Nightsong
Bookworm
With all of this talk lately about world building various technologies and how they came to be created in Eras, I decided to venture off on my own and write up a framework for how and why the Internet came to be created. This version of the proposal is written from the perspective of Merilia being at the forefront of the Internet's creation however it can be very easily adapted to fit other nations with certain tweaks and modifications. Furthermore, as can be seen in the section titled [To Do and RP Collaboration Ideas], there are many sections I have left vague or undefined. These sections can be utilized for collaborative world building and further fleshing out the creation of the Internet.
One of the earliest projects of the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute was the Network Control Program, the predecessor to IPS/VN. This protocol provided connections and flow control between processes running on different communication and computer host machines. It acted as a simplex protocol that utilized two port addresses for two-way communication through the establishment of two connections. With the standardization and implementation of IPS/VN in 1973, the two simplex[1] ports were reduced to one duplex[2] port.
[1] Simplex: A cable with a single fiber. Can only transmit data in one direction.
[2] Duplex: A cable with two fiber. Can transmit data bi-directionally. If set to half-duplex, data may only be transmitted in one direction at a time. If set to full-duplex, data is transferred in two directions simultaneously.
The crowing achievement of the Internet Engineering Institute came in 1973 when the Dispatch Protocol and Network Protocol were standardized and implemented on the VORNET by the Institutes and the Universities. With this came the first successful test of internetworking[1]. Now, twenty years since the commission of the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute, the dream of the Monarch and the Government of Merilia was finally within reach.
The VN Model was the brainchild of Magnús Kai, an engineer who had studied at the University of Elenarda. The VN Model consists of two protocols that provide for end-to-end communication, the Dispatch Protocol and the Network Protocol.
Research, development, and testing took place from 1970 to 1973 with the addressing systems being among the first systems created. Magnús and his fellow researches knew that they wanted to create a scalable and secure addressing scheme that could account for future exponential growth in VORNET and beyond. Their initial success came from a 64-bit[2] local device address which they based primarily on the Network Control Program and other early addressing models from the past twenty years. This addressing scheme, called the Communication Access Control System, accounted for having the address burned directly onto a network interface card and was formatted as eight groups of 8-bits in the hexadecimal format of: AF-AF-AF-AF-AF-AF-AF-AF. With the Communication Access Control System in place, the Internet Engineering Institute was able to streamline a system of sending packets of data from one device to another device so long as they were on the same network. With this successful test of sending data across the same network without error, Magnús and his fellow researches turned their attention towards getting two or more networks to talk to one another and to allow data to be transferred between them. In mid-1972, the team created a new 64-bit[3] address scheme, called the Internet Protocol Address System. These new addresses were broken down as four groups of 16-bits each with each group being separated by a colon with an example 64-bit address looking like F739:0060:A2B4:1AB9. With this new addressing scheme in place, each device on a network would have its own unique address with the network address and subnet address remaining the same for every device in the network.
Now that Magnús Kai and the Internet Engineering Institute had the Communication Access Control System and the Internet Protocol Address System in place, they were formalized and standardized under a new protocol called the Network Protocol. This completely replaced the Network Program Control that had been used by networks for the last twenty years. During the three-year development of the Communication Access Control System and the Internet Protocol Address System, the Internet Engineering Institute realized they needed a layered approach to how packets were formatted, handled, and transmitted. This led to the rise of the Dispatch Protocol in 1973 which specifically dealt with how data was to be packetized, addressed, transmitted, routed, and received. This functionality was organized into five abstraction layers which classified all related and future protocols according to the scope of networking involved. The layered system was named after the Dispatch Protocol it belonged to as well as the Network Protocol and as such, it was called the Verkröðunar-Netsamskipta Model, or VN Model for short. From lowest to highest, the layers of the VN Model are:
With this growth and standardization of many new protocols and systems, the Internet Engineering Institute published a paper[4] in 1982 outlining the Internet Protocol Suite. This suite would include all current and future protocols that had been standardized and approved by the Internet Engineering Institute for use on the Internet. At the time of its publication, the Internet Protocol Suite included the Network Protocol (made up of the Communication Access Control System and the Internet Address System) and the Dispatch Protocol (made up of the VN Model).
[1] Internetworking: the notion of interconnecting two or more networks to build a large, global network.
[2] A 64-bits address system would provide 264 or 18.4 x 1018 addresses.
[3] A 64-bits address system would provide 264 or 18.4 x 1018 addresses.
[4] The published paper was titled: A Globalized Communication Suite.
