A Ridiculous Failure of Critical Infrastructure

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dave CROCKER <dcrocker () bbiw net>
Date: December 2, 2009 11:38:51 AM EST
To: dave () farber net
Cc: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>, Shane Greenstein <greenstein () KELLOGG NORTHWESTERN EDU>, "Atkinson, Robert" <rca53 () 
COLUMBIA EDU>
Subject: Re: [IP] : A Ridiculous Failure of Critical Infrastructure



Dave Farber wrote:
> >   Indeed, the Internet began its life as a military network. That is true. 

Actually, it's not.

The US Department of Defense funded the research that created the Arpanet and then the early Internet, but the only 
portions actually operated by the military were the sites containing hosts and "routers" (packet switches) on military 
sites.  Other sites and the Network Operations Center (at BBN) had civilian operation.

So the Arpanet and initial Internet had unclassified, non-military operation (and non-miliary content) at mostly 
non-military sites


But one nuance is missing
> > from his historical response below. There is a common after-the-fact reasoning about why the NSF gave the Internet 
> > backbone to private industry, and it is misleading.

Some clarifications that are consistent with later comments in Greenstein's note:

NSFNet was an addition to the existing Internet, which already had its own backbone.  This forced creation of a routing 
protocol, BGP, that could support multiple backbones.

The NSF gave only its own backbone to private Industry.  Other backbones had other ownership.


> > Let's be clear about three things:
> >
> > First, by the time the NSF walked away from the Internet the network had a very decentralized operational structure. 
> > Even during the research days, the NSF only managed the backbone, while regional cooperatives managed the regional 
> > networks, and thousands of 

The NSF also had created a number of those regional networks in the US, some of which went on to also be 'given' to 
private industry.

d/

-- 

 Dave Crocker
 Brandenburg InternetWorking
 bbiw.net




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