The Hitchhikers Guide to the Internet
25 August 1987
Ed Krol
krol@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu
This document was produced through funding of the National
Science Foundation.
Copyright (C) 1987, by the Board of Trustees of The University
of Illinois. Permission to duplicate this document, in whole
or part, is granted provided reference is made to the source
and this copyright is included in whole copies.
This document assumes that one is familiar with the workings
of a non-connected simple IP network (e.g. a few 4.2 BSD
systems on an Ethernet not connected to anywhere else).
Appendix A contains remedial information to get one to this
point. Its purpose is to get that person, familiar with a
simple net, versed in the "oral tradition" of the Internet
to the point that that net can be connected to the Internet
with little danger to either. It is not a tutorial, it
consists of pointers to other places, literature, and hints
which are not normally documented. Since the Internet is a
dynamic environment, changes to this document will be made
regularly. The author welcomes comments and suggestions.
This is especially true of terms for the glossary (definitions
are not necessary).
In the beginning there was the ARPAnet, a wide area
experimental network connecting hosts and terminal servers
together. Procedures were set up to regulate the allocation
of addresses and to create voluntary standards for the network.
As local area networks became more pervasive, many hosts became
gateways to local networks. A network layer to allow the
interoperation of these networks was developed and called IP
(Internet Protocol). Over time other groups created long haul
IP based networks (NASA, NSF, states...). These nets, too,
interoperate because of IP. The collection of all of these
interoperating networks is the Internet.
Two groups do much of the research and information work of
the Internet (ISI and SRI). ISI (the Informational Sciences
Institute) does much of the research, standardization, and
allocation work of the Internet. SRI International provides
information services for the Internet. In fact, after you
are connected to the Internet most of the information in
this document can be retrieved from the Network Information
Center (NIC) run by SRI.
Operating the Internet
Each network, be it the ARPAnet, NSFnet or a regional network,
has its own operations center. The ARPAnet is run by
BBN, Inc. under contract from DARPA. Their facility is
called the Network Operations Center or NOC. Cornell
University temporarily operates NSFnet (called the Network
Information Service Center, NISC). It goes on to the
-2-
regionals having similar facilities to monitor and keep
watch over the goings on of their portion of the Internet.
In addition, they all should have some knowledge of what is
happening to the Internet in total. If a problem comes up,
it is suggested that a campus network liaison should contact
the network operator to which he is directly connected. That
is, if you are connected to a regional network (which is
gatewayed to the NSFnet, which is connected to the
ARPAnet...) and have a problem, you should contact your
regional network operations center.