DALLAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT PURCHASING DEPARTMENT ADDENDUM No. 2 NETWORK ELECTRONICS

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1 DALLAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT PURCHASING DEPARTMENT ADDENDUM No. 2 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. BID #TF NETWORK ELECTRONICS Amendment to RFP #TF NETWORK ELECTRONICS The purpose of Addendum No. 2 is to provide answers to vendor questions related to this RFP. The information in this Addendum is herby incorporated and made part of any contract awarded pursuant to this solicitation. Questions from Network Electronics Pre-Bid Meeting 09/27/ Will it be required that all devices support IPv4 and IPv6? ALL layer 3 devices should support IPv4 and IPv6. 2. Will it be required to that all layer 3 devices support OSPF? Yes, the District is moving to OSPF for the core of the network and that will be the main routing protocol. 3. How does traffic from each school reach the Internet? Does the traffic go through a data center or does it travel from the school to the Internet? All traffic from the schools goes to one of two data centers, Ross and Buckner. Each one of these has a 2 Gbps Internet connection. Obviously, depending on the ultimate location depends on what route/internet connection the traffic takes. 4. Can the district supply a diagram of the network? Yes, see attached. 5. How many 1G or or 10G connections are needed in the data center? Network Services has no current count of either 1 Gbps or 10 Gbps connection. Ultimately it is expected that the uplink to switches be 10 Gbps with options for adding multiple 10 Gbps connections. The reply should include the technology and design for adding and managing additional bandwidth to switches. 6. How many of the switches will need to support 1Gbps or 10 Gbps? It is expected that all switches in the data center support 10 Gbps uplinks with at least 1 Gbps to the server. Some switches will need to support multiple 10 Gbps uplinks with at least one 10 Gbps connection to a virtual server or chassis. 7. Can we have network drawings of the data center? See attached for current data center layout. This will change since the District is renovating the data center. The responder should not be locked into duplicating these configurations and it is expected that a recommended layout be included, along with the reason and the benefits.

2 8. Will all sites (schools and admin sites) be dual homed? Yes, each site will be dual homed; one connection to the Ross data center and the other to the Buckner data center. 9. Will schools have single mode fiber to each MDF? Each school will have dual single mode fiber runs supporting it. 10. Does this include MDF and IDFs in the scope of work? This RFP is for MDF and IDF network electronics also. 11. Can we include suggestions for best practice in data center layout and design? Yes, it is highly recommended that the recommendations follow best practice and that these be explained. 12. What is the general layout of the data center? See attached diagrams. 13. Will all servers be dual connected in the data center? The District would like to dual connect all servers along with the uplinks to each top of rack switch, if that design is recommended. Of course all of this depends on cost. The responder should explain the costs for single and dual attached servers and plan for that flexibility. 14. Is there a standard layout module or design to be used for the data center? No, there is no standard layout requested. Replies should include an explanation of the layout along with the benefits including cost and ease of manageability. 15. What type of remote management or remote visibility is DISD looking for? At the absolute minimum remote management must include SSH and SNMP access. Any other management tools should be included in the reply. 16. Are there any special requirements for dual connections and backups? For physical dual connections see question 13 for the data center. For system or image backups a method of saving configs to a remote server along with the ability to monitor when changes are made and by whom is desired. 17. What are the power requirements, for both general MDF/IDF and the data center? The reply will drive the power requirements. The only real requirement is that 48VDC is not desired. 18. Are there any airflow requirements, especially for the data center? Data Center is being rebuilt using top stack return air flow cabinets. Reversible fans are desirable. 19. Are there any specific power requirements? See answer to question Can we explain what is expected of the install pricing? Install pricing should include removing the old equipment, disposing of it, if the equipment is included as part of a trade-in price, configuration of the device and in the network management tool. 21. What type of support are we requesting, for both data center and edge devices? MDF/IDF support should include phone support for hardware, configuration, and software issues. That phone support should be 24X7X365. DISD will purchase some number of spares so a reasonable time for hardware replacement is expected. If a limited lifetime warranty is included in the pricing please explain. Data center electronics should be 24X7X365 for software, hardware, and configuration issues. Phone support should be 24X7X365. Parts replacement should be four hours. 22. What type of on-site support is expected?

