Networking (Internet) major milestones from 1949 to 1996
Addressing the traditionally overlooked Commercial path and Government path that lead to the current internet format.
1949
SAGE research and development. The world’s first computer network was developed in the IBM research labs to do work on the SAGE project.
SAGE:
The world’s first production computer network, initiated in 1949, was SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment). The national air defense system was implemented by the United States to warn of and intercept airborne attacks during the Cold War. The SAGE collaborative produced an array of inventions in data processing and communications hardware that was used across a new distributed system of real-time information, now known as a network. When fully deployed in 1963, SAGE operated across 27 locations via modems and 25,000 telephone lines (using digital-analog and analog-digital conversions). The system displayed interactive computer graphics, often executed by a light gun aimed at a screen. (From IBM 100 website)
See IBM 100 http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/sage/
http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/sage/
SABRE
– SABRE (Semi-Automatic Business Research Environment) initiated in 1953 is a central reservation system. Originally a part of American Airlines, it pioneered online business transactions. For the first time, computers were connected together through a network that allowed people around the world to enter data, process requests for information and conduct business. (From IBM 100 website)
See IBM 100 https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/sabre/
The First Online Order Reservation System got its start a result of a discussion between an IBM Salesman and the president of American Airlines. The Sabre reservation system was built in 1960, with lessons learned from IBM’s project to build the SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) air defense computer system. By the end of 1964, the two interconnected computers and thousands of terminals were handling 7500 reservations per hour. Sabre was a closed “some to some” network. This innovation is on the main path between telegraph and today.
IBM VNET
VNET is an acronym for Virtual Network. Officially it began in 1970. Anecdotally, it was an informal improvised network formed to accommodate engineer needs. Engineers at different IBM locations wanted to share information with engineers at other IBM locations. Thus, it virtually began as part of SAGE research and development. When SAGE was delivered to the government, IBM continued to use the internal network for additional research. More IBM labs doing research connected to the common internal network. It was an informal process thus the name VNET. That IBM internal research network had the world’s first file transfer or email. The research network continued and became IBM’s Vnet.
By 1978, IBM deployed over 33 internal closed networks for various internal support activities. Online Education first happened in the late 1960 when IBM implemented an internal online education network. First electronic software support used dial up to perform diagnosis and software fix downloads in the late 1970’s. The IBM Information Network became the first open “any to any” network in 1983. It was the first leased line software support.
First portable computer
Few people know that IBM deployed the world’s first portable computers in mid-1970. One was a mainframe in a box. One was an early version of a device like the cell phone of today. The mainframe in a box was about 10 inches by 2 feet by 2 feet. It was literally a mainframe in a box that IBM service people used to do networking diagnostics. I, Don Sprague, for example, used one. The early version of a device like a cell phone was about 1.5 inches by 4 inches by 10 inches. IBM computer repairmen used the handheld wireless computer to record service reports, order parts and do other online activity using the telephone company text networks. It replaced the paper service reports and pager service call dispatch. This came after I, Don Sprague transferred to the WDC Education Center.
THOUSANDS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE NETWORKS
Between the 1960s and the 1990s, Thousands of public and private networks were implemented. There were protocol standards, but IBM’s SNA was used by over 80% of the public and private networks until IP was made available for general use in 1996.
All of this happened long before the government adoption of the commercial Business model for it’s Internet.
Those networks could not be hacked until 1983 when remote control was designed into computer-to-computer connections.
BITNET
In 1981 BITNET (Because It is Time) was established. It was modeled after IBM’s VNET. While BITNET had fair use rules like ARPANET, it was not closed to military or research. It was for widespread education and research communication with a wide audience. In a very short time it had all state governments and most, if not all, higher education facilities connected at several locations. It had thousands of connections when it converted to the Internet Protocol.
“in 1981 Ira Fuchs and Greydon Freeman devised BITNET, which linked academic mainframe computers in an “email as card images” paradigm.
With the exception of BITNET and USENET, these early networks (including ARPANET) were purpose-built – i.e., they were intended for, and largely restricted to, closed communities of scholars; there was hence little pressure for the individual networks to be compatible and, indeed, they largely were not.
From Internet society site
The Government Path to the Internet seems to be a better name for the Internet Society Brief posting. It does not tell of the vast prior and concurrent commercial path activity.
