ARPANET Uncovered: The Network That Paved the Way for the Internet

Understanding ARPANET

ARPANET, or Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, was the first computer packet-switched network, a prototype of the Internet. This technology was initially used in 1969, and after almost ten years, it was decommissioned. The major user case of this network was connected with the research and academic needs.

Lots of protocols that were developed for this specific network are still used today.   

Key Developments Leading to ARPANET

ARPANET and other attempts at the creation of computer networks were not made by one specific company or within a specific time frame, it is a broader practice and combination of efforts of various experts. Deep research work and ideas of lots of professionals created a base for ARPANET.

Computers in the 1960s were not as machines we have today. They were more centralized and expensive, so only big corporations, governmental organizations, and research institutions could afford them. Connections between such machines were made by the dedicated links, and unfortunately, such systems were very fault-prone.

The development of this technology occurred during the period of the Cold War. That’s why militaries had clear requirements towards such technology, specifically according to the location differences or in case of a nuclear strike and removal of network portions. In addition to this, universities were also interested in the network that could offer a reliable connection for the sharing of information.

Packet communication was developed at the beginning of the 1960s by Paul Baran, who was working for the Rand Corporation. His concept was evolving over the creation of distributed adaptive message blocks, but unfortunately, this ideal was not developed at that time and stayed at the level of a concept. Packet communication wasn’t implemented by Paul Baran.

In 1962 with the creation of ARPA’s IPTO (Information Processing Technique Office) led to the development of this network and other fundamental tech innovations. The first director of this office was oriented in human-computer interaction and the possibility of making more informed decisions based on the new technologies.

After the first director, Joseph C.R. Licklider, the next person who held this position was Robert Taylor in 1966. He created the idea of ARPANET.

ARPANET: A Historical Overview

The history of ARPANET began in 1966, and several standards were created. NCP was responsible for the communication between hosts and could work with a couple of commands. As already clear, it used packet-switching for communication. Also, an interface message processor was created for the communication.

The first successful message was sent using ARPANET in October 1969. The initial attempt that was made by the student from UCLA to login to the Research Institute failed because of the computer, but later that same day, a successful connection happened.

The permanent connection between Sandford Research Institute and UCLA occurred in November of 1969. In December of the same year, 2 other universities became founding members of the network.

At the beginning of the 1970s, there was a huge spike in the growth of the network. Lots of governmental machines, as well as universities, were joined to the network. After 5 years, the network would be used for future technology development. Approximately at the same time, computers from other countries were also added to the network with the use of the satellite.

The popularity of this technology has impacted the appearance of other packet-based networks. The issue was that they could not interact because of the requirements of standardized equipment. To solve this issue, a solution came in 1977 when TCP/IP protocol was created to guarantee proper communication between various networks.

This period became a fundamental one for the building of the Internet. In 1983, NCP was replaced by TCP/IP as the technology for ARPANET. The same year, this network was divided into civilian and military usage.

In the 1980s, other networks became more popular, and because of this, the ARPANET was gradually replaced. During this period appeared lots of network providers appeared, including commercial ones, and ARPANET was closed in 1989 and decommissioned a year later.  

ARPANET’s Impact and Legacy ​

ARPANET was a major step that impacted the future of technology. Lots of technologies have been made on the basis of this network, and some of them are still used today. Specifically, we are talking about the FTP protocols, network email that was based on ARPANET, and more. Due to this network, lots of other innovations appeared, such as data encryption, password protection, and even voice communication.