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In the summer of 1968, a small group of graduate students from UCLA, SRI, UC Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah met in Santa Barbara to discuss the planning of a computer network. They were excited about the possibilities of networking and the ARPA experiment. The meeting was successful in generating enthusiasm and interest in the network. The group decided to meet regularly and began discussing how the network would work and what applications it would support.

To keep track of their discussions, one of the students, Steve Crocker, volunteered to write minutes of the meetings. He labeled his first set of minutes as “Request for Comments” and distributed them to the other sites. This document, titled “Host Software,” described the basic handshake between two computers and set the tone for future RFCs. The RFCs became the principal means of communication and collaboration in the computer networking community.

The group, now called the Network Working Group (NWG), continued meeting regularly to discuss protocols and applications for the network. They decided to design a host-to-host protocol that would allow computers to communicate as peers. This was a difficult task as computers at the time were designed to interact with peripheral devices, not with other computers. The goal was to create a protocol that would allow two computers to engage in a dialogue, with each side being able to initiate communication and respond to the other.

The NWG also had to write network applications for specific tasks such as remote log-ins and file transfers. They faced challenges in designing the host-to-host protocol and writing the network applications. The protocol needed to be simple, open, and adaptable, allowing for future modifications and additions. The NWG adopted a layered approach to protocols, breaking them down into simple, focused protocols that could be combined in various ways.

In the spring of 1969, UCLA received the specifications for connecting host computers to the IMPs (Interface Message Processors). The NWG had to build hardware interfaces and write device drivers to operate the host-to-IMP connections. BBN’s specifications clarified the boundaries between the IMP and the host, leaving the host computer responsible for host-to-host communication.

During the summer of 1969, the NWG worked on building the host-to-IMP interfaces and writing the host-to-host protocol. However, they realized they were running out of time and decided to tell each site to create makeshift protocols until a proper protocol could be developed. UCLA managed to build the host-to-IMP interface in time for the arrival of the IMP.

On August 30, 1969, the IMP arrived at UCLA. Len Kleinrock, Steve Crocker, and others were there to receive it. The IMP, a large and heavy machine, was installed in room 3400 at UCLA. It was connected to the Sigma-7 computer, and within an hour, data was being passed between the two machines.

The arrival of the IMP at UCLA marked a significant milestone in the development of the ARPANET. The NWG had overcome many challenges in designing the host-to-host protocol and building the interfaces. Now, they could continue their work in creating applications for the network.

In summary, in the summer of 1968, a group of graduate students met to discuss the planning of a computer network. From these meetings, the Network Working Group (NWG) emerged, dedicated to designing protocols and applications for the network. The NWG created a series of Request for Comments (RFCs) and adopted a layered approach to protocols. They faced challenges in building the hardware interfaces and writing the host-to-host protocol. The arrival of the IMP at UCLA marked a significant milestone in the development of the ARPANET.

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