|b|s18Connecting to úthe Internet,25206ÿ with Netforce|b|s10 |b|s12How Is It Done, and What's In It For You|b|s10 You will, of course, want to connect to úNetforce,18306ÿ in order to test NetShark, send your first úemail,9277ÿ (to AAA@team17.com of course) and read únews,19311ÿ. And this is how you go about it. And here's what you are going to need to connect: 1) |b|s09A username|b|s10 that you would like to use - This should be between five and ten characters. It should not contain any spaces. This will appear before the '@' sign in your úNetforce,18306ÿ úaddress,299ÿ, which will look something like username@Netforce.co.uk. This will also act as your úemail address,9131ÿ. You will need to choose two of these, in case one has already been used by another user. 2) |b|s09A password|b|s10 that you would like to use. This should not be a real word or a name. It should be between five and ten characters. It must not contain any spaces. This will enable you to connect to the úNetforce,18306ÿ network and also to collect your úemail,9277ÿ. 3) |b|s09Your credit card details.|b|s10 You must have this at the ready if you want to make use of the trial. If you decide to take up úNetforce,18306ÿ as your Internet Service Provider, you will be able to continue seamlessly with your connection once your free month is finished. If you decide against continuing with úthe Internet,25206ÿ, simply tell úNetforce,18306ÿ just before your month ends (send them an úemail,9277ÿ!) and your credit card details will be destroyed. Now you need to use the auto-registration program that appears as a separate application and is installed by the |b|s09Access All Areas|b|s10 installer. Make sure that your úmodem,17446ÿ is correctly connected and switched on, and the registration program will detect the correct port and find the úmodem,17446ÿ. Fill in the relevant details. Click the Send button. The process takes less than 5 minutes. |b|s12Problems|b|s10 If you have problems with this procedure, check that your úmodem,17446ÿ is connected to the correct point on the computer, using the correct cable. Check that the telephone line connection is working. There is very little scope for error in the registration program and procedure. Accordingly, there is very little that we are likely to be able to suggest other than to repeat the procedure above until it works. We regret that we are not able to assist in debugging your úmodem,17446ÿ or serial communications connections, since this is outside the scope of our service which relates to úInternet,14318ÿ connectivity issues only. If your úmodem,17446ÿ is older than 2 years, then we seriously suggest that you consider upgrading to a modern unit complying with V32 or V34 standards. If all else fails, please call 01245 257788 for assistance with the registration process. |s14|bWhat Your Free 30 days Gets You|s10|b Your Free Trial with úNetforce,18306ÿ enables you to do the following: |b|s12Email|b|s10 During this trial period, the maximum size of message in your box will be limited to 20K. Anything beyond that will be summarily lopped off. The maximum message storage per trial user will also be limited to 1 megabyte (1Mb), so remember to collect your mail regularly! As a courtesy to the Net, if you subscribe to any mailing lists during this period, you should unsubscribe if you are not planning to maintain your mailbox. Please remember that if you decide not to continue with úNetforce,18306ÿ at the end of your Free Trial period, any úemail,9277ÿ not downloaded by you will be deleted from the úmailhost,16852ÿ and will not be redirected. |b|s12The World Wide Web|b|s10 Use the úWorld Wide Web,28238ÿ with NetShark and other browsers |b|s12FTP|b|s10 Access úFTP,11881ÿ sites to download free or low-cost software |b|s12Usenet - úInternet,14318ÿ News|b|s10 Read and write to úUsenet,26764ÿ, úthe Internet,25206ÿ's interactive únews,19311ÿ forum |b|s12IRC|b|s10 Make use of the |b|s09Access All Areas|b|s10 úIRC,15915ÿ channel #Access_All_Areas on irc.team17.com port 6667 |b|s14Support with Access All Areas|b|s10 |b|s09Access All Areas|b|s10 doesn't stop when you've handed over your money, we here at The Big Room would also like to extend our support to you once you're úonline,20848ÿ. And here are just a few of the options available to you for support and even updates. |b|s12Newsgroup support|b|s10 Take part in the únetforce,18306ÿ.support.access-all-areas newsgroup for discussion of this |b|s09Access All Areas|b|s10. |b|s12Your own mailing list|b|s12 Take part in the |b|s09Access All Areas|b|s10 mailing list by sending your first email to AAA@team17.com |b|s14About Netforce|b|s10 úNetforce,18306ÿ offers both local support and access to the global úInternet,14318ÿ in one elegant solution. This is just one of the reasons that we recommend the system to |b|s09Access All Areas|b|s10 users. |b|s12The Benefits of a Full úNetforce,18306ÿ Connection|b|s10 After your Free Trial period finishes we would advise that you take up the full membership with úNetforce,18306ÿ. Not only does it offer excellent údial-up,7163ÿ connection for œ15 per month, you