Internet2 PKI Labs RFP
FAQ
v1.0
1. Why is Internet2 issuing this solicitation?
In order to support the deployment of the advanced applications that are the goals of Internet2, there is a pressing need to have an underlying security fabric. Deploying that security infrastructure is as much a research issue as an implementation issue; there is much that is not understood about how real world factors such as performance and human nature will affect deployment strategies. We are looking for partners in the academic community, including computer science, engineering and business departments, to conduct the necessary investigations and analysis required for the deployment of a national PKI infrastructure for higher education and research.
What is the nature of the initial award?
AT&T recognizes the critical importance of an interoperable security infrastructure and is interested in accelerating its development. AT&T has agreed to provide servers and system software to establish sufficient computing resources to support the research. They will provide cash for graduate students, limited faculty release time and travel to relevant meetings. In addition, AT&T will provide software developed internally to support PKI service offerings in the commercial sector. The awards also include the partnership with the research advisory board described below.
3. What does the AT&T software do?
The software, called COIPP, provides a uniform management interface that can be used with a large number of commercial CA software systems. It provides hooks to build internal infrastructures, such as bridge management tools, to support interoperability and performance enhancements among CA’s. While it is likely that the labs will find the software of great benefit to their research programs, it is not required that the software be used in the research.
4. What are the criteria that will be used to evaluate responses?
We are looking for proven expertise in areas related to the deployment efforts, such as human engineering, software design, directories, security, policy languages, etc. We are particularly interested in responses to the draft research agenda, though other research themes are also welcome. Given the relatively limited funding in this initial award, we are also interested in the existing resources and research programs that a respondent currently has. Lastly, we would like the Labs to have close working relationships with the campus computing organizations that will be implementing the security infrastructure for Internet2 members.
How should responses be submitted?
Response should be sent to pkilabrfp@internet2.edu. Responses should be concise, indicate research plans, address the above criteria, be limited to three pages, and include URL’s that reference supporting materials.
6. What kind of research possibilities are envisioned that Internet2 can uniquely provide?
Higher education has traditionally served as the premier vehicle for testing scaling issues in networking, and similar opportunities exist with PKI. For example, there are considerable concerns about performance in constructing trust paths. By placing monitoring software at keys spots within and between campuses, experiments and tests can be set up to provide metrics and evaluate alternatives for improving performance. A second example involves the complex sharing between campuses of authorizations to intellectual and physical resources. These environments provide fertile ground for testing user and technical scalability issues.
7. Who is on the PKI Labs research advisory board?
The advisory board consists of national leaders involved in deploying PKI in corporate, government and public sectors. It includes principles in the federal PKI Technical Working group, technical experts from major commercial deployment arenas, and researchers from Federal and academic networking research centers. It also includes leaders in the Internet2 Middleware Initiative, representing campus IT architects who are instrumental in the higher ed deployment of PKI.
What will be the mode for interactions between the labs and the research board?
This is, of course, a new partnership model and we intend to be innovative and flexible in building this relationship. Advisory board members have already participated in the formation of the draft research agenda that accompanies this RFP. We envision periodic discussion of research requirements generated by leading PKI deployment activities, reviews of specific research plans generated by the labs, and facilitation of corporate – academic communications about areas of mutual interest. Other activities, such as seminars, workshops, and publications, will be considered as appropriate.