3 23. Where are the firewalls expected to be utilized? The firewalls will be mainly deployed in the data centers in front of the server segments, between the Internet and the DMZ, and between the DMZ and the internal DISD network. 24. Will we pick multiple vendors for the contract? District reserves the right to pick multiple vendors as needed. 25. The RFP states that there will be a bake off for the finalists? Is that true and how will it work? There is no reference to a bake off in the RFP and none planned. 26. Can we get an idea of what the old equipment is and the quantity? District is underway with several projects which are affecting the equipment list and quantities. District is seeking new solutions and will design depending on solutions and quantities at that time. 27. What kind of training is expected? Some on-site training is expected during the installation piece with staff. It is very difficult to devote staff for dedicated on-site training so the District would also entertain replies that include training credits with a partner or web based training. 28. In the data center, does the response need include fiber patch cables for connectivity between switches? No, since it is not known what the configuration will be or how many devices will need to be connected, the type and cost of the network equipment is all that is required. 29. In the data center, what type of power outlet will be used in the date center? See the answer for question Do we need to take into consideration, connections necessary from the core to the existing HP WAN aggregation switch? If so, what speed and what type of transceiver. Please reply with options for 10 Gbps, 40 Gbps, and 100 Gbps connections to and from the existing HP The number will depend on the ultimate design but please show if these speed connections are available and show the flexibility for multiple connections. 31. Do we need to quote data cabinets for the data center core switches proposed in this RFP? If so, what type of cabinets are desired? No cabinets are not required in the reply at this time. 32. On the price sheet, pricing is requested for 3 yr warranty and support cost for full system. Can this section be broken out to distinguish between warranty and support costs for the MDF/IDF solution, the data center core switch solution, the UPS solution, and the network firewall solution? Please provide as much information as possible and if necessary, yes, please break out the difference between warranty and support for each solution. 33. In the pre-bid meeting, it was stated that DISD would like to see pricing for a single core and dual core switch solution for each data center. Should two additional pricing lines be added to reflect this request?

4 The response will be judged on the reply that matches what is asked for in the RFP. That is all that is necessary at this time. 34. Will there need to be direct connectivity between the core switch at Ross and the core switch at Buckner? If so, what type of link will be utilized, what type of transceivers will be needed, and how many connections are requested? There are two single-mode fiber paths between Ross and Buckner; one approximately 15 kilometers in length and the other approximately 24 kilometers in length. The minimum connectivity between the two sites should be 80 Gbps but connections that support higher bandwidth connections can be submitted. The 80 Gbps combined BW can be composed of combinations of 10 Gbps or 40 Gbps aggregated together at a minimum. The connectivity between these two sites will take separate paths so please take that into account. The type of transceivers will depend upon the solution recommended. 35. What types of servers are in each data center. File and Print, Financial, Student System etc. The type of servers will include all of the above plus nameservers, DHCP servers, application servers and many other types as the demand necessitates. It can be expected that all types of servers and operating systems will be supported. 36. What WAP technology is being used? All access points are Cisco n models. 37. The MDF shows Core Switch shows 180 ports per Switch how many 10 gig ports are needed in the Core Switches? This will depend on the number of IDFs in the school. One 10 Gbps port will connect back to the Ross data center, one will connect back to the Buckner data center. The rest will connect to the IDFs, which can be as many as 2 with an elementary school or as high as 28 with the largest of the high schools. 38. How many 1 gig ports are needed in the Core Switches? That is as yet undetermined. The core switches need the capability to have 1 Gbps ports but they will be used mainly until all other top of rack switches are upgraded to 10 Gbps feeds. The important thing is to remember that there needs to be flexibility to support 1 Gbps and 10 Gbps ports in the same chassis. 39. How many connections are anticipated to connect the Core Switches together? That is unclear at this point and depends on the design and recommendation. It is important to reply for pricing purposes to the configurations in the RFP. 40. Can we quote more than the 1 Switch in each Data Center Core? Yes. 41. What type of over subscription is acceptable in the Core Switches, if any? Over subscription is not acceptable. 42. Is United Private Network providing the fiber only or routing between sites? Unite Private Networks will be providing dark fiber between the data centers and all 267 locations. 43. How many MDF/IDFs will be feed from each data center? The Dallas ISD has 267 locations that will have dual connections to each data center. 44. What is the current IP Telephony system that will need to operate across the network.