also get access to the following benefits: |bPOP3 Email|b No fiddling around with additional pieces of software, just launch úEudora,9980ÿ to send and receive úemail,9277ÿ. |bManaged Mail Box Service|b This provides you with a separate úaddress,299ÿ for each user (œ10.50 per quarter), an additional service that means your úemail,9277ÿ can be organised into specific subject boxes if you require: just like having PO boxes for snail mail. |bDomain Registration|b Having a fred@netforce.co.uk úaddress,299ÿ is fine and will enable you to úemail,9277ÿ all around the world, but you can go one better. With úNetforce,18306ÿ's Domain Registration service you can become me@mybusiness.co.uk'. This enables you to retain an úemail address,9131ÿ for life as well as ensuring that you are always taken seriously. úNetforce,18306ÿ can also carry out the registration procedure with Internic for non-UK domain names (.com), as well as ensure that your new domain name is circulated around the global úInternet,14318ÿ. There are many many more benefits to a full úNetforce,18306ÿ connection. Launch the copy of NetShark that we have included on |b|s09Access All Areas|b|s10 and, after entering the URL: |b|s09http://www.team17.com/TBR/Access|b|s10 you can also find more information about úNetforce,18306ÿ by using this URL: |b|s09http://www.únetforce,18306ÿ.net/access|b|s10 |b|s12Where You Can Connect Locally|b|s10 When you use úNetforce,18306ÿ's registration program, you will be given any updated telephone numbers relating to your areas. However, the following list details the telephone code areas currently covered by the scheme. |mAberdeen 01224|m |mAshbourne 01335|m |mAshford 01233|m |mAyr 01292|m |mBallygally 01574|m |mBarnstaple 01271|m |mBarton on Humber 01652|m |mBelfast 01232|m |mBirmingham 01216|m |mBlandford 01258|m |mBournemouth 01202|m |mBourtonwater 01451|m |mBrighton 01273|m |mBristol 01179|m |mCambridge 01223|m |mCardiff 01222|m |mCarlisle 01228|m |mChelmsford 01245|m |mChesterfield 01246|m |mCoventry 01203|m |mCrewe 01270|m |mCumnock 01290|m |mDarlington 01325|m |mDartford 01322|m |mDoncaster 01302|m |mDover 01304|m |mEdinburgh 01315|m |mEllon 01358|m |mExeter 01392|m |mForfar 01307|m |mGlasgow 01413|m |mGlenrothes 01592|m |mGloucester 01452|m |mGuildford 01483|m |mHastings 01424|m |mHemel Hempstead 01442|m |mHereford 01432|m |mHuddersfield 01484|m |mInverurie 01467|m |mIpswich 01473|m |mIrvine 01294|m |mKeighley 01535|m |mKidderminster 01562|m |mKings Lynn 01553|m |mLancaster 01524|m |mLarne 01574|m |mLeeds 01132|m |mLeicester 01162|m |mLennoxtown 01360|m |mLiverpool 01514|m |mLondon 01716|m |mLondonderry 01504|m |mLong Stratton 01508|m |mManchester 01619|m |mMedway 01634|m |mMiddlesborough 01642|m |mMilton Keynes 01908|m |mMold 01352|m |mNeath 01639|m |mNewcastle 01914|m |mNewry 01693|m |mNorth Cave 01430|m |mNorwich 01603|m |mNottingham 01159|m |mOundle 01832|m |mOxford 01865|m |mPerth 01738|m |mPeterborough 01733|m |mPlymouth 01752|m |mPortsmouth 01705|m |mPreston 01772|m |mReading 01734|m |mShirenewton 01291|m |mShrewsbury 01743|m |mSlough 01753|m |mSouthampton 01703|m |mStevenage 01438|m |mStonehenge 01980|m |mStowmarket 01449|m |mStratford on Avon 01789|m |mSwindon 01793|m |mTaunton 01823|m |mTorquay 01803|m |mTruro 01872|m |mTunbridge Wells 01892|m |mWalsall 01922|m |mWhitehaven 01946|m |b|s12Using Another Service Provider?|b|s10 While we strongly recommend úNetforce,18306ÿ, we are aware that there are other Internet service providers in the country. While you will still be able to use all of the software on |b|s09Access All Areas|b|s10, and the on-line help and hypertext will also be of use to you, we cannot 100 per cent guarantee that you will be able to use the Details page to ensure a connection because of the possible changes to log-on procedures. This is especially true if you are using a system that does not provide POP3 úemail,9277ÿ as standard. If this is the case, please be sure to read the About úEmail,9277ÿ section from the úHome Page,12368ÿ. |b|s14The Legal Stuff|b|s10 Deciding to take up the úNetforce,18306ÿ offer of one FREE month's Internet connection (including úemail,9277ÿ, úWWW,28406ÿ and úNews,19311ÿ - and the rest of the Internet thrown in) means registering with úNetforce,18306ÿ, and agreeing to a few rules and regulations which we suggest that you read here and now. |bNetForce Group plc|b |bDuke House|b |bVictoria Road South|b |bChelmsford CM1 1LN|b |bPhone: 01245 2257788|b |bFax: 01245 257799|b |bhttp://www.