1962 ARPANET
In 1962 the US Air Force initiated ARPA. It was a defense and military project that provided the technical requirements for a very closed military research network. In 1966, Lawrence G. Roberts went to Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to put together his plan for the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) to interconnect large research computers. This requirement was for a closed purpose-built network for use by government, research and academic collaboration. It had fair use rules and was legally closed to a limited user community.
In 1968 ARPA awarded a contract to BBN to build the ARPANET. In 1969 the ARPANET physical network linked four nodes. The team described the first logon attempt between ARPANET computers which successfully completed the L O transmission before it failed. It began as a very closed restricted military network. This is work that followed other earlier networking activity, so it is on a side path between telegraph and today.
1963: The American Standard Code for Information Interchange was defined.
ASCII is the standard code used for information interchange and for online communication protocols including IP. This first standards development activity is on the main path between telegraph and today.
1974 IBM SNA
In 1964 IBM announced the IBM 360. In 1974 it announced SNA (System Network Architecture). After its implementation online networking became viable on a very large scale. All major companies and government agencies implemented private closed online networks used by millions of people. SNA was a language for orderly interconnections between terminals and computers as well as between networks. Thousands of companies and various levels of government were using SNA or other providers communication protocols as well as standards developed languages. SNA was the de facto standard because is was used for approximately 80% of all online network activity.
1979 CompuServe
Announced in 1979, CompuServe became the first major commercial online service provider in the USA. It was a Value-Added Network (VAN) service provider through the 1980s and was ultimately purchased by AOL.
Minitel Videotex
In 1982, Minitel Videotex online service was announced in France. Users could make online purchases and perform various online activities including chat. It converted to the Internet Protocol and became an ISP. It is still a large successful ISP that predated the US government’s NSF Internet contract by 3 years. It predates the ISP Internet by 13 years.
1982 IBM Information Network
IN 1982, the IBM Information Network was announced. Initially. it provided Remote Computing Services and Value-Added Network Services. In 1983, it adopted the business model known as the Electronic Customer Support Architecture and Strategy. The 1985 IBM Information Network Marketing guide delivered the Business Model. When IBM first introduced the concept of interconnecting all network on a shared data network, the idea had to be sold. Thus, the need for a marketing guide. The basis for the marketing activity was to help customers understand that they did not need to build a network for themselves to communicate with business partners. Instead, anything that could be recorded electronically could be delivered electronically over a shared data Network.
TELNET
Hacking capability designed into ARPANET.
Telnet, first proposed in 1971 and first used in 1983 on the ARPANET, enabled a user on one computer to access and operate another computer. Thus, it was the beginning of hacking capability being designed into networks. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Telnet
ChrismaExec
1987 Christma exec The Christma exec was the first cyber-attack. It was a simple program that displayed a Christmas tree to the user while it read the list of received from and sent to addresses in the computer. It then sent a copy of the exec to all the addresses it found. You could call it a form of Artificial Intelligence of that time. The Christma exec spread through the world hitting all networks. At IBM IN, we tracked the unusual spike in traffic, so we shut down the file transfer and blocked the activity. IBM IN hosted a task force consisting of some of IBM’s top systems security people to address the worldwide problem. Since Don Sprague had responsibility for IBM IN Inter-Enterprise Security, he hosted the task force. The source was identified, and the problem was eliminated. It seems that some social networking companies adopted the process of sending email to all addresses in a computer to do push marketing.
1985 IBM InfoExpress
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 so that communication could be streamlined. Internally the goal was to move away from 33 isolated networks to a shared network platform. Ultimately the goal was to move away from a one to many network to an any to any shared network.
1986/1977 Remote takeover of computer
In 1986 IBM delivered Cooperative Viewing Support Facility which was the first dial up tool to allow remote takeover of a computer. In 1987, the IBM Information Network delivered Remote Screen Viewing Support Facility which was the first lease line tool to allow remote takeover of a computer. IBM Cooperative Viewing Support Facility was installed on the IBM Information Network.
1988, Nationwide Commercial Driver License tracking network
In 1988, the spring of 1988, the first four states were inter-connected to begin tracking commercial driver licenses. Eventually all 50 states were tracking commercial driver licenses through their connection to the IBM Information Network.