Overview
The Internet is the system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet Protocol Suite to link devices throughout Eras. It is a network of networks that consists of public, private, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scale, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies. Much of the origins of the Internet date back to research commissioned by the Government of the Most Serene Kingdom of Merilia and the University of Reykr in the 1960’s to build a robust communication network based on the early communication and computer networks that had been developed and tested in the 1950’s. Foreign nations that had created their own communication and computer networks throughout the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s contributed designs, theories, and technologies to the work being done by Merilian engineers and computer scientists. One of the primary precursor networks to the modern Internet, VORNET, was spearheaded by the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute of Merilia in coordination with the University of Reykr. The 1970’s and 1980’s saw the rise of worldwide participation in the development and refinement of networking technologies, mergers of networks and the standardization of IPS/VN (Internet Protocol Suite / VN Model). The linking of commercial networks and enterprises by the 1990’s marked the beginning of the transition to the modern Internet and the rise of the World Wide Web and its associated HTTPS protocol. This generated a sustained exponential growth as generations of institutional, mobile, and personal computers were connected to the network.What is the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute?
The Scientific Advancement and Research Institute was commissioned by the Government of the Most Serene Kingdom of Merilia in 1953. This commission was in response to the end of the Fascist War in 1951 and the devastation it had wrought across the nations involved as well as all of Eras. Due to the Most Serene Kingdom of Merilia remaining neutral during the war, its economy, infrastructure, and industry were intact. This left the nation in the unique position to further research and develop Fascist War technology in order to find a civilian or commercial use. One such opportunity presented itself in the form of early communication and computer network systems when the Monarch and the Government of Merilia realized that a global communication system could be utilized towards breaking down cultural barriers and building a globalized society. Early prototypes were researched and tested throughout the late 1950’s and early 1960’s when the University of Reykr showed interest in creating an academia-based network to house academic papers and facilitate stronger and more robust communication among university researchers on their various projects. This joint venture between the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute and the University of Reykr led to the creation of the Network Control Program, dealing with the transmission of data, and VORNET in 1965, one of Eras’ first implementations of a packet-switching network.One of the earliest projects of the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute was the Network Control Program, the predecessor to IPS/VN. This protocol provided connections and flow control between processes running on different communication and computer host machines. It acted as a simplex protocol that utilized two port addresses for two-way communication through the establishment of two connections. With the standardization and implementation of IPS/VN in 1973, the two simplex[1] ports were reduced to one duplex[2] port.
[1] Simplex: A cable with a single fiber. Can only transmit data in one direction.
[2] Duplex: A cable with two fiber. Can transmit data bi-directionally. If set to half-duplex, data may only be transmitted in one direction at a time. If set to full-duplex, data is transferred in two directions simultaneously.
How are networks governed? What is the Internet Engineering Institute and the VN Model?
With the creation of VORNET in 1965, the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute and the University of Reykr realized that a new organization was needed in order to maintain the numerous protocols that were being created, tested, and discarded. This led to the rise of the Network Engineering Institute in 1968 which was tasked with creating a standardized protocol suite for the fledgling group of network pioneers that had over the prior three years grown to include the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute, the University of Reykr, the University of Elenarda, the University of Sirea, the University of Márai, and the University of Kadrión. Initially the Network Engineering Institute was a branch of the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute, but it was rebranded as the Internet Engineering Institute and spun off as its own organization in 1973 with the creation and implementation of IPS/VN.The crowing achievement of the Internet Engineering Institute came in 1973 when the Dispatch Protocol and Network Protocol were standardized and implemented on the VORNET by the Institutes and the Universities. With this came the first successful test of internetworking[1]. Now, twenty years since the commission of the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute, the dream of the Monarch and the Government of Merilia was finally within reach.
The VN Model was the brainchild of Magnús Kai, an engineer who had studied at the University of Elenarda. The VN Model consists of two protocols that provide for end-to-end communication, the Dispatch Protocol and the Network Protocol.
Research, development, and testing took place from 1970 to 1973 with the addressing systems being among the first systems created. Magnús and his fellow researches knew that they wanted to create a scalable and secure addressing scheme that could account for future exponential growth in VORNET and beyond. Their initial success came from a 64-bit[2] local device address which they based primarily on the Network Control Program and other early addressing models from the past twenty years. This addressing scheme, called the Communication Access Control System, accounted for having the address burned directly onto a network interface card and was formatted as eight groups of 8-bits in the hexadecimal format of: AF-AF-AF-AF-AF-AF-AF-AF. With the Communication Access Control System in place, the Internet Engineering Institute was able to streamline a system of sending packets of data from one device to another device so long as they were on the same network. With this successful test of sending data across the same network without error, Magnús and his fellow researches turned their attention towards getting two or more networks to talk to one another and to allow data to be transferred between them. In mid-1972, the team created a new 64-bit[3] address scheme, called the Internet Protocol Address System. These new addresses were broken down as four groups of 16-bits each with each group being separated by a colon with an example 64-bit address looking like F739:0060:A2B4:1AB9. With this new addressing scheme in place, each device on a network would have its own unique address with the network address and subnet address remaining the same for every device in the network.