únetforce,18306ÿ.net|b |binfo@netforce.net|b |b|s18TERMS AND CONDITIONS|b|s10 |b|s14DEFINITIONS|b|s10 The End-user means the party named on the application form. The Supplier means úNetforce,18306ÿ Group plc., Duke House, Victoria Road South, Chelmsford CM1 1LN The Service means úthe Internet,25206ÿ service as further defined by this agreement. A: Conditions pertaining to use of the network: The End-User acknowledges that The Public IP Exchange Limited ("PIPEX") provides the telecommunications network facilities underlying the Services provided by úNetforce,18306ÿ. The use of PIPEX's telecommunications network facilities is subject to the following terms, breach of which may result in suspension or termination of the End-User's right to use the Services:- 1. The PIPEX network may only be used for lawful purposes. Transmission of any material through the PIPEX network, or use of any part of it, in violation of any UK law or regulation is prohibited. Such prohibited transmission might include, but is not limited to: copyright material; material legally judged to be threatening or obscene; material protected by trade secret, whether or not the End-User was aware of the content of the material or of the relevant law. 2. The End-User shall be issued with a password to access the Services and shall take all reasonable steps to keep such password private and confidential and ensure that it does not become known to other persons. If the password becomes known to any other person the End-User will immediately inform úNetforce,18306ÿ and the password shall immediately be changed. Netforce or PIPEX may change the End-User's password from time to time at their discretion without prior notice. 3. The End-User shall not use the Services: for transmission of computer viruses; for transmission of any material which is defamatory, offensive or abusive or of an obscene or menacing character, or which may cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety, or for the posting of any such material to bulletin boards or newsgroups; in a manner which constitutes a violation or infringement of the rights of any person, firm or company (including but not limited to intellectual property rights). 4. The End-User acknowledges that PIPEX is unable to exercise control over the content of any information passing over the PIPEX network and that PIPEX does not monitor or exercise any editorial control over information passing over the PIPEX network. The End-User further acknowledges that PIPEX hereby excludes all liability in respect of any transmission or reception of information of whatever kind, or the accuracy of the contents thereof, or the scrambling of any information or data. 5. The PIPEX network may be used by the End-User to access other networks worldwide and the End-User agrees to conform to any acceptable use policies of PIPEX and any such other networks. In addition, the End-User undertakes to conform to any published úInternet,14318ÿ protocols and standards. In the event that communications by the End-User do not conform to these standards, or if the End-User makes profligate use of the PIPEX network to the detriment of PIPEX or other PIPEX customers, PIPEX reserves the right to restrict passage of the End-User's communications until the End-User complies with such standards or protocols or provides undertakings acceptable to PIPEX in respect of the End-User's future use. 6. Without prejudice to the generality of Section 5, PIPEX considers that any applications which transmit live video, live audio, or make similar traffic demands across the PIPEX network by whatever means, constitute making profligate use of the PIPEX Network and as such are not permitted. Use of IP Multicast, other than by means provided and coordinated by PIPEX, is also prohibited. 7. Each End-User account is to be used by either: a single user on a single or multiple machines; or by multiple users on a single machine, but not both. Simultaneous log-ins using the same account are not allowed. 8. In the event that the End-User is in breach of any provision of this Schedule, úNetforce,18306ÿ shall be entitled to suspend the Services forthwith without notice. 9. The End-User should also be familiar with the further and general terms posted from to time at http://www.únetforce,18306ÿ.net/terms-vector.htm B: Conditions of Trial Agreement with úNetforce,18306ÿ Group plc |b|s12DEFINITIONS|b|s10 1.The Customer means the party applying for a temporary or trial connection. 2.The Supplier means úNetforce,18306ÿ Group plc., Duke House, Victoria Road South, Chelmsford CM1 1LN 3.The Trial Service means úthe Internet,25206ÿ service as further defined by this agreement. |b|s12SUPPLY|b|s10 The Supplier undertakes to supply to the Customer the Trial Service according to availability of capacity for a period not exceeding 30 days from registration. |b|s14ACCEPTANCE OF AGREEMENT|b|s10 The acceptance of this agreement denoted by the Customer's completed registration details received by úemail,9277ÿ, fax, letter or other data transmission method such as direct asynchronous transfer to the úNetforce,18306ÿ Registration Server, will be construed as confirming the Customer's total acceptance of these terms and conditions, subject as may otherwise be altered according to the terms and conditions herein. |b|s14PERIOD AND CONVERSION TO A PAID ACCOUNT|b|s10 Unless otherwise stated, the period of the agreement will be for 30 days from inception, with the option to extend during that period to an annual agreement under the Supplier's usual terms as published at: |b|s09http://www.