 - An agency of the United States Department of Defense, ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) underwrote development for the precursor of the Internet, known as ARPANET. Initially a modest network of four interconnected university computers, ARPANET's initial purpose was to enable mainly scientific users at the connected institutions to communicate and share resources. ARPANET took advantage of the new idea of sending information in small units called packets that could be routed on different paths and reconstructed at their destination. The development of the TCP/IP protocols in the 1970s made it possible to expand the size of the network, which now had become a network of networks, in an orderly way.
Because ARPA's name was changed to Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 1971, some people refer to ARPANET as DARPANET. (DARPA was changed back to ARPA in 1993 and back to DARPA again in 1996.)
 |
Learn more about Network Administration |
| Networking FAQ: These FAQs for networking will help you learn networking basics. |
| Network user management: Use this guide to learn how to manage problem users on your network -- from un-savvy Internet novices to toxic bosses -- to keep your network secure. |
| Troubleshooting -- 'Network Know-How' Chapter 17: Troubleshooting, Chapter 17 of 'Network Know-How,' shows tools and methods that identify and solve network problems. Use this chapter as a tutorial to fixing computer connections. |
| Network management frameworks: FCAPS and ITIL: Network management is a