A Brief History of Network Technology

A Brief History of Network Technology
Written by Kat Cox, Technology Writer
Computer networking is one of the greatest breakthroughs of our age. Well before
the Internet took over our daily lives, engineers and scientists worked to connect
computers to each other. The work they did established our current state of
networking. If you’re new to network cables, it’s not a bad idea to review the history
of network technology to understand how we got to where we are now.
The First Computer Network is Born
The history of modern computer networking technology goes back to 1969, when
ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) became the first connected
computer network. It implemented the TCP/IP protocol suite, which later became the
Internet. ARPANET was developed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency
(ARPA), a subset of the US Department of Defense. Why did the DoD need to
develop networked computers? The Cold War, of course! The goal of ARPANET was
to keep lines of communication open if the USA and the USSR decided to exchange
nuclear devices.
ARPANET revolutionized communications by using packet-switching instead of direct
connections. Data that is communicated through a packet-switching system is
formatted into packets with an address of the destination machine, and then sent
onto the network and picked up by the next machine. The address in the protocol
tells the machine where to send the packet. This way, the information will reach its
intended destination, even if there isn’t a direct connection between the two
machines.
While it changed the need for there to be direct connections between machines to
communicate, the ARPANET system still relied on phone lines. It was originally a
four-node network between university computers at Stanford, the University of Utah,
UCLA, and UCSB, but expanded to 40 machines in 1972.
Attached Resource Computer NETwork (ARCNET)
In 1986, Datapoint Corporation developed ARCNET, a communications protocol for
local area networks (LANs). It was the first widely available networking system and
was used widely in the 1980s for office automation. Unlike other computer systems
that required all networked computers to be homogenous, ARCNET was the first
solution that did not make assumptions about why types of computer networking
technology would be connected. ARCNET speed was limited to 2.5 Mbit/s, and while
it was popular during its reign, it was less reliable and less flexible than other
systems, particularly Ethernet.
Token Ring and Network Topology

Token Ring Network Example
In the 1980s, token ring protocols became more popular, mostly as a response from
IBM to the openness of the new Ethernet protocol. This local area network (LAN) set-
up connects all the computers in a ring or star wherein data is passed from host to
host. This protocol prevents collisions of information packets on a network by
ensuring that only a host that holds a token can send data, and that tokens are only
released when data receipt is confirmed.
IBM’s Token Ring technology was launched in October, 1985 and ran at 4 Mbit/s. The
star-wired physical topology was run over shielded twisted-pair cabling, and became
the basis for the ANSI/IEE standard 802.5. Eventually a 16 Mbit/s Token Ring was
standardized, and increased to 100 Mbit/s just near the end of its existence. Many
scientists argued that token ring LANs were better than Ethernet, which had recently
been developed. However, Ethernet provided more cost effective methods for
networking, which helped make commercial token ring systems virtually non-existent
by the 2000s.
Fiber Distributed Data Interface
The fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) uses optical fiber to convey data
transmission in a LAN. It offered speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s, blowing ARCNET out of
the water. FDDI is a ring-based token network, but uses a protocol derived from the
IEEE 802.4 token bus timed token protocol as opposed to the IEEE 802.5 protocol.
The data network technology can also cover a large range, extending up to 120
miles.
FDDI and its later cousin made of copper, CDDI, were popular in the 1990s, when
Ethernet was still young and could only offer 10 Mbit/s. But most FDDI systems have
been completely replaced by Ethernet since the introduction of the faster and less
expensive Gigabit Ethernet in 1998.
The Rise of the Ethernet
Ethernet was developed in 1973 by Bob Metcalfe at Xerox PARC, and it wasn’t
patented until 1975. The open Ethernet standard took another five years, and was
standardized in 1983 as IEEE 802.3. The first Ethernet system used coaxial cable as a
shared medium, and started out with speeds of 2.94 Mbit/s. Over time, Ethernet has
moved on to twisted pair or fiber optic links as well as switches, allowing it to
increase in speed, which currently stands at a blazing 40 Gb/s.
Ethernet offered a less expensive alternative to many previous networking standards,
especially as it adapted to new cable types like twisted pair and fiber optic cabling.
Other standards were limited to the types of cable they could use. Because Ethernet
operated on an open-source protocol as opposed to a proprietary one, it was also