únetforce,18306ÿ.net/dialup.htm|b|s10 The Supplier will issue reminders by úemail,9277ÿ to the Customer's chosen mail box when the period of the Trial is due to end. Unless specifically terminated within 30 days of commencement of the trial service, the Supplier will commence debiting the Customer's supplied credit card with the charges as set out at: |b|s09http://www.únetforce,18306ÿ.net/|b|s10 |b|s12CHARGES|b|s10 The Trial Service as provided by the Supplier during the period of the trial connection will be free of charge. |b|s12IMPROPER USE|b|s10 The Supplier's Trial Service may only be used for lawful purposes by the Customer at the site(s) specified in the service application form. Transmission of any material through or the use of the Supplier's Trial Service or any part of it in violation of any UK law or regulation is prohibited. Such transmission includes but are not limited to copyright material, material legally judged to be threatening libellous or obscene and material protected by trade secret whether or not the Customer was aware of the content of the material or the relevant law. 1.The Customer undertakes to comply fully at all times with all the relevant provisions of the Financial Services Act 1986 and to notify the Supplier forthwith if he conducts or commences to conduct any investment business as defined by that Act, The Supplier reserves the right to cancel the Agreement forthwith in the event that the Supplier has reasonable grounds for believing that the Customer is not authorised under the Act, or has issued or intends to issue an advertisement which is not approved by a person authorised under the Act. The Customer undertakes to comply with the provisions of the law of any jurisdiction and the Supplier will not be liable for any such breach and resulting loss. 2.The Customer acknowledges that the Supplier is unable to exercise control over the content of the information passing through the Service and the Supplier hereby excludes all liability of any kind for the transmission or reception of infringing information of whatever nature. The Customer hereby agrees to indemnify and hold the Supplier harmless from any claim brought by the parties alleging that use of the Trial Service by the Customer has infringed any intellectual property right of any kind or any applicable UK or international legislation or regulation. The Customer shall defend and pay all costs, damages awards, fees (including reasonable legal fees) and judgements finally awarded against the Supplier arising from such claims and will provide the Supplier with notice of such claims, fully authority to defend, compromise or settle such claims and reasonable assistance necessary to defend such claims at the Customer's sole expense. 3.The Supplier's Trial Service may be used by the Customer to link into other networks world-wide and the Customer agrees to conform to acceptable use policies of such networks. 4.In addition the Customer undertakes to conform to any published Internet protocols and standards and future such protocols and standards as appropriate. In the event that the communications by the Customer do not conform to these standards, or if the Customer makes profligate use of the Supplier's network or services to the detriment of the Supplier or the Supplier's Customers, the Supplier reserves the right to restrict the passage of the Customer's communications until they give a suitable undertaking as to use. 5.The Customer must only connect one node to the Trial Service and this must not act as a router in any way. Additional subscriptions may be purchased for multi-user use. |b|s12DATA PROTECTION|b|s10 The Supplier reserves the right to put the names and other information from the registration form relating to its Customers into a computerised directory for internal use only, unless specific written instructions are received from the Customer. |b|s12INFORMATION|b|s10 The Customer undertakes to provide the Supplier with sufficient information concerning its operations and activities which may be required by the Supplier for the performance of its obligations under the agreement. |b|s12LIABILITY|b|s10 In no event shall the Supplier be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential damages from use of the Trial Service. |b|s12EXCLUSION OF WARRANTY|b|s10 Any condition or warranty which might be implied or incorporated within this agreement by reason of statute or common law or otherwise is hereby expressly excluded so far as may be permitted by law. While the Supplier will use all reasonable endeavours to provide a prompt and continuing service it will not be liable for any loss of data resulting from delays, non deliveries, speed of connection or service interruptions caused by events beyond the control of the Supplier or by errors or omissions of the Customer. In no circumstances whatsoever will the Supplier be liable for economical or consequential loss. It is the responsibility of the Customer to ensure that a data back-up is taken. The Supplier specifically excludes any warranty as to the quality or accuracy of the information received through the Trial Service. |b|s12RESTRICTION ON SUB-LEASING/RESELLING ETC|b|s10 The Customer in entering into