Social Security Administration, Office of Acquisition and Grants, 1710 Gwynn Oak Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21207-0696 Attn:1-E-4 GWNO/Joanne Tarr

70 -- NETWORK ANALYSIS/PROTOCOL DECODER EQUIPMENT POC Joanne Tarr tel: (410) 965-9474 The Social Security Administration (SSA) is seeking to identify vendors who can provide a Distributed Network Analyzer (DNA) and a Protocol Decoder which will be used for network analysis, identification and resolution of network performance problems. The DNA shall be used to evaluate remote, 16 Megabit (MB) Token Ring(s) source route bridged environments. Multiple devices will be distributed at remote locations and be managed by possible multiple, central consoles at SSA Headquarters in Baltimore, MD. The REMOTE DEVICE must meet or exceed the following requirements: 1) Monitor and analyze token ring traffic with full seven (7) layer decode of all propular protocol stacks (including SNA, Novell IPX and SPX, TCP/IP and Netbios). A full suite of both pre-capture and post-capture filters should be available, including a pattern filter; 2) Monitor the ring and provide realtime information to the central consoles about ring utilization, ring errors, top talkers, etc.; 3) Forward alerts to the central console; 4) Monitor and trace sixteen (16) MB ring at 60% utilization, without losing frames; 5) The token ring adapter used to communicate with the central console, must be capable of accepting a Locally Administered Address (LAA); The CENTRAL CONSOLE must meet or exceed the following requirements: 1) Shall consist of software only and reside on a 486, IBM compatible, PC type machine; 2) Must run under Windows or OS/2; 3) Must be able to communicate with the remote device using LAAs. The Central Console shall also use only a LAA. This is required due to SSA's extensive bridge filtering scheme; 4) Must be able to completely control, in realtime, the remote device including communication configuration; The COMMUNICATION between the REMOTE DEVICE and the CENTRAL CONSOLE must meet or exceed the following requirements; 1) Central Console should be capable of both In-Band and Out-of-Band and should be kept at a minimum to conserve bandwidth. All trace processing should take place on the remote device, with only results and screen updates transported to the Central Console; 2) Non-broadcast and efficient use of the following protocols: IPX, TCP/IP, APPN (SNA); 3) Both the Remote Device and the Central Console must follow 802.2 and 802.5 protocols. Interested schedule and nonschedule vendors who can furnish the required items are invited to submit in writing a substantial statement clearly demonstrating comparable quality of the product offered, substantiated by technical data brochures, and GSA contract numbers (if applicalbe). Interested parties must respond to this notice, in writing, within 15 calendar days after publication of this notice. Respondents should refer to ANALYZER-JT95. This is a request for vendor product information and not a Request for Proposal (RFP). No contract award will be made on the basis of responses received; however this information will be used in SSA's assessment of capable sources. No cost or pricing data is required or requested. The Government does not intend to pay for any information provided. Requests for copies of a solicitation will not be honored or acknowledged. (0005)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0260 19950106\70-0007.SOL)