Anyone could have developed the approach,
but they didn’t.
Government officials could have developed an architecture and strategy to connect government and commercial enterprises, but they didn’t. Adoption of a successful platform was a far easier path. Once the Information Network open any to any shared data network concept was delivered and sold to the business community, it was easy for all others to embrace.
Prior to the IBM Information Network OPEN architecture which established a protocol of any enterprise to any other enterprise (“any to any”) model architecture and strategy, all other networks were isolated to individual companies or to selected user communities. There were millions of users and applications on thousands of networks using one of a few different communication technologies. IBM SNA was in use by about 80% of the world. Gateways were implemented to enable the interconnection of other than SNA networks.
In other words, there were multiple mini intranet connections siloed to their specific network that did not cross over to other networks.
Electronic Highway
The IBM Information Network architecture defined a shared data network that is similar to the shared voice network or a shared electronic highway. Companies or people did not build separate voice networks, but companies and user communities built isolated data networks. Each data network was for a specific company or specific set of users. The Information Network changed the paradigm from building your own network to using a shared data network.
From 1985 Network Services Marketing Guide
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
This radically new strategy provided increased productivity and reduced cost for all the participating businesses. An IBM motivator was the productivity and customer satisfaction associated with faster more reliable problem determination and software fix delivery.
Prior to the IBM IN shared data network, Systems Engineers and Software Support people would drive to the customer location to do problem determination. Then drive to the branch office to find a software fix. Then load it on tape and drive back to the customer location to install the tape. IBM had begun limited dial up electronic software problem determination and software delivery on some of the newest systems. Through IBM IN, software support was headed toward full electronic delivery. In addition, customers were given access from their internal network to IBM support systems.
A New Government Network
In the late 1980s the National Science Foundation contracted for a new government network to be created, to replace the existing government research network. The new network had the same fair use rules that specifically limited use to Government, Academic, and Research but the IBM IN open architecture was informally included. The new government network still officially excluded any business or social networking for which the Internet is known. Today’s Internet is best known for the IBM Electronic Customer Support Architecture and Strategy business model that by design initiated and accelerated network convergence to enable “any to any” electronic communication.
What Is The Internet (And What Makes It Work) – December 1999
By Robert E. Kahn and Vinton G. Cerf
In that article they wrote: “For a long time, the federal government did not allow organizations to connect to the Internet to carry out commercial activities. By 1988, it was becoming apparent, however, that the Internet’s growth and use in the business sector might be seriously inhibited by this restriction.”
http://www.cnri.reston.va.us/what_is_internet.html
The IBM Information Network business model became the Internet business model in 1988. Obviously. Since Internet and IP could not be used for business, IP was more than seriously inhibited. It could NOT compete or merge with the much older and larger business sector activity. In other words, the existence of the closed research internet and the underlying technology was on a path to extinction unless it adopted the commercial Business Model that did not depend on a single underlying technology. It took congregational legislation to allow the government Internet to adopt the open commercial business model.
Once the shared data networks were in place, the process of converting them to IP is analogous to step 1 and step 2 of the IBM IN Architecture and Strategy. Consider step 1 being IBM IN selling the concept and connecting the business world while step 2 is converting to IP. Once the cost benefit work had been done in step 1 by IBM IN, the fee to convert to IP was very low.
Definition of the Internet
From the Internet Society web site:
“On October 24, 1995, the FNC unanimously passed a resolution defining the term Internet. This definition was developed in consultation with members of the internet and intellectual property rights communities. RESOLUTION: The Federal Networking Council (FNC) agrees that the following language reflects our definition of the term “Internet”. “Internet” refers to the global information system that — (i) is logically linked together by a globally unique address space based on the Internet Protocol (IP) or its subsequent extensions/follow-ons; (ii) is able to support communications using the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite or its subsequent extensions/follow-ons, and/or other IP-compatible protocols; and (iii) provides, uses or makes accessible, either publicly or privately, high level services layered on the communications and related infrastructure described herein.”
In short, the Internet used IP at the time but IP is not required.
“The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) was established by Executive Order on Nov. 23, 1993. This Cabinet-level council is the principal means for the President to coordinate science and technology across the diverse parts of the Federal research and development enterprise.”
https://search.usa.gov/search?query=Internet&affiliate=nsf&search=
https://www.nitrd.gov/nitrdgroups/index.php?title=Large_Scale_Networking
The definition of the internet is not tied to a protocol. It is tied to open multipurpose shared network connectivity to permit any to any electronic communication when authorized. Before the commercial services providers adopted the IP, they used gateways to bridge or interconnect networks with different computer languages. In the future it could be a different computer language to interconnect networks.
