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The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Internet

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Internet is a book written by Ed Krol in 1987. The book is a reference to Douglas Adams Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 1979 science fiction novel. In the novel, the Guide is a remarkably insightful omen to the internet. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Internet was intended for a reader who has knowledge on the workings of a non-connected simple IP network. The objective of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Internet is to navigate readers through their use of interoperating networks which form the internet; networks such as ARPANET, IP-based networks NSF and NASA. Krol guides readers through the internet by addressing aspects of the internet that are important to the network’s functioning such as operation centers, request for comments, network information centers, mail reflectors, address allocation, internet problems, and routing.

Operating the Internet

Each network has an operation center that watches over the sections of the internet to which they are assigned. The operation center also must have a general knowledge of what is happening within the internet. Operation centers have certain functions that must be performed such as configuration management, capacity management, customer service management, service development and people management, as well as network management.

Network and People Management Functions

Network management requires that operation centers maintain 24-hour service within their networks in addition to being proactive in the management of customer installations. People management requests that operation centers maintain a safe work environment and training for their employees.

Request For Comments (RFCs)

Request for comments, also known as RFCs, were originally invented in 1969 to record notes on the development of the ARPANET. RFCs are the official record for internet specifications, protocols, procedures, and events. Creating an RFC requires someone to create a document describing an issue and submitting it to the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI). The ISI is an organization that provides "comprehensive coverage of the world's most important and influential research conducted throughout the world". After it is accepted as a good idea, the RFC will be filed and put into the 5 groups; required, suggested, directional, informational and obsolete.

Network Information Center (NIC)

The Network Information Center provides information to the all the users of the internet. During the early days of the internet, the NIC managed and distributed information about new research and standards, in addition to helped set the tone for how business was conducted. The NIC was also known as the “prehistoric Google”.

Mail Reflectors

In the year that The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Internet was published, people were informed of network news through mail reflectors. Mail reflectors were electronic mailboxes, which we know today as Email. Users would subscribe to network news resulting in them receiving a message to their mailbox and have the ability to reflect that message to other mailboxes.

Address Allocation

In order for a local network can be connected to the internet, it must be assigned to an IP address by the ISI. An IP (internet protocol) address is a set of numbers that are used to identify and individual connection to the internet. Before a network can qualify for IP address space, the network must be able to successfully manage its current IP address space. An IP address is made up for two parts, the first part identifies a the network and the second identifies a specific machine that is connected to the network, also called a host. In the past, IP addresses are organized by the hierarchy of class A, B, and C, depending on which network they are assigned to. However, the organization of classes are no longer used as it has been proved as wasteful of address space. “Variable subnetting” scheme was created to address the issue while allowing more address space for more networks, as the network part of the address is extended to eight bits instead of the original four.

Internet Problems

Krol discusses a number of significant internet problems that were present at the time that he wrote Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Internet. These problems include; routing issues, trust issues, the number of networks and capacity and congestion. In 1987, the number of networks was reaching 300, this was an issue as the internet was not intended to handle so many networks. The development of these networks leads to maximum capacity and congestion as more people are on the internet and using the networks. At the time, additional links were being developed to relieve the congestion on the networks.

Routing

For a piece of information to get from its source to its destination, a network will use an algorithm to direct its path, this is also known as routing. Routers, otherwise known as IP gateways, have connections to multiple networks and pass traffic between them. The IP gateways choose how a packet is sent based on the IP header and the network. Each router has an address that fits the network to which it is connected and the passing of the information between the networks determines the state of the network. Routing algorithms are constantly being developed, ARPANETs routing algorithm has recently been improved. The new algorithm uses fewer network resources, maneuvers on more practical network functions, and is protected of long term loops or oscillations.