HISTORY OF INTERNET
·
The Internet is a worldwide, publicly
accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by
packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP).
·
It is
a "network of networks"
that consists of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business, and
government networks, which together carry various information and services,
such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and the interlinked web
pages and other resources of the World Wide Web (WWW).
·
It is
a global network connecting millions of computers. More than 1000
countries are linked into exchanges of data, news and opinions. Unlike online
services, which are centrally controlled, the Internet is decentralized by design.
Each Internet computer, called a host, is independent. Its operators can
choose which Internet services to use and local services to make available to
the global Internet community.
- It is also a world wide connection of computer to share information
- Historical Background of the Internet
·
The
USSR's launch of Sputnik spurred the United States to create the Advanced
Research Projects Agency, known as ARPA,
in February 1958 to regain a technological lead.
·
The
sputnik was a series of robotic spacecraft missions launched by the Soviet
Union.
·
The
first of these, Sputnik 1, launched the first man-made object to orbit
the Earth. That launch took place on October 4, 1957 as part of the
International Geophysical Year and demonstrated the viability of using
artificial satellites to explore the upper atmosphere.
·
The
surprise launch of Sputnik 1, coupled with the spectacular failure of
the United States' first two Project Vanguard launch attempts, shocked the
United States, which responded with a number of early satellite launches,
including Explorer 1, Project SCORE, and Courier 1B. The Sputnik crisis also
led to the creation of the Advanced Research Projects Agency (renamed the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in 1972): DARPA, and NASA, and an
increase in U.S. government spending on scientific research and education.
·
In
1969, ARPA, a part of the Department of Defense (DOD), awarded a contract to the firm of Bolt
Beranek and Newman (BBN) to construct a computer network. The network was
used to link researchers at universities with defense contractors, researchers,
scientists and military contractors so that they can share information and
resources. This network was called the ARPANET.
·
Between
1969 and 1983, minicomputers, mainframes and super computers made up the
networks. This network had file transfer capabilities, electronic mail and
mailing list services.
·
In
1973, Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA) was changed to the Defense
Advanced Research Agency (DARPA) and the resulting network to DARPANET.
·
An
important task for this newly named agency was to begin a project called “the interneting project”, which would
start the process of linking different networks together.
·
The
principal goals of the interneting project were to:
Move from circuit switching (ARPA) to Packet switching network (DARPA)
Link these packet switching networks together
Overcome network specific protocols
Study ways to pass traffic from one network to another
Establish Internet protocols and standards
·
Previous
networking efforts used circuit switching which required two computers to be
continuously connected in order to form a network. It was like having a rail
track on which a single train could travel.
·
The
packet switching system allows the creation of a data highway that could handle
large amount of data including voice, text, video, etc. Each data packet was
given the computer equivalent of a map and time stamp so that it would be sent
to the right destination and the reviewer would know when the message started.
At its destination the message would be reassembled from the packet parts so
either machine or human could read it.