What Is The Internet?
It is commercial interconnected shared data networks based on a business model that has two main architectural design principles:
> Anything that can be recorded electronically can be delivered electronically, and
> Any user on any network can communicate with any other user on any other network when authorized.
The user community depends on the two business model principles to be met by the commercial service providers regardless of the underlying delivery technology.
The Shared data network and two business model principles come from the IBM Information Network Architecture and Strategy business model.
IBM IN significant historical events documented
Supporting published documentation:
IBM Information Services, Information Network:
> Network News Vol 5 No. 1 January/February 1987
> Network News Vol 5 No. 2 March/April 1987
> Network News Vol 6 No. 3 May/June 1988
IBM Information Network:
> Network Services Brochure G534-2208-0 (author Don Sprague)
> Network Services Marketing Guide ZZ34-2240-1 (author Don Sprague)
> Availability Notice – INFOExpress and ASKINFO – Number 85-04 November 5, 1985
> ISG Marketing News February 1987 – Remote Screen Viewing Support Facility
> Perspectives in Computing – BITNET connected to IBM IN – Vol 8, no.1 Spring 1988
> IBM Mail Exchange Migration 1989 (author Don Sprague)
> Computer Shorthand Invention Disclosure (author Don Sprague)
> Intelligent Workstation Requirements (author Don Sprague)
> Smart Phone Initial Proposal email (author Don Sprague)
The First Shared Data Network
Shared Data Network – the beginning.
From 1985 Marketing Guide:
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
The IBM IN activity was visible in the networking world. Eventually, all other public and private use networks had to adjust their business plans to coincide with the IBM IN architecture and strategy. The Internet business model of today is the same as specified in the IBM IN Architecture and Strategy.
BITNET connected to IBM IN in spring 1988:
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
The Shared data network concept had to be sold. A company could build a network to connect to their business partners or they could connect to a shared data network to connect to their business partners.
Today, the chart would say Streamline management with the Internet instead of the IBM Information Network.
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
To connect the HUB company, IBM became the IBM Information Network’s most important customer.
Network News 1987
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
IBM InfoExpress
1985 IBM InfoExpress was a formal IBM Electronic Customer Support activity. It was the first method for a company to allow any of its customers to access product information online. It was part of the overall strategy to get all networks interconnected to the hub company then do “any to any” networking.
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
Customer support improvements.
Remote Screen Viewing Support Facility.
1986/1987 Remote takeover of computer.
In 1986 IBM delivered Cooperative Viewing Support Facility (Cview) which was the first dial up tool that allowed remote takeover of a computer. In 1987, the IBM Information Network adapted Cview to deliver Remote Screen Viewing Support Facility which was the first lease line tool to allow remote screen viewing of a computer.
IBM Cooperative Viewing Support Facility was installed on the IBM Information Network.
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
Quantum Leap 1987-1988
Quantum Leap was a marketing program the Chairman of IBM funded in 1987 to accelerate the growth of IBM IN networking activity. It is included in Network News vol 5 No. 5 Sept/Oct 1987. The goal was to add 900 additional customer host/networks in 6 months. It ended with about three times the target number of connections. The program required significant development and operation enhancements to accommodate the task.
The success and popularity of this program was very well known in the networking world. It was during this program that the government networking people were addressing their network approach. About the time the Quantum Leap Program was ending, the United States government officially documented that they recognized their networking activity could not compete with the commercial business model. That is the year they adopted the IBM IN open commercial business model.
A few months before quantum leap was initiated by the Chairman, I received a call from a person in corporate I believe was named Clem Galliard. He said there was interest on the highest-level pertaining to the IBM IN Architecture and Strategy. It had been included in a 1987 Internal publication about all of IBM’s internal networks. I sent a package to him that was about one inch thick. Among many other things, it included a chart with historical and my projected host connections and users. A few months later he returned the material. Shortly thereafter, the Quantum Leap program was approved.
1988, Nationwide Commercial Driver License tracking network
Spring of 1988 the first four states were interconnected to begin tracking commercial driver licenses. Eventually all 50 states were tracking commercial driver licenses through their connection to the IBM Information Network.
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
International
Going Global
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
Requirement for a Total Personal system requirement a.k.a. smart cell phone 1996
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“