this agreement undertakes that it will not assign, resell, sub-lease or in any other way transfer the Trial Service. Contravention of this restriction in any way, whether successful or not, will result in the Trial Service being terminated by the Supplier. |b|s12TERMINATION|b|s10 The Supplier will be entitled to terminate this agreement immediately if the Customer breaches any of the conditions of this agreement. |b|s12AGREEMENT|b|s10 This agreement represents the entire agreement between the parties to the Services covered by this agreement. |b|s12NOTICES|b|s10 Any notice given under this agreement by either party to the other must be in writing and may be affected by the personal delivery, facsimile, registered mail, postage and úInternet,14318ÿ mail message and shall in the case of facsimile and úInternet,14318ÿ mail be deemed to have been received on the same date as it was sent, and in the case of postage, within 48 hours after the date of posting. |b|s12JURISDICTION|b|s10 This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English Law and the parties submit to the jurisdiction of the English Courts. |b|s18Data Central|b|s10 Data Central is the in-depth area of |b|s09 úAccess All Areas,0ÿ |b|s10. Once you've used the |bAbout Areas|b and |bSoftware Tutorial|b sections of the CD-ROM, you'll want to get even more knowledge of the Net - this is where Data Central comes in. This area uses |b|s09 úAccess All Areas,0ÿ |b|s10 super-fast hypetext system to bust jargon in front of your eyes. You will also find lists of useful addresses for software, mailing discussions and much more. Don't forget to use the Useful URLs section to experience úthe Internet,25206ÿ's úWorld Wide Web,28238ÿ without even logging on! Data Central, your first step to úInternet,14318ÿ expertise. |b|s18The Very Short Story of the Internet|b|s10 úThe Internet,25206ÿ is not the recent invention that the media with all their hype would lead you to believe. It's history dates back as far as 1968. Assumptions about its future are equally misplaced in a great number of ways. There are 'wars' currently under way on the Net regarding the place of advertising, the level of access that should be offered to individuals, the use of úencryption,9585ÿ, úpornography,21507ÿ, copyright, piracy and censorship. So let's look at what has led to the current state of úthe Internet,25206ÿ and then look forward to what could be. |b|s12The Past|b|s10 There are numerous explanations for the genesis of úthe Internet,25206ÿ. Myths and legends are already growing among its users, and these are being fuelled by the media's desperation for a new story with some longevity. Like the internal stoked engine, flight, space travel and even TV, úthe Internet,25206ÿ really began with a solid purpose in mind, and it took some incredibly hard work along the way. Fortunately there is one fact that everybody agrees with, and that is that the úInternet,14318ÿ began life as a US military-funded project. In the 1950s there were two main things fuelling US political and military thinking, and these were intertwined: the Cold War and the rapidly growing Space Race. The Soviets had sent the first man into space, former Nazi scientists had brought their additional rocket technology to both sides of the Iron Curtain, and development of long range offensive and defensive systems was going ahead apace. But weaponry was not the only inheritance from the latter years of WWII. Computers had also come to the fore: the Enigma code breakers at Bletchley Park and Alan Turing's theoretical work set the stage for the enormous and rapid growth of computer technology. |b|s12The Cold War Hots Up|b|s10 So with the Cold War raging on the battlefields of paranoia, and with computer technology up to a standard that allowed for several autonomous computers to operate at a reasonable rate of data processing, in 1957 the US Department of Defense (DOD) commissioned the Advanced Research Projects Agency (úARPA,2013ÿ) to carry out research into modern technologies and their application to even more modern defence and offence strategies. úARPA,2013ÿ became one of the heaviest users of the new 'super computers' that had been developed since the end of the war. These computers took up entire rooms in the universities and research centres which were used by úARPA,2013ÿ. The computers were not only huge, they were also hugely expensive to run. These super computers used vast amounts of electricity to operate and cool; magnetic tape to store data; valves that constantly needed replacing; and entire teams of people, there simply to ensure that the computers didn't stop, as well as the scientists and researchers who had to 'time-share' to gain access. These machines were beasts. They were also less powerful than the computer you're using to read this. These computers were expensive, and prone to breakdown. Despite the often- disrupted research programs - disrupted as yet another valve was fitted or yet another person trained - the results of the research were actually growing as the mundane number-crunching tasks were taken over by the