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8.2 Purch Ethernet Switch CITY OF SALINA REQUEST FOR CITY COMMISSION ACTION DATE TIME AGENDA SECTION: 8 ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT: APPROVED FOR NO. AGENDA: INFORMATION SERVICES ITEM ~ NO. 2 David Larrick BY: Item Approval to purchase a new main core Ethernet switch to facilitate the change from a Tokenring network access method to an Ethernet network access method. Background When we first started networking Personal Computers (PCs) we had few choices to make with regard to networking. Our Host Computer System was an AS/400 and the only network access method available for an AS/400 was called Tokenring. The Tokenring network access method was developed by IBM in the mid-1980s and is used exclusively by IBM computer equipment. We used the Tokenring network access method to network all the PCs in the City offices, the County Offices, the Law Enforcement Center, the Saline County Jail and Fire Station #1. The most popular kind of network access method today is called Ethernet. The Ethernet network access method was developed by Xerox in the mid-1970s. We used the Ethernet network access method to develop our Wide Area Network (WAN). The reason for that choice was that the price to develop using Ethernet was half of the Tokenring cost and the availability of the Ethernet equipment for the wireless network was far greater. To use an analogy to help you visualize the differences between Tokenring and Ethernet, think of them as two completely different languages, e.g. Russian and Greek. As a result, we had to purchase a translation tool called a router, to get the Tokenring networked PCs and the Ethernet networked PCs to communicate. This adds an additional network cost, and decreases the speed and reliability of information transmitted. Currently, the computer industry is switching all network access methods to Ethernet. The Internet is all Ethernet. So imagine all the work that must be done every time a PC with a Tokenring network access method must retrieve information off the Internet. The request from the PC must be translated from Tokenring to Ethernet for the Internet request and then when the request is fulfilled, the information must be translated from Ethernet to Tokenring. The translation process does slow down the transmission speed and is not always as accurate as one would hope. We have experienced a few problems related to the translation. When the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) installed ASTRA 2000, the automated access method for our local law enforcement agencies to retrieve criminal information from the KBI and FBI, they used the Internet for their transmission medium, and thus Ethernet. To ensure security of the transmitted criminal information the KBI used very sophisticated encryption methods. The very sophisticated methods used by the KBI were the first problems we started having with the Tokenring-to-Ethernet translation and those problems continue to cause us significant resource allocation problems. To keep the I/S Staff as efficient as possible, we have tried to keep everything as "single threaded" as possible. We have one word processing software for which we provide support. We have one spreadsheet software for which we provide support. We have one AS/400 emulation software for which we provide support. We have one style of PC for which we provide support. Yet we still have two network access methods for which we provide support. CITY OF SALINA REQUEST FOR CITY COMMISSION ACTION DATE TIME AGENDA SECTION: ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT: APPROVED FOR NO. AGENDA: INFORMATION SERVICES ITEM NO. David Larrick BY: Page 2 Reasons for change: 1. Changing to one network access method and doing away with all the network translation equipment that is needed to simplify our current network transmissions. 2. Keeping our US Staff requirements to a minimum is needed to make the I/S Staff as effective as possible. 3. Controlling our costs to network PCs is needed to keep our budget within the approved limits. The Tokenring network access method costs more than twice as much for the PC network interface cards. The cost of those cards is expected to increase in the future as Tokenring becomes even less popular. 4. The need for the ability to have increased speed and to handle larger transmissions over our networks will be required in the near future as the use of the Internet and use of graphical presentations increases. For these reasons we propose fully changing our network access method to Ethernet. We have used an outside consultant to assist us with the design of the proposed Ethernet network. The main core Ethernet switch must be purchased to tie all the perimeter Ethernet switches together. Then, remaining location changes can be made one location at a time. Network switching equipment was approved in the Computers and Technology section of the Capital Improvement Plan and budgeted in the 2000 Information Services budget. VENDOR OUOTED PRICE Alexander Open Systems No Bid Received Computech Services of Ks $77,714.08 ComputerLand of Wichita $84,412.00 Dynamic Computer Solutions No Bid Received Integrated Solutions Group $70,686.95 Network Plus No Bid Received Nex-Tech No Bid Received Staff' s estimate for this piece of equipment is $71,000.00 Recommended Action It is recommended that the City Commission approve the purchase the new main core Ethernet switch from Integrated Solutions Group for $70,686.95.