How the Internet Began (1969–1983) with Vint Cerf and Leonard Kleinrock

Summary

In the mid-1960s, the US Department of Defense initiated the first Internet node at UCLA, followed by a second at Stanford Research Institute. The first message, 'login', crashed after 'lo' due to network issues. The script explains the early challenges of data transmission, comparing it to sending postcards with no guarantee of order or delivery. It highlights the milestone of interconnecting three networks in 1977 and the transition to TCP/IP protocols in 1983, marking the birth of the modern Internet.

Takeaways

• 🚀 The first node of the Internet was established at UCLA in 1969.
• 🔗 The second node was installed at Stanford Research Institute, 400 miles away.
• 💻 The first Internet message was an attempt to log in, which resulted in the transmission of 'LO' before the system crashed.
• 📘 The analogy of sending a book through a postal service that only delivers postcards explains the concept of data packets on the Internet.
• 📨 There's no guarantee of order or delivery in the Internet's best-effort system, similar to postcards.
• 🔄 The system requires acknowledgments and retransmissions to ensure data integrity, akin to checking postcard numbers.
• 📅 November 22, 1977, marked the first time three different networks were interconnected, a significant milestone for the Internet.
• 🌐 Vint Cerf's work was pivotal in enabling different networks, each speaking a different 'language', to communicate with each other.
• 📅 January 1, 1983, is considered the birth date of the modern Internet, as it was the day ARPANET switched over to TCP/IP protocols.
• 📈 The transition to TCP/IP was not smooth, with initial resistance and complaints, but it was eventually successful.
• 🌟 The growth of the Internet has been exponential, from just 400 computers in 1983 to over a billion visible nodes today.

Q & A

What was the initial purpose of creating a network according to the transcript?

The initial purpose of creating a network was to connect different research institutions and enable communication between them, as decided by the Department of Defense in the United States.

Which institution was the first node of the Internet?

The first node of the Internet was installed at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles).

What was the second node of the Internet installed at?

The second node was installed at the Stanford Research Institute, 400 miles to the north of UCLA.

What was the first Internet message supposed to be?

The first Internet message was supposed to be 'login', but the system crashed after the letters 'lo' were transmitted.

How does the postal service analogy relate to the Internet's packet system?

The postal service analogy is used to explain how data is broken down into smaller pieces (packets), sent without guarantee of order or delivery, and may require retransmission if not acknowledged by the recipient.

What does 'best-effort system' mean in the context of the Internet?

A 'best-effort system' means that the network tries to deliver data but does not guarantee that it will arrive, be in order, or even arrive at all.

What milestone happened on November 22nd, 1977, according to the transcript?

On November 22nd, 1977, three different kinds of networks were interconnected all at the same time, marking the first time that multiple networks could communicate with each other.

Who is credited with enabling different networks to communicate with each other?

Vint Cerf is credited with enabling different networks to communicate with each other by developing protocols that allowed networks speaking different 'languages' to understand each other.

What was the significance of January 1, 1983, in the history of the Internet?

January 1, 1983, is considered the birth date of the modern Internet because it was the day when almost every computer on ARPANET switched over to using TCP/IP protocols.

Why did the speaker shut off the old protocols on ARPANET in mid-1982?

The speaker shut off the old protocols on ARPANET to enforce the transition to TCP/IP protocols and ensure that the deadline of January 1, 1983, was met.

How many computers were on the Internet at the time of the transition to TCP/IP?

At the time of the transition to TCP/IP, there were only about 400 computers on the Internet.