easier to implement. Ethernet is now relatively ubiquitous, and is considered one of
the main components of the Internet as we know it.
Using Ethernet Cables Now
Because Ethernet is a protocol and not a type of cable, there are many different kinds
of Ethernet cables available. You might choose a fiber optic version for networking
over a long distance. If you require power over Ethernet (PoE) then copper is
required. Read more about fiber optic vs copper here. You may opt for Cat6 cable vs
Cat5e for better speeds, or vice versa for price reasons.
Now that you have a brief history of network technology under your belt, trueCable
has the Ethernet cable and expertise to help you pick the right set up for your
network, whether it’s at home or the office. Contact us today for more information!
trueCABLE presents the information on our website, including the “Cable Academy” blog and
live chat support, as a service to our customers and other visitors to our website subject to our
website terms and conditions. While the information on this website is about data networking and
electrical issues, it is not professional advice and any reliance on such material is at your own
risk.
Othere source:
A computer network is a group of computers that has the potential to transmit, receive
and exchange voice, data, and video traffic. A network connection can be set up with
the help of either cable or wireless media. In modern times, computer networks are
very important as information technology is increasing rapidly all over the world. The
network and data communication are the essential factors to rise information
technology in the world as technology's advancement is on the system, including the
gadgets. ARPANET began the networking long ago.
Year
Event
1961
In this year, Leonard Kleinrock proposed the earliest computer networks, which was the idea of
ARPANET.
1965
In 1965, Donald Davies coined the term "packet" to describe how to send data between computers
on a network.
1969
Although In 1966, the development of ARPANET began, officially started ARPANET in 1969. It was
considered one of the first computer networks in which first two nodes, UCLA and SRI (Stanford
Research Institute) were connected, and to use packet switching.
To provide and define information about network protocols, procedures, and computer
communications, the first RFC surfaced as a document in April 1969.

1969
On 29 August 1969, the first IMP and network switch were sent to UCLA. On ARPANET, the first data
transmission was sent by using it.
1970
NCP, stands for NetWare Core Protocol, released by Steve Crocker and a team at UCLA for use with
NetWare.
1971
In 1971, the first e-mail was sent to across a network to other users by Ray Tomlinson.
1973
While working at Xerox PARC, Robert Metcalfe developed the Ethernet in 1973. In the same year,
ARPA deployed the first international network connection, known as SATNET.
In 1973, VoIP technology and capabilities were officially introduced, which made a VoIP call. However,
until 1995, the software was not available for users that could make VoIP calls.
1974
In this year, the use of first router was began, but they were not considered true IP routers.
1976
Originally called a gateway, Ginny Strazisar develop the first true IP router.
1978
In 1978, the TCP/IP protocol was developed and invented by Bob Kahn for networks; it was developed
with help from Vint Cerf.
1981
In the United States, between IBM mainframe systems, BITNET was created in 1981 as a network. The
U.S. National Science Foundation developed the CSNET (Computer Science Network) in the same year
1981.
1983
For using TCP/IP, ARPANET finished the transition. The first DNS implement by Jon Postel and Paul
Mockapetris in 1983.
1986
This is the year in which a backbone for ARPANET, the National Science Foundation Network was
came online, which finally took the place of ARPANET in 1990s. In the same year, with the original
BITNET, BITNET II was introduced to deal with bandwidth issues.
1988
In 1988, the first T1 backbone was included with ARPANET. AT&T, Lucent, and NCR introduced the
WaveLAN network technology in 1988.
In 1988, for the first time, the explanation of network firewall technology was published. In the same
year, Digital Equipment Corporation developed it. This paper had the detail about the first firewall,
known as a packet filter firewall.
1990
The first network switch was developed and introduced by a U.S. network hardware company named
Kalpana in 1990.
1996
In 1996, an IPv6 was introduced as an improvement over IPv4, as well as embedded encryption,
improved routing.
1997
In June 1997, the 802.11 standards, containing transmission speeds up to 2 Mbps, for Wi-Fi were
introduced.
1999
The 802.11a standard, containing transmission speeds up to 25 Mbps to use the 5 GHz band, was
officially made in 1999. Another standard 802.11b was available to use for the public in mid-1999,
which offered transmission speeds up to 11 Mbps. In September 1999, for use with 802.11b, the WEP
encryption protocol was released.
2003
802.11g devices, contained transmission speeds up to 20 Mbps, were available to the public in
January 2003. In the same year, for use with 802.11g, the WPA encryption protocol is released.

2004
In 2004, as a replacement for WPA, the WPA2 encryption protocol was introduced. By 2006, WPA2
certification was compulsory for all Wi-Fi devices.
2009
The 802.11n standard can operate on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bandwidths and offers higher transfer
speeds over 802.11a and 802.11g. Officially, it was made in 2009.
2018
In January 2018, WPA3 encryption was released by the Wi-Fi Alliance, which comprises security
enhancements over WPA2.
https://youtu.be/N5LjE77IHmk