History of the InternetJohn Ryan B. Lorca Instructor I 1 1960’s • US Department of Defense began an experiment to help scientists and researchers from widely dispersed areas to work together by sharing scarce and expensive computers and their files • The goal required the creation of a set of connected networks that would act as a coordinated whole 2 Cold War • The even generated interest in a “bombproof” network • That is – if a part of the network were destroyed, data would still travel toward its destination with help from the surviving parts 3 1969 • The Department of Defense created ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agenct Network) to address the dilemma of how computer networks dispersed over a large area are still ensured proper connections even with major breaks in data lines • The ARPANET began with only four (4) computers 4 ARPANET Principles • Communication should occur directly between two computers • There must be several routes of communication between computers • Computers on the network (instead of the network itself) would be responsible for knowing where to send data and then transmitting over whatever route is available • Computers on the network would use the same rules, or protocols, when talking to each other (Host-to-Host Protocol) 5 1972 • Research began to develop a new protocol that resulted to TCP/IP • By early 80’s TCP/IP became the protocol of the ARPANET 6 OTHER PROTOCOLS • Other networks started appearing in the late 70’s and early 80’s: UUCP – a network of Unix-based computers USENET – User’s Network CSNET – Computer Science Network BITNET MILNET – a DoD offshoot of ARPANET; the two networks were collectively called DARPANET (or the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency Network), now known to be the Internet 7 Late 80’s • The National Science Foundation created NSFNET (red tape prevented NSF from using the Internet) to link its five supercomputers so their resource could be easily shared • NSFNET used the same TCP/IP employed by the Internet, and relied on a series of regional networks to connect the supercomputers 8 1989 • English computer scientist Timothy BernersLee introduced the World Wide Web (WWW) • He initially designed the WWW to aid communications between physicists working in different parts of the world for the European Laboratory for particle physics • As it grew, it revolutionized the uses of Internet 9 1990 • Academic communities began using the Internet due in large part to the scientific communities with the ability of the WWW revolutionized the uses of Internet 10 1990 • The NSFNET connected supercomputer sites around the United States • It also connected computers at research sites and schools that were near the supercomputers. • Within 2 years, NSFNET had totally replaced ARPANET 11 Further Developments • US Senator Al Gore proposed widening the architecture of NSFNET to include more academic institutions • NSFNET was renamed NREN (National Research and Educational Network) • The bill also allowed businesses to purchase part of the network for commercial uses • 1992 – restrictions were lessened on commercial sites, thus the Internet began the incredible growth spurt that made it a household name 12