∂20-FEB-75  1551		network site RAND
 To: ARPA/IPTO Principal Investigators           20 February 1975
 
 From:  Peter Weiner  (WEINER @ RAND-RCC)
 
 Subject: Request for Information
 
 Copies: F. Corbato, J. Markowitz, J. McCarthy, M. Pirtle,
         T. Stockham, I. Sutherland, B. Woods
 
 --------
 
 I and the others listed above have been asked by Lick and
 Craig to constitute a Working Group whose purpose is to
 propose to ARPA/IPTO Policies for Computing Resource Procurement.
 
 I am writing to each ARPA/IPTO Principal Investigator to
 request information and opinions to help us in this task.
 It would be most helpful if you could send a reply by 10 March.
 
 With regard to the present state of affairs:
 
         1.  How are your computing requirements now satisfied?
             That is, what machines, systems, languages, etc.
             are being used currently?  In what amounts? (E.g.,
             1/3 of the KA10 machine at ISI running TENEX and
             two dedicated PDP-11s for speech processing.)
 
         2b. How is ARPA financing your computing?  (I.e.,
             dollars for computing in budget, gov't furnished
             computer, etc.)
 
         2b. How do you allocate computing resources within
             your project?  (Do you limit only who can use the
             resources?  limit when or how much it is used?
             use explicit accounting controls?)
 
         3.  Are adaquate computing resources provided?  If not,
             in what ways are present arrangements limiting
             ongoing research?
 
         4.  What use do you make of the ARPANET?  Can you give
             examples other than simply the delivery of computing
             power of how the ARPANET has furthered collaboration
             or enhanced research capabilities?
 
         5.  Can you provide examples of the use of unique
             resources accessed through the ARPANET that
             were critical to the conduct of your research?
 
 
 With regard to the future:
 
         6.  How dependent are you on particular machines or
             systems?  If new resources are provided on equipment
             or systems different than presently used, what
             re-programming costs or time loss would result?
 
         7.  Please estimate how your computing requirements are
             likely to grow over the next five to ten years.
 
         8a. If these requirements cannot be met entirely
             through the network, please indicate what local
             facilities would be required and why.
 
         8b. If these requirements cannot be met cost-effectively
             through local facilities, please indicate what
             network services are required and why.
 
         9.  Do you forsee a need for ARPA to sponsor the
             design and construction of specialized hardware,
             such as a machine with huge primary memory tuned
             to running large lisp programs?
 
         10. Do you forsee a need for ARPA to sponsor the
             development of new supporting software, such as
             a network operating system, cross compilers
             for minicomputers, etc.?
 
 In general:
 
         11. What kind of flexibility do you need in selecting
             the supplier of computing service?
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