computers. Results were flooding in. Unfortunately, the teams were in danger of replicating each other's results or, even worse, of working on areas that had already been proved to be pointless by other groups. It was becoming essential for the úARPA,2013ÿ teams be able to share research and findings. The most obvious route was to get the computers to 'talk' to each other so that the results could be shared to the maximum benefit of all concerned. The super computers were already linked to dumb terminals where the scientists logged in to work at the main computer. Some basic local networking was also under way, which saw computers on the same campus communicating with each other. úARPA,2013ÿ began to direct manpower and funds to maximising this ability in order to enable computers on different sides of the country, or even the Atlantic, to talk to each other. |b|s12The Swinging 60s|b|s10 However, úARPA,2013ÿ was not to have any easy ride: the early 1960s saw some major disruptions (thankfully for úInternet,14318ÿ users everywhere). On the downside, the glamour of the Space Race led to the formation of úNASA,17918ÿ, which split from úARPA,2013ÿ taking the limelight and a chunk of Pentagon funding with it. However, on the upside (although not at the time) 1962 also saw a major intellectual catalyst in the rapid implementation of networked computers. In May of that year, the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev ordered the deployment of missiles carrying nuclear warheads on to the island of Cuba, within striking distance of mainland USA. The Cuban Missile Crisis had begun. As Cold War panic spread through the towns, villages and hamlets of the USA, the scientists working at úARPA,2013ÿ began to question the validity of their kind of networks. The major problem was that the current form of networking relied on two things: The fact that the network was made up of big, important 'super computers' with other smaller terminals connected to them. The fact that the network relied on all its elements (the super computers) being 'on-line'. If one of the super computers was taken out of the loop, then the entire network ceased to function; data simply hit the space where a computer should have been and stopped. Aside from being a day-to-day nightmare for the researchers (when an essential valve blew at úStanford,23828ÿ's super computer, for example, and the computer went off- line, the entire network countrywide was hung). This situation was potentially fatal in a military sense, where the chances were that the Soviets would indeed try to take out sites of military value. The US military were beginning to rely on computers, via úARPA,2013ÿ and other areas, for early warning systems, rocket guidance, and even some offensive capabilities. The Cuban Missile Crisis, with its potential for direct attacks on the US mainland, highlighted the weakness of the network: one strategic hit could take it down for hours, maybe days; two such strikes could decimate it for good, and this was just with conventional rockets. So úARPA,2013ÿ scientists, and the various co-opted staff at the universities and corporations, turned their minds to formulating a less fragile, more resilient network. |b|s12Cuban Missile Catalyst|b|s10 The Cuban Missile Crisis passed when on December 6th 1962 the Soviets withdrew the last of their offensive weaponry from Cuba (and on April 25th 1963, when President Kennedy withdrew the last Jupiter missile from Turkey). The world breathed a sigh of relief. But the úARPA,2013ÿ staff had a cause. The question of creating a secure network was a tricky one, however, and it wasn't until 1964 that a possible solution was produced by Paul Baran, a member of staff at the Rand Corporation, one of the US DOD's major think-tanks. Baran produced a paper entitled 'On Distributed Communication Networks' which became known as 'The Rand Proposal'. |b|s12The Rand Proposal|b|s10 The key here was the idea of 'distributed'. This meant that data on a network did not rely on a single, given path from A to B. Think about delivering a letter: if you go to a úpost,21664ÿ box and find it closed or damaged, you don't usually go home and wait for that specific box to re-open. Even if it is a pain in the backside, you simply go to another úpost,21664ÿ box, or you go to the main post office. All your letter 'cares' about is where it's going, not how it gets there. Baran's proposal was a supreme piece of lateral thinking, moving away from standard principles of computer networks, which had relied on the thinking that computers were linked in a linear fashion (A-to-B-to-C-to-D). Baran basically suggested that as long as A and D were there, the actual data couldn't care less whether it travelled via C-B or B-C to get there. His most revolutionary suggestion was to do away with a hierarchy. He proposed that every element (or node) on the network should be equal. This meant that each computer on the network could have the same ability and authority to route data as every other. With hindsight, this has had a huge pay-off for today's úInternet,14318ÿ users