The Inception Of Internet

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Introduction and Background

Networks have had many various ways of transferring data and making it meaningful. These protocols have changed over the years. Some have had serious limitations that have brought about their replacement by newer protocols. These limitations have been deliberate in some, unintentional in others and some are simply from the protocol growing well beyond the visions of those that created them. Other protocols have simply faded out of use.

In the current age of the Internet most will know of TCP but many of these same people would not know any more than that. What TCP/IP really is or what other protocols are currently used. TCP/IPv4 is now in trouble and is rapidly approaching a serious crisis point. Some know that TCP/IPv6 is in the wings waiting but what do you really know about it? TCP/IPv6 is decades old but most people are only now starting to hear about it. Is TCP/IPv6 just an extension of TCP/IPv4 or does it inherit from other protocols that have come before?

Executive Summary

From the initial stages of computer technology, organizations have searched and developed ways to share information. As a medium for sharing information to a long distance, IT experts and scientists began to develop methods of interconnecting computer data systems. These methods of communicating through technology have led to the rapid development in a world wide web.

The TCP/IP Model, or Internet Protocol Suite, describes a set of general design guidelines and implementations of specific networking protocols to enable computers to communicate over a network. TCP/IP provides end-to-end connectivity indicating how data should be formatted, addressed, transmitted, routed and received at the destination. The TCP/IP Model was created in the 1970s by DARPA, an agency of the United States Department of Defense (DOD). It evolved from ARPANET, which were the world's first wide area network and a predecessor of the Internet.

Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) is the fourth version in the development of the Internet Protocol and the first version of the protocol to be widely deployed. As an alternative to the current IPv4, a new and improved version of TCP/IP IPv6 has been introduced. IPv6 is designed to coexist with the current IP protocol, while providing the expansion necessary to support the continual growth of the internet.

Inception of Internet

The Internet started as a US defense force project in the 1960s called ARPANET. Its original purpose was to link several computer sites in the country so that if one was destroyed the others would still function. Since this has become so successful, universities, government departments and large companies began to link to it also. Thanks to ARPANET, the Internet looks or behaves the way it does today as or else it might not even exist. While other companies were working on ways to network computers, ARPANET established the protocols used on the Internet today. Moreover, without ARPANET, it may have taken many more years before anyone tried to find ways to join regional networks together into a larger system.

The early Internet was used by computer experts, engineers, scientists, and librarians. There was nothing friendly about it. There were no home or office personal computers in those days, and anyone who used it, whether a computer professional or an engineer or scientist or librarian, had to learn to use a very complex system.

TCP/IP

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the basic communication language or protocol of the Internet. TCP/IP was developed in 1969 by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is the result of a resource sharing experiment called Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). The TCP/IP protocol was developed to provide high speed communication network links. Before TCP/IP, there was no way for computers to communicate easily and securely on public networks. TCP/IP provides end-to-end connectivity specifying how data should be formatted, addressed, transmitted, routed and received at the destination.

TCP - Transmission Control Protocol is used for transmission of data from an application to the network. TCP is responsible for breaking data down into IP packets before they are sent, and for assembling the packets when they arrive. IP - Internet Protocol takes care of the communication with other computers. IP is responsible for the sending and receiving data packets over the Internet.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol is an industry-standard suite of protocols designed for large internetworks. It can also be used as a communications protocol in a private network as either an intranet or an extranet. When you are set up with direct access to the Internet, your computer is provided with a copy of the TCP/IP program just as every other computer that you may send messages to or get information from also has a copy of TCP/IP.

TCP/IP is a two-layer program. The higher layer, Transmission Control Protocol, manages the assembling of a message or file into smaller packets that are transmitted over the Internet and received by a TCP layer that reassembles the packets into the original message. The lower layer, Internet Protocol, handles the address part of each packet so that it gets to the right destination. Each gateway computer on the network checks this address to see where to forward the message.

TCP/IP uses the client/server model of communication in which a computer user as a client requests and is provided a service by another computer as a server in the network. TCP/IP communication is primarily point-to-point, meaning each communication is from one point in the network to another point or host computer. Many Internet users are familiar with the even higher layer application protocols that use TCP/IP to get to the Internet. These include the World Wide Web's Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), the File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet (Telnet) which lets you logon to remote computers, and the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). These and other protocols are often packaged together with TCP/IP as a suite.