Now that Magnús Kai and the Internet Engineering Institute had the Communication Access Control System and the Internet Protocol Address System in place, they were formalized and standardized under a new protocol called the Network Protocol. This completely replaced the Network Program Control that had been used by networks for the last twenty years. During the three-year development of the Communication Access Control System and the Internet Protocol Address System, the Internet Engineering Institute realized they needed a layered approach to how packets were formatted, handled, and transmitted. This led to the rise of the Dispatch Protocol in 1973 which specifically dealt with how data was to be packetized, addressed, transmitted, routed, and received. This functionality was organized into five abstraction layers which classified all related and future protocols according to the scope of networking involved. The layered system was named after the Dispatch Protocol it belonged to as well as the Network Protocol and as such, it was called the Verkröðunar-Netsamskipta Model, or VN Model for short. From lowest to highest, the layers of the VN Model are:
- Physical Layer: conveys the bit stream - electrical impulse, light, or radio signal — through the network at the electrical and mechanical level.
- Interface Layer: provides node-to-node data transfer (between two directly connected nodes) and handles error correction from the physical layer. This layer deals with the routing of data through Communication Access Control addresses.
- Network Layer: provides switching and routing technologies and deals with addressing, error handling, congestion control, and packet sequencing to allow for internetworking between independent networks. This layer deals with the routing of data through Internet Protocol System Addresses.
- Transport Layer: provides transference of data between end systems to allow for host-to-host communication and manages and terminates connections between applications.
- Application Layer: transforms data into an acceptable format and encrypts data to be sent across a network. Provides process-to-process data exchange for applications.
With this growth and standardization of many new protocols and systems, the Internet Engineering Institute published a paper[4] in 1982 outlining the Internet Protocol Suite. This suite would include all current and future protocols that had been standardized and approved by the Internet Engineering Institute for use on the Internet. At the time of its publication, the Internet Protocol Suite included the Network Protocol (made up of the Communication Access Control System and the Internet Address System) and the Dispatch Protocol (made up of the VN Model).
[1] Internetworking: the notion of interconnecting two or more networks to build a large, global network.
[2] A 64-bits address system would provide 264 or 18.4 x 1018 addresses.
[3] A 64-bits address system would provide 264 or 18.4 x 1018 addresses.
[4] The published paper was titled: A Globalized Communication Suite.
What is the Agency for Assigned Names and Numbers?
As the Internet grew it popularity and size, engineers and computer scientists realized they needed to make navigation of Internet addresses easier. This led to the rise of the Agency for Assigned Names and Numbers and the creation of the Domain Name System in 1986. This system would act as the phone book of the Internet by translating a human friendly domain name (ex. https://www.merilia.gov) into an Internet Protocol Address (ex. 2002:4200:AF60:8888). To coordinate the allocation of addresses across an increasingly globalized Internet, regional Internet registries were created across Eras. These registry organizations were tasked with managing the allocation and registration of CAC addresses and IP addresses within their assigned region.- Icenian Network Information Centre
- Gothis Network Coordination Centre
- Kianese Registry for Internet Numbers
- Craviterian-Iterian Network Registry
- Meterran Agency for Internet Coordination
Timeline of Events
- 1953: The Scientific Advancement and Research Institute is commissioned by the Government of Merilia to research communication and computer networks.
- 1963: The University of Reykr enters into a research agreement with the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute to create an academia-based network. Over the next five years the University of Elenarda, the University of Sirea, the University of Márai, and the University of Kadrión would enter into this research agreement.
- 1965: The Network Control Program is created by the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute to deal with the transmission of data across networks. VORNET, one of Eras' first implementations of a packet-switching network is brought online.
- 1968: The Internet Engineering Institute is created as a branch of the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute to maintain and organize the numerous protocols that were being created, tested, and discarded.
- 1970 to 1973: The Communication Access Control System, the Internet Protocol Address System, and the VN Model are created and standardized as the Dispatch Protocol and the Network Protocol. These projects are created and overseen by Magnús Kai and other researchers at the Internet Engineering Institute.
