTF file
/cren-rfp/cren-server.rtf.

                      Jim