5 The current VoIP system for the Dallas ISD is Cisco but that change. Any reply and recommendation to this RFP should be vendor independent and based on standards. 45. Just to confirm, the WAN core at each data center will provide dual 10GB connectivity the internet service provider and dual 10GB connectivity to each district facility. How many total facilities? See answer to question The district said it would provide and average number of MDF/IDF closets per school. Can it provide it by the average elementary, Jr. High and Sr. High? For example; Elementary schools Middle Schools High Schools one MDF and three IDFs one MDF and eight IDFs one MDF and 12 IDFs 47. The RFP states Qty 1 training. What should that training entail and how long should the training be? There is no set period or length of time for the training. We just need training that adequately allows the Dallas ISD networking staff to configure and maintain the equipment purchased. The reply should include recommendations and/or options for in-house, web based, and off-site training. 48. How do we determine the user/access layer port needs for the MDF closets? Will 96 ports per switch be sufficient? The number of ports fed out of the MDF can vary but for the purpose of scoring the RFP the responder should reply with a price for the equipment specified in the RFP. 49. How do we determine the actual port densities required for the 650 Chassis Based IDF switches requested? The reply to the RFP should be for the equipment configuration listed in the RFP. The port densities will vary according to the requirements at each school but due to current projects we are unable to provide counts at this time. 50. For the purposes of RFP response, would 192 ports per switch be sufficient? Again, the counts will vary by school. In some cases 192 ports will be sufficient, and in some cases 192 ports will not be sufficient. For the purposes of scoring this RFP the reply should be for the equipment specified in the RFP. 51. I do not see any extended run battery packs listed. Will there be a process to address instances where the UPS is undersized for the install location? The two UPS systems listed in the RFP are what DISD currently uses and are what the responder should reply to. Both of these UPS systems fit the needs for MDF and IDF closets. The two UPS systems in the RFP are the minimum necessary but the reply may include UPS systems that exceed these requirements. 52. One of the firewall requirements is "stateful failover". Are the firewalls going to be deployed this way? That is the intent. 53. If the answer is "Yes", do you require a service contract supporting 4-hour replacement on them, or will NBD be sufficient? TAC cases - even P1 Network down situations - can be opened 24 hours as long as you have a valid service contract. The firewalls are considered part of the data center equipment. See the answer for questions 21 for this. 54. The DC switches are "connected to 500 and 300 servers" respectively. How many physical connections is this? They could be dual-homed or more, have ilo/drac ports connected or other connectivity that could push the needed port count to 1500 or more. Do you have an accurate port count? No, we do not have an accurate port count at this time. At the pre-bid meeting it was stated that depending on costs if at all possible it is intended that all servers be dual-homed.

6 55. What is the current load on each respective switch? Do you require more than 2TB of throughput or forsee the need for that kind of density in the near future? We are unable to provide this at this time. It may be necessary to support this this of load in the future as traffic and processing increase in the data center. Please reply with the capabilities of your solution. 56. Are you looking to do Fabric Path/Trill in the DC? Using solutions such as Fabric Path/Trill are a possibility but not necessarily a requirement. The Dallas ISD Network Services team will review all recommendations based on pricing and functionality. For the purpose of scoring this RFP 57. Do you have a need for FCoE or FC capability in the core switches? FCoE or FC are not required at this time but may be needed in the future. If your solution does support these solutions please state that. 58. Will the current IP scheme be implemented or will it be a new one? The current IP scheme will be utilized as much as possible but could change as requirements change.

7 END OF ADDENDUM NO. 2