[e2e] Internet "architecture"

[Fred Baker (fred)]

I'd suggest running the assertion by Vint. I made a similar assertion in a document not too long ago, which I ran by him for comment, and he told me I was flatly wrong. Yes, the circuit switch folks were using the term "catenet" to refer to networks that interoperated through translation, such as frame relay/ATM interoperation, he asserted, but at least some (he?) was using the term "Internet" as early as the mid 1970's.

On Apr 11, 2013, at 8:59 PM, Dave Crocker <dhc2 at dcrocker.net> wrote:

> This is a risky query.  There have been previous threads about such things as the "start" of the Internet.  Instead, I want to ask about the "architecture" of the Internet.
> 
> Here's a comment that I sent earlier today, to a non-technical person who is aware of the overall Internet timeline, but I believe does not understand what is distinctive about Internet 'architecture'.  I'm curious about reactions on this list, and any possible improvements -- including complete replacement -- but more importantly I'm interested in filling in the details:
> 
>     The original use of the term Internet was to describe a distinctive technical design for a distributed, scalable data exchange fabric.  Its design characteristics differ dramatically from those of its predecessor, the Arpanet, and from other related efforts.
> 
> That's what I sent.  To prime the pump for the detail:
> 
>     By saying 'fabric' I meant to distinguish the mechanism for moving raw data from the applications that used it.  What I'd class as distinctive were the TCP/IP separation, the remarkably modest functionality of IP, even to the point of moving it's control plane to the next level up with ICMP, and continuing with modest expectations the layer below (which made it possible to operate over any medium including birds.)  This is usually characterized as moving robustness to the edges.
> 
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
> d/
> 
> -- 
> Dave Crocker
> Brandenburg InternetWorking
> bbiw.net