IP History

Since the Internet Protocol is really the architectural foundation for the entire TCP/IP suite, everyone has expected that it was created first, and the other protocols built upon it. The functions it performs were defined at the birth of the protocol, but IP itself didn't exist for the first few years that the protocol suite was being defined. IP functions were originally part of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

IP Versions

The IP defined in RFC 791 was the first widely-used version of the Internet Protocol. IP was created when its functions were split out from an early version of TCP that combined both TCP and IP functions. TCP evolved through three earlier versions, and was split into TCP and IP for version 4. That version number was applied to both TCP and IP for consistency. Version 4 of the Internet Protocol is in fact the first version that was widely deployed and is the one that commonly used.

So, when you use IP today, you are using IP version 4 abbreviated as IPv4. This IPv4 has proven itself remarkably capable as it was originally designed for an internetwork a tiny fraction of the size of our current Internet. Various additions and changes have been made over time to how IP is used, especially with respect to addressing, but the core protocol is basically what it was in the early 1980s.

Despite how well IPv4 has served us, it was recognized that for various reasons a new version of IP would eventually be required. Due to the difficulties associated with making such an important change, development of this new version of IP has actually been underway since the mid-1990s. This new version of IP is formally called Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and also sometimes referred to as IP Next Generation or IPng. Version 5 was intentionally skipped over in favor of version 6 to avoid confusion as this protocol never went anywhere.

Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4)

Even though the name seems to imply that it's the fourth iteration of the key Internet Protocol, version 4 of IP was the first that was widely used in modern TCP/IP. IPv4, as it is sometimes called to differentiate it from the newer IPv6, is the Internet Protocol version in use on the Internet today, and an implementation of the protocol is running on hundreds of millions of computers. It provides the basic datagram delivery capabilities upon which all of TCP/IP functions and it has proven its quality in use over a period of more than two decades.

For the last several years, development of a new version of IP has been underway, officially called Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and also sometimes referred to as IP Next Generation or IPng. IPv6 is poised to take over from IPv4, and will be the basis for the Internet of the future.

Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)

IPv6 is still IP just like IPv4, it performs the same functions: addressing, encapsulation, fragmentation and reassembly, and datagram delivery and routing. It is intended to replace IPv4, which still carries the vast majority of Internet traffic. IPv6 was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to deal with the long-anticipated problem of IPv4 address exhaustion.

Since IPv6 represents the evolution of IP, many of its concepts of operation are built upon those introduced in IPv4. To avoid unnecessary duplication, this section has been written with the assumption that the reader is familiar with the operation of IPv4, especially addressing and how datagram’s are packaged and delivered. If you have not read the section on IPv4, reviewing it first would be wise, because the description of IPv6 focuses on how it differs from the current IP version.

IPv6 is obviously still under development, and as such, writing a section such as this one is like trying to hit a moving target. However, since changes are being made to both IPv6 standards and implementation every month, there is a higher probability of information in this particular section being out of date.

Every device on the Internet, such as a computer or mobile telephone, must be assigned an IP address for identification and location addressing in order to communicate with other devices. With the increasing number of new devices being connected to the Internet, the need arose for more addresses than IPv4 is able to accommodate. Thus IPv6 is designed to use a 128-bit address.

IPv6 addresses consist of eight groups of four hexadecimal digits separated by colons.

85a2 : 0db8 : 85a3 : 0042 : 1000 : 8a2e : 0370 : 7334

Why did TCP/IP become the dominant network protocol?

Mid 1990s it turned out that TCP/IP had become the dominant standard protocol on the Internet rather than the OS1 standard proposed by the International Standard Organization.

The first critical development was that software for computer networking and data transfer was developed using government funding and was thus free to use by any hardware or software designer. It was called TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol) and was extremely robust. In fact, it is extremely robust: Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), first defined in 1980, is still running the Internet today. That TCP/IP became the dominant communication protocol of the Internet meant that the Internet was born as a public entity rather than a commercial one.

In the late 70′s and early 80′s there was already a small number of computer networks such as local area networks (LANs) which existed in offices or university. The problem was that they all used different languages to talk to one another. Without a common language, it would be impossible to connect the networks to one another and create the "internetwork" that became the Internet.

The first amazing development of the 1980′s was the rise of free software for connecting to and transferring data across the Internet. The second amazing development was that the Internet lost its military character and became a civilian network. In 1983 ARPANET was split into a military and civilian Internet. It was the beginning of the Internet that we know today.

How was TCP/IP changed?