because it ensures that your personal computer is as important (or unimportant) as, and can receive, send and route data on a par with, a VAX in California. But this step, no matter how brilliant, would not have been enough in itself to ensure that the information actually got through. The basic problem lay in the way in which the data was addressed (in the same way as an envelope is addressed). At the time, data was sent from one site to another over a direct line connection. It was given a defined route to follow and if any element of that route was disrupted, the message simply would not get through. Baran was aware of the work being carried out elsewhere regarding the way in which data could be sent in small units. These were called 'packets'. In the Rand Proposal, Baran suggested that not only could large chunks of data be chopped into smaller packets, but that each of the packets could be individually addressed (given 'From' and 'To' addresses). These two pieces of information were all that mattered to the packet. When the Rand Proposal's two basic ideas were combined, it produced an idea for a network that was not reliant on a single computer (everything was as important and as active as everything else) with data that cared only about its destination. The packets of data simply skipped from node to node looking for the úaddress,299ÿ in their destination sections. The nodes along the way simply acted as staging points. If one of these was destroyed, the data would stay in transit looking for its destination elsewhere. |b|s12Requests For Comment|b|s10 Looking back at this proposal it does look like an incredibly inefficient system. Although the packets would eventually find their destinations, this random route finding would make the journey slow compared to a direct link. What we have to remember, more than 30 years later, is that the system was being designed with nuclear war in mind. We also have to remember that this system is what gave rise to the current úInternet,14318ÿ. Distributed networking was all the rage in the 1960s. Not only was Rand looking into it, but other research centres such as UCLA, úMIT,17263ÿ and the National Physics Laboratory in the UK were also spending more time and resources on the concept. All of this research was being sucked up by the Information Processing Technologies Office (IPTO), which was a part of úARPA,2013ÿ itself and had been looking into methods for providing the military with a secure networking system. The obvious conclusion from all this work was for úARPA,2013ÿ to set up its own distributed networking system. The first inklings of this came in 1967 when Lawrence G Roberts published a report detailing the first principles for úARPANet,2811ÿ. The same year also saw the first principles of packet information and packet switching. This notion of computers as switching points for data rather than as sorting offices (if the data doesn't have your úaddress,299ÿ, then you simply switch it over to the next available node) was crucial to today's úInternet,14318ÿ. Two years passed, during which the National Physics Laboratory in the UK experimented with a local network using the Rand Proposal principles. And then in 1969, úARPANet,2811ÿ was finally announced and named, with its first four nodes placed at UCLA. úThe Internet,25206ÿ as we understand it today was under way. Also in 1969, Steve Crocker produce the very first 'request for connection' (RFC) regarding the 'proposed internetworking of computer systems'. RFCs remain with us on today's úInternet,14318ÿ, even if they are a little too complex for most people to bother with. That year also heralded the arrival of the IMPs (Information Message Processors). These made use of what today we would consider to be laughably small computers: Honeywell 516 mini computers using 12K (not 12Mb!) of memory at Bolt Beranek and Newman Incorporated in the USA. These IMPs were the machines that enabled fast packet switching. Their entire purpose in life was to transport data from one place to another. Things were moving rapidly at the start of the 1970s. The Cold War threat, while still in the political air, had lessened. úARPA,2013ÿ was still ploughing away with its research, often protected from heavy scrutiny by the glamorous goings on at úNASA,17918ÿ. Also in 1970, the Network Computer Protocol (NCP) was introduced to link all of the úARPANet,2811ÿ host computers - computers that 'hosted' communications over a network - so by 1971, úARPANet,2811ÿ had expanded from a four-host experiment to a 23-host concern. So on October 3rd, 1972, the International Network Working Group was formed at the International Conference on Computer Communications. At the same conference, one of úthe Internet,25206ÿ's true founding fathers, Bob Kahn, organised a public demonstration of úARPANet,2811ÿ at the International Conference on Computer Communications in the basement of the Washington Hilton Hotel. This demonstration was not merely open to the scientists working on networking, it was open to the public, who could see applications working on computers, and these