In late 2007, a celebration of NSFNET was held to reflect upon the astonishing changes that the Internet has spawned over the last 20 years. Hear the introduction to "NSFNET: The Partnership That Changed the World."
The T3 NSFNET Backbone Service was a step-change for the Internet, and it represented a new operational paradigm for the NSF as the program shifted from a specific network infrastructure to a service. The combination of technological and operational “firsts” posed by the T3 NSFNET Backbone Service led to numerous unforeseen challenges and innovative solutions that accelerated the advancement of Internet technology during this formative period. A panel discusses this period of rapid change in technology, operational strategies and financial models, and the NSFNET’s path to commercialization.
The NSFNET Program was conceived as a three-level network of networks, with the national backbone connecting to roughly a dozen regional networks, in turn connecting to individual campus networks. The number and coverage of regional networks grew steadily beginning in 1986 until the entire country was served within a few years, including expansion to include smaller colleges, K-12s and for-profit organizations. The financial and technical contributions of the regional and campus networks were a key component to the success of the NSFNET. But what did all this mean for the community building NSFNET and regional networks?
The 1987 NSFNET solicitation specified implementing a nationwide T1 backbone to address the chronic congestion on the 56 kbps NSFNET and ARPANET, and to extend the new backbone’s reach to include the emerging regional networks. The T1 NSFNET backbone went online in July 1988 and immediately experienced a traffic surge with traffic increasing at the rate of 20 percent per month. This early onrush of traffic presaged the many challenges the Merit/IBM/MCI partnership team faced and dealt with to ensure a quality backbone service. The team took innovative steps in technical and organizational areas, pioneering new router technology and utilizing telephone company circuit technology in unanticipated ways.
The early Internet included military links to European allies prior to the late 1980s, and these were augmented by a few between the NSFNET and European academic networks in the late 1980s. NSF’s International Connections Management (ICM) Project, the international adjunct to the NSFNET Program, began in 1991 to connect with budding academic networks throughout the world, and by its close in 1996, ICM assisted in connecting 25 national academic networks to the U.S. academic community. The success and openness of the NSFNET provided a spark that led to the large-scale deployment of Internet technology throughout the world.
Recall the birth of the Internet, from the era of CSNET, BITNET and ARPANET, when only specific communities in computer science had limited access to networks. Follow these beginnings to the introduction of the NSFNET backbone, which represented a significant development in creating a unified and more comprehensive network infrastructure.
In 1979, the benefits of computer networks were not fully appreciated, even within the academic community. The ARPANET provided network services to a small group of researchers in academia and affiliated research laboratories. A number of community networks -- Bitnet, CSNET, UUCP and SPAN/HEPNET¬-- served a growing number of users in universities and industry who understood the value of network connectivity to their teaching and research missions. These early activities led to a proposal for a national ScienceNet and later for a network to connect researchers to supercomputer centers. Ultimately, the National Science Foundation initiated the NSFNET Program and constructed an initial 56 kbps NSFNET backbone network.
Along with the development of the telephone, the automobile and the transistor, the Internet is among a handful of world-changing advances that shaped the 20th century. Our NSFNET experience shows in hindsight that even those engaged in the development of a paradigm shift like the Internet can’t recognize or understand its eventual impact. But the formula and environment for generating such transformational innovations are clear to those who experienced one. How did a combination of vision, commitment and persistence lead to the type of innovation that NSFNET engendered? Panelists also share their perspectives about significant developments and innovations they envision for the future.
By the early 1980s, there were numerous data networking technologies. IBM’s System Network Architecture (SNA) dominated the commercial world; DECNET, from Digital Equipment Corp, was widely used in the scientific and research communities; and telephone companies and firms such as Tymnet and Telenet offered network-based computer access via X.25. Other protocols, such as MMDF, RSCS and UUCP, were used to transfer electronic mail and files. In addition, a worldwide data networking standards activity, commonly known as OSI, was supported by almost all of the world’s governments (including the U.S.) and telephone companies. Thus the TCP/IP-based Internet did not develop in a clean-slate environment. The competition was intense, but by the early 1990s it was clear that TCP/IP, as implemented in the NSFNET, had become the dominant form of internetworking. A panel reviews the earlier standards, explore why the TCP/IP-based Internet succeeded while the others did not, and highlight the role of the NSFNET in this process.
In the second part of this two-part program about the birth of the Internet, learn more about the development of NSFNET. The National Science Foundation spearheaded the project with the national supercomputer centers and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and continued over time with a partnership team including Merit Network, Inc., IBM, MCI, Advanced Network &Services, Inc. and the State of Michigan; regional networks; and many institutions in research and education.
The National Science Foundation began its networking program in the early 1980s in response to the research community’s demand for greater access to advanced computational resources, specialized equipment and databases, as well as better communication among researchers. While access to supercomputers dominated the early discussions and planning, by 1987 the NSFNET Program was clearly charged with serving the entire U.S. academic research community. How has the network impacted research today, including changes in how research is done in different disciplines, areas where expected changes have not happened and future developments that are needed to further improve research in the U.S.?
On June 15, 1987, NSF issued a solicitation for the purpose of providing a T1 backbone network to connect the supercomputer centers and the mid-level networks of colleges and universities, upgrading and replacing the original 56 kbps network. The solicitation called for a cooperative agreement to run for five years with provision for the initial network to be modified as required. Proposals were received and the decision to select the proposal from Merit Network was announced in late November. Merit, representing universities in Michigan, had two corporate partners, IBM and MCI, and support from the Strategic Fund of the State of Michigan. This partnership went “live” with the network seven months later.
How has the creation of the Internet impacted teaching and learning? Consider the radical changes in data collection, information access and collaboration facilitated by the Internet.
