Itt number ecmwf/1999/171 Acquisition of Desktop Computers and Servers

1. INTRODUCTION 1

1.1. Trademarks 1

1.2. The Rôle of the Centre 1

1.3. The ECMWF Computer Environment 2

2

1.4. Background for this ITT 3

1.4.1 Systems already installed 3

1.4.2 Usage of Desktop Systems 3

1.4.3 Usage of General-Purpose Servers 4

1.4.4 Types of Desktop Systems Required 4

1.4.5 Cascading of Desktop Systems 5

1.5. Scope of this Invitation to Tender 5

2. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND DEFINITIONS 7

2.1. Definitions 7

2.2. Tender Requirements and Definitions 7

2.3. Schedule 8

2.4. Contract 8

2.5. Pricing 8

2.6. Acceptance Tests and Availability Calculation 9

2.7. Support of Hardware and Software 9

2.8. Demonstration of Equipment 11

2.9. Presentation of Tendered Systems 12

2.10. Alternatives to the Purchase of Desktop Computer Systems 12

3. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS 13

3.1. Requirements for System Software 13

3.2. Requirements for Programming Languages, Libraries and Software Development Tools 15

3.3. Requirements for Access to Windows-Intel Software Applications 16

3.4. Requirements for Applications Software 16

3.5. Requirements for Security 18

3.6. Requirements for System Monitoring and Control of Servers 18

3.7. Requirements for Training 19

3.8. Requirements for Documentation 19

3.9. Computational Performance Requirements for Servers and Desktop Computers 19

3.9.1 Requirements for Technical Desktop Computers 19

3.9.2 Requirements for the Server and Scientific Desktop Computers over the four-year period 20

3.9.3 Requirements for the Server and Scientific Desktop Computers During the First Year 20

3.9.4 Future Requirements for Scientific Desktop Computers 22

3.10. Requirements for Video Subsystems in Desktop Computers 22

3.11. Requirements for Desktop Computer Monitors, Mice and Keyboards 23

3.12. Hardware Requirements for Technical Desktop Computers 24

3.13. Hardware Requirements for Scientific Desktop Computers 26

3.14. Hardware Requirements for Server 27

1. INTRODUCTION

This document presents the specification of requirements relating to the acquisition by the European Centre for Medium‑Range Weather Forecasts (“ECMWF” or “The Centre”) of Desktop Computers and Servers.

1. Trademarks

All names or descriptions used in this Invitation To Tender (ITT) which are trademarks, trade or brand names, or other references to proprietary products are hereby acknowledged as the property of their respective owners. No entry, term or definition in this ITT should be regarded as having any implication as to the validity or otherwise of any trademark.

The appearance of any proprietary name or reference in this document should not in itself be taken to imply a preference for one product over another unless specifically stated otherwise.

2. The Rôle of the Centre

ECMWF is an international organization established by convention dated 11 October 1973 and has the following Member States:

Belgium Denmark Germany Spain France Greece

Ireland Italy The Netherlands Norway Austria Portugal

Switzerland Finland Sweden Turkey United Kingdom Yugoslavia

In addition, there are co‑operation agreements with Iceland, Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia.

The Centre's primary operational activity is the daily execution of computer programs which acquire, organize and analyze recent meteorological observations and predict the likely evolution of weather for ten days ahead. Suitably postprocessed and derived products are disseminated to the meteorological services of the Member and Co-operating States for their interpretation and use. The Centre is operational 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. A high standard of reliability is essential, and has been achieved: over the entire period of daily predictions since 1980, every operational forecast without exception has been completed.
The Centre's research activity makes substantial use of numerical experimentation, and extensive archives of operational and research results are maintained and used for verification and investigative studies.
ECMWF is committed to the use of approved or de facto standards.

3. The ECMWF Computer Environment

As shown in figure 1 below, ECMWF operates a large multivendor computing environment, including Fujitsu VPP supercomputers, various IBM systems, Hewlett‑Packard servers, SGI servers and workstations and PCs, interconnected by various type of network technologies: HIPPI, Gigabit Ethernet, FDDI and Fast Ethernet.


Figure 1

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