Functions of TCP/IP in an open systems environment, whereas a variety of networking components are interconnected, one can easily understand the importance of having a standard set of rules. This set of rules or protocols enable system components such as computer workstations, servers, printers and other network devices to effectively communicate. This communication or interconnection must take place over a variety of medium, such as fiber optic, copper cable, microwave and other types of wireless technology. In addition to these distribution mediums, hardware devices such as modems, hubs, switches and routers are required. With all these components necessary to connect various types of computer workstations, network servers, and wireless devices, through an assortment of medium, it's easy to understand why it is so important to have a standard transfer control protocol such as TCP/IP.

One of the primary benefits of the TCP/IP protocol is the function for which it serves to regulate how computer components of various types are interconnected. Through this open system interconnection vendors are able to develop computer products that effectively function together.

The first internet architecture was built on the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) seven layer models or "stack" that was used by ARPANET. By 1974 this would become the TCP/IP five layers Reference Model.

OSI 7 Layer Model

TCP/IP 5 Layer Stack

Application

Application

Presentation

Session

Transport

Transport

Network

Internet

Date link

Date link

Physical

Physical

Illustration 1

How was new protocol developed?

Even though TCP/IP has proven to be remarkably strong, it may not scale to the future. In particular, TCP/IP does not know how to differentiate between traffic priorities (e.g. visiting a website requires a fairly immediate response as soon as we click on it, email delivery can wait a few seconds). This lack of prioritization is one of the major causes of the "slowness" of the Internet as perceived by users. There are also security issues with TCP/IP, with researchers warning of vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. In April 2004, a major alert was issued to deal with a fundamental vulnerability.

Users of large scale sites are already experiencing problems with the protocol, which tends to suggest that ordinary users will become affected in the near future, as bandwidth and processing availability continues to grow.

Every computer system assigned to the internet requires a unique IP address of its own. The existing 32 bit addressing scheme of version 4 which was once more than adequate, is no longer able to provide for proper expansion. IPv6 provides a 128 bit solution. In addition to the expansion of IP addresses, version 6 includes improved methods for automatic routing and network configuration. In terms of adaptability and integration with existing systems technologies, many common Internet applications already work with IPv6.

In addition to the added addressing capabilities inherent in further TCP/IP expansion, IPv6 includes modifications that are conducive to the future demands of IP network traffic. It is anticipated that there will be much more emphasis on real-time transactions as the Internet and intranets metamorphose from old style data networks, into complex transmission systems carrying a vast wealth of data, entertainment and other services, some not yet even a twinkle in their innovator's eye. Even with the added support of DHCP configuration, a new method of generating IP assignments is extremely desirable. IPv6 appears to be the answer to providing improved methods for distributing internet traffic while allowing continued expansion for the foreseeable future.

List of Figures and Illustration

Illustration 1

OSI 7 Layer Model

TCP/IP 5 Layer Stack

Application

Application

Presentation

Session

Transport

Transport

Network

Internet

Date link

Date link

Physical

Physical

Conclusion

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) is by far the most common protocol suite today. There are several reasons for this, including the amount of development and architecture dedicated to the suite, its large number of application layer protocols, its use in the Internet, and its status as a relatively light-weight protocol suite.

The efforts to change TCP/IP must continue to have even better communication protocol in future. The efforts need to be considered in the light of other major protocol problems, so that a more intelligible approach to protocol improvement or replacement begins.

Glossary

ARPANET - Advanced Research Projects Agency Network

DARPA - Advanced Research Projects Agency

DoD - Department of Defense

FTP - File Transfer Protocol

HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol

IETF - Internet Engineering Task Force

IP - Internet Protocol

IPv4 - Internet Protocol version 4

IPv6 - Internet Protocol version 6

SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

TCP - Transmission Control Protocol

Reference

White, G. (2001) "Understanding Neworks and TCP/IP" Retrieved January 03, 2013 from: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=131034&seqNum=4

Charles, M. (2003-2012) "The TCP/IP Guide" Retrieved January 03, 2013 from: http://www.tcpipguide.com/

Boucadair, B. (2010) "IPv6 Addressing of IPv4/IPv6 Translators Retrieved January 03, 2013 from: https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6052

Belrose, E.  ( 2009) "What is the TCP/IP stack" Retrieved January 03, 2013 from: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/thread/5769

Ian Peter, I. (2008) "History of the Internet Protocols" Retrieved January 03, 2013 from: http://www.nethistory.info/History%20of%20the%20Internet/protocols.html

Cope, J. (2002) "QuickStudy: Peer-to-Peer Network" Retrieved January 04, 2013 from: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/69883/Peer_to_Peer_Network

Wilde, O. (2010) "FTP - File Transfer Protocol" Retrieved January 05, 2013 from: http://www.imagescape.com/helpweb/ftp/ftptop.html