1988 Operating Network Invention Disclosure
Author Don Sprague
The operating network invention disclosure described an intelligent network that allowed any point to be an origination point, intermediate point or a destination point. Throughout the network, the components would share information about other locations. It could be referred to as an example of Artificial Intelligence of the time. The address schema was similar to the phone company address schema in that it had levels that were separated with a “-“. For example, an address might be abcde-wxyz-12345. The intent was to allow a virtually unlimited address capability. The Internet uses a “.” between address components instead of the “-” as defined in the Invention Disclosure. The purpose of that address schema was to eliminate the potential problems with other transmission protocols limited address schemas. The overall invention disclosure intent was to have a flat structure without any hierarchy and one that allowed any point to be a server, router or client. The invention disclosure alluded to the natural extension of the system throughout the network resulting in the elimination of distinction between system and network. Since the Invention disclosure was rated publish not patent, it became public domain which made it available for use by anybody without tracking.
1988 Computer Shorthand Invention Disclosure
Author Don Sprague
Computer shorthand is the use of each bit to represent a complete word or meaning. One bit can represent a full screen or a name to be inserted in a field in a full screen. For example, a human recognized word or string of words is used to represent a computer or bit address. This invention disclosure was rated publish not patent which made it public.
1988 government funded IP and Internet Backbone
NSF awarded a contract to IBM, MCI and Merrit system to develop and build a new IP for a new network that was to be called the Internet. Officially it was another closed network that was to be used for government, academic, and research only. The fair use rules specifically excluded any form of business use. The project received assistance from Al Gore who helped get funding for new IP and new network. The term internet can be applied generically to refer to any online activity since the first SAGE online activity to today. Thus, the naming of a network “Internet’ is a side path activity between telegraph and today.
The typical Internet history documentation goes into great detail about the technology evolution from an idea in 1961 to today. One government document acknowledges the need to change the business model by 1988 to address the commercial Business Model success. Thus, the government Internet path advocates know about the forest of computer networking Business Models and technology on the commercial path to the Internet. To the detriment of historical accuracy and security, defined in the commercial Business Model, they just seem to conveniently overlook the big picture and the contributors of those successes.
For the first about 26 years, the government had a closed “some to some” Business Model delivered through internally built technology. Then in 1988, it adopted the open “any to any when authorized” commercial Business Model and hired outside contractors to deliver new technology.
After 26 years of slow growth, it took less than 7 years and $7 Billion for outside contractors to deliver the new technology based on the commercial Business Model. A new Yin and Yang business model and technology approach resulted in rapid success and the end of the technology competition.
The first computer network began years before the 1961 idea declared as the beginning of the Internet. The open “any to any when authorized” Business Model was in place years before the Government adopted it for their business model. The “any to any” portion of the commercial Business Model is what the Internet is known for but the “when authorized” security portion of the commercial Business Model is still not up to the standards of the services delivered before converting to the Internet technology. With a little work, the security portion of the Business Model could be delivered.
1996 Internet
By 1996, all the existing networks with hundreds of millions of users had switched from other protocols to IP. The commercial Value-Added Networks that had been providing services using other protocols became ISPs, thus providing the commercial IP backbone. Before IP, the commercial generic internet was providing online generic internet services. After switching to IP, the commercial service providers continued to deliver online services.
This is when various paths merge to one point like a trunk of a tree with many roots then they fanout like the branches of a tree. The Commercial switch to IP resulted in massive spikes on Internet connections. It was not due to new activity. It was simply a reflection of the large influx of conversions from one protocol to another.
The end of the Fair Use rules
The Internet begins its journey to become mainstream.
In an article called What Is The Internet (And What Makes It Work) – December, 1999 By Robert E. Kahn and Vinton G. Cerf; they write:
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.htm
In 1988, it was accepted that the ARPANET was not competitive with the existing commercial online networks and that the pre 1988 communication protocol was not adequate. With the help of Al Gore, funding was made available to hire companies to develop a new Internet Protocol and to address the legal restriction preventing business on networks using the new network. Due to the Internet Fair Use Rules, the closed user community was limited to government, academic and research. Business could not be conducted, and general public users could not officially use the government funded Internet until the mid-1990’s. The fair use rules legally remained as long as the “internet backbone” was federal government funded. When the commercial services providers began delivering the backbone to the internet, the fair use rules did not apply.
According to the definition, the Internet is not limited to the Internet Protocol. Any protocol can be used to carry data on the Interconnected networks. Early versions of the government “internet” did not use the Internet Protocol. If or when another protocol is developed, the generic term Internet can still apply.
Today, the Internet is a commercial service providing an Interconnection of Networks using the Internet protocol to carry data and allowing any user on any network to communicate with any user or application on any other attached network with or without authorization.