computers were sited in different parts of the USA. Kahn did not to stop with demonstrations, however. In 1973 he started his research into what he called the 'internetting' of computers. To understand this, you have to understand the concept of internetting itself. Networking computers was one thing, and as we've seen it wasn't the most complex achievement known to science. What was complex was connecting disparate networks of computers together. Kahn's work was not to stand alone. The previous year had seen the instigation of the INWG (InterNetworking Group) lead by Vinton Cerf. INWG was in a position to share knowledge such as Roy Tomlinson's email program and the invention of úTelnet,24988ÿ (which is still in use today). |b|s12Cerf & Kahn|b|s10 Cerf and Kahn's relationship was to bear plenty of rich fruit for Internetters everywhere as, despite some political restructuring in 1972, 73 and 74, the US DOD finally realised that its funding of úARPA,2013ÿ was not going into the development of missiles but into the development of networks to develop missiles. This is probably the first significant example of a 'syndrome' that affects many úInternet,14318ÿ users today. This manifests itself in the following way: 'I will buy a úmodem,17446ÿ and get a Net connection to help my work. I'll do loads of research, the kids can do school work, I can also find recipes and my partner can get gardening tips, we can both learn more about the car . . .' Two weeks later: 'Now if I can download that new úFTP,11881ÿ tool, invest in a new cable and maybe a faster úmodem,17446ÿ, I'll be able to do even more research.' Six months later: 'If I can explain to my partner that we really need more than a 28.8K úmodem,17446ÿ, that we only need to invest a few thousand quid for a T1 line and a few thousand more for a 10Gb hard disk; if only we could make sure that we get a clear connection to the States via Sprintlink, we'll only need to mortgage the house, and the kids . . .' Watch out for this syndrome [:-)]. |b|s12Back to the History....|b|s10 As we have seen, Cerf and Kahn were picking up a head of steam in terms of the research and development of úthe Internet,25206ÿ. And while they worked on distributed networking and other practical uses of the growing number of theories regarding networking, úARPANet,2811ÿ was improving and expanding. Its growth was so rapid, and so energetic, that 1973 saw a dream come true: two transatlantic nodes at úUniversity College London,26616ÿ and Norway's Royal RADAR Establishment came on-line. But something was still missing. Although úARPANet,2811ÿ had been operating with the NCP, this protocol was still very experimental and didn't go far enough to úaddress,299ÿ the problems presented by data packets. A more stable 'language' was needed to ensure that the different machines using different individual protocols could be added to the network as a whole. Although data was being transported, new techniques to improve speed and efficiency were being introduced along the way. Along with úemail,9277ÿ and úTelnet,24988ÿ (which enabled people to log into remote computers of any kind as long as these computers were using the Telnet protocol; useful if you were a research scientist at a conference, or even at home, who needed to get at information in your base computer), a protocol for file transmission was also developed. Kahn and Cerf put their minds to the task of producing a language that could cope with different base network languages using different protocols, and in 1974 presented the 'Protocol for Packet Network Internetting'. Not particularly exciting, until you realise that this laid the foundations for what was to become the Transport Control Protocol or úTCP,24111ÿ. Cerf had dreamt of a system that used the model of úARPANet,2811ÿ's IMPs to transmit data. The úARPANet,2811ÿ IMPs were really dumb machines not capable of much besides packet switching. They still needed the power of the larger computers to actually do anything constructive with the data. However, the notion of IMP packet switching where the IMPs were incorporated into computers at different sites, using different operating systems (a DEC VAX at one site, an PDP at another site . . .) was more appealing if the IMPs were themselves computers. Cerf and Kahn's paper went some way to addressing this, but on a more generally important front, 1974 also saw the first publicly available packet-switched network. BBN (Bolt, Beranek and Newman Incorporated) set up its úTelnet,24988ÿ service to give non-academics the chance to sample an úARPANet,2811ÿ-like environment. This can really be seen as the first úISP,16050ÿ. úThe Internet,25206ÿ moved on apace from here (with even our own Queen Elizabeth apparently sending an úemail,9277ÿ in or around 1976). Because of its Unix-base, flexibility, and the fact that it could be ported to many different kinds of computers, úTCP,24111ÿ was gradually taking over from NCP as the standard protocol to link networks to úARPANet,2811ÿ. |b|s14There is much more of this feature to read in the full version of|b |bAccess All Areas|b|s10