- 1973: IPS/VN is standardized and implemented on VORNET and other networks. This marks the first successful test of internetworking. The Internet Engineering Institute is spun off as its own organization to maintain IPS/VN.
- 1982: The Internet Engineering Institute publishes "A Globalized Communication Suite" outlining the Internet Protocol Suite.
- 1984 – 1986: With the rise in popularity of the Internet among universities and businesses, the Internet Engineering Institute realizes that new agencies and standards are needed to make the Internet easier to navigate and use. This would lead to the creation of the Domain Name System in 1986 which would act as the phone book of the Internet. The Agency for Assigned Names and Numbers is created to manage the Domain Name System and the allocation of IP addresses to user friendly web addresses. The Internet Engineering Institute maintains control over the distribution and management of Communication Access Control addresses and IP addresses to businesses, universities, users, and any others who utilize an Internet capable device.
- 1986: As the Internet becomes more globalized, the Internet Engineering Institute and the Agency for Assigned Names and Numbers oversee the creation of regional Internet registries.
To Do and RP Collaboration Ideas
- With the creation of VORNET by the Scientific Advancement and Research Institute, what other packet-switching networks exist in Eras? Which nation and organization oversee their creation?
- Idea #1 (proposed by Syrixia, modified for clarity by Nightsong): Nations are clustered into three groups following the end of the Fascist War concludes in 1951... those who fought under the Allied banner, those who fought under the Dominion banner, and those who remained neutral and on the sidelines. Acknowledging that not all nations would have the resources, economic might, and government backing to fund research into communication and computer networks, the initial group of nations researching this technology would start out small in the 1960's and grow throughout the 1970's and 1980's as reconstruction and rebuilding efforts progressed.
- Which nations are credited with the invention of the bit, frame, packet, and segment? Are they tied to one nation? Were they created in a joint research venture among multiple nations?
- Idea #1 (proposed by Syrixia): The invention of the above mentioned technologies come about from a worldwide joint research venture in the late 1960's. The nations involved are those at the leading edge of network technology at this point in time.
- Idea #2 (proposed by Nightsong): The Scientific Advancement and Research Institute publishes papers on their research into networking technologies and this sparks close friends or allies of the Most Serene Kingdom of Merilia to be either brought on board or consulted with.
- Idea #3 (proposed by Nightsong): Alternative networks to VORNET are created by foreign nations to explore alternative methods to networking. Bits, frames, packets, and/or segments arise out of this research into an alternative to VORNET.
- The VN Model is created from 1970 to 1973 by Magnús Kai and the Internet Engineering Institute. Does this development and research draw on research done by other foreign nations? Is Merilia the only nation involved or is it a joint research venture among multiple nations?
- Were there competing models to the VN Model? How did they differ? Did they influence the VN Model in any way? If there are competing models, why did the VN Model get selected as the global standard for networks from that point in time forward?
- Idea #1 (proposed by Syrixia): Concerning why the VN Model became the predominant networking model utilized by networks across Eras is due to other models being clunky and/or too complex to implement on a large scale network.
- With the standardization and implementation of IPS/VN on the VORNET in 1973, how does that standardization go on to be adopted in networks across Eras? Is a science conference held by the Internet Engineering Institute with other leading nations in networking? What did foreign nations contribute? How does IPS/VN tie into the rise of the modern Internet?
- Idea #1 (proposed by Syrixia, modified for clarity by Nightsong): Following the successful worldwide joint venture research into bits, frames, packets, and segments that was held in the late 1960's, a worldwide scientific conference is held in Merilia in 1973. This occurs after the first successful test of internetworking on VORNET. The conference is intended to bring as many nations on board as possible so that a worldwide standard can be adopted.
- How are the Regional Internet Registries structured and maintained? Which nations house the regional registries and why?
- Idea #1 (proposed by Syrixia): The Regional Internet Registries are housed in Merilia (Icenia), Goyanes (Gothis), McMasterdonia or Midir (Kian), Syrixia (Craviter / Iteria), and Demescia (Meterra).
- What prompted and led to the creation of the World Wide Web and the hypertext transfer protocol? Which nation, researcher, or group is responsible?
- Idea #1 (proposed by Syrixia): As the Internet became more globalized, the Internet Engineering Institute is reorganized into an international consortium that also includes the Agency for Assigned Names and Numbers and the Regional Internet Registries. This global consortium is not beholden to any one government and instead embodies the ideals of joint international research concerning the Internet and future networking technologies. It can work with companies and governments across the globe as well as holding or sponsoring technology conventions to promote the use of the Internet and to spark further research and development.
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