Base building evolution 1949 to 1984
Between 1949 and 1984, throughout the world, hundreds of thousands of isolated networks were created and used by tens of millions of users. By design, each network was created for closed user communities. If a user wanted to access more than one network, they had to sign up to get access to other networks. By 1984, most large and intermediate size companies and government agencies had internal networks (intranets) and office systems for internal electronic mail.
Structured rapid business to business expansion – 1984 to 1995
After the global “any to any” business model was put in place in 1984, it became well known in the networking world. In just a few years, it became imperative for business and government enterprises to develop their own electronic business model, based off the original. By 1998, most government and corporate enterprises were connected to one of the open commercial Value-Added Networks and were engaged in electronic business to business communication. The individual public user connections were beginning as services like AOL that simplified the user experience. Business to individual consumer was beginning to emerge.
Protocol conversion 1995 to1996
Existing network services providers made the transition from other protocols to IP and they became known of as Internet Services Providers. The existing commercial service provider backbone changed from other protocols to use IP. The fair use rules did not apply to any of the commercial backbone services. As the existing millions of users on thousands of networks were interconnected to the new Internet, they were counted as new users despite having previously been doing network activity for years.
Public user and natural growth 1996 to today
New host service providers emerged to exploit the global any to any network opportunities. A low-cost wide array of network services became available to attract individual users. Businesses added applications to allow individual public users to do business. Online shopping and online banking became the new normal as companies worked to capture the ready-made customer base that was eager to use new capabilities.
That meant new service opportunities were to be created. The philosophy of “anything that can be recorded electronically can be delivered electronically” had begun to be realized. Social networking sites emerged. Internal electronic messaging and internal offices systems became open “any to any” email. The people at work wanted to forget computers at home but they still liked the email capability idea for use with friends and family. So, they helped stimulate other individual users to sign up for email and other online services.
Today the cloud has basically reached a maturity phase. It was time for a new or expanded architecture.
Other significant commercial networking activity before the government adopted the commercial business.
Systems Network Problem determination training:
Through the 1970s, thousands of public and private networks were implemented. With the growth in the number of networks, the demand for people to do systems network problem determination grew rapidly.
The IBM WDC education center had been conducting a 16-day Systems Network Problem Determination specialist class for years; training hundreds of specialists. Since there we so many networks, there was great demand for additional training. Don Sprague initiated a project with a skill analysis which resulted in a three-phase set of classes. The were classes for beginners, intermediate and specialist Systems Network Problem Determination. The initial class was a 3-day lab-based class. There was a 6-day intermediate lecture lab class and a 6-day specialist class. There was a 6-day specialists class.
Under the new class structure. In 1977, the WDC IBM education center taught 1,100 hardware and software support people how to do system network problem determination.
Communication Network Concepts class – author Don Sprague “Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
Data Center Communication Network Systems Network Problem determination class Co-author Don Sprague “Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
Data Center relocation workshop
As Systems and Networks grew, there was a need to expand or relocate data center operations. At the IBM WDC Systems Center, a Data Center Relocation workshop was created. Workshops were conducted for hundreds of commercial and government enterprises.
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
System Network Control Center
As thousands of enterprises grew their networks, they needed help managing their operations. The IBM WDC Systems Center developed material to train commercial and government enterprises along with regional and branch people in the art of Problem and Change Systems Management. A Systems Network Control Center Workshop was developed by Don Sprague with an executive module in addition to workshop modules. The synergism between Problem and Change Management workshops along with the SNCC was obvious so they became companion workshops. The material was used to assist hundreds of commercial and government enterprises. A special session was conducted to train more than 700 region and branch specialists in the art of SNCC development along with Problem and Change Management. All of this happened long before the government adoption of the commercial Business model for its Internet.
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
“Reprint Courtesy of IBM Corporation ©“
No need to worry about AI taking over the world.
Robots do not and will not have human strength and frailties like being greedy, lazy, ambitious, jealous, dishonest or competitive. They will calculate and make decisions based on empirical data instead of an emotional driven preferred outcome defined by a programmer. They are not self-starters but work as directed. They remember obscene volumes of data and process the information rapidly which gives them a high IQ potential.
Today we have computer aided activity, often referred to as AI, that is simply programmers using computers to do things. Robots need a designer and an educator to develop them and teach them how to apply their potential. There is only one true example of AI to date, the IBM computer that invented a new chess move to beat the current human champion. The IBM computer thought of a new chess move sequence instead of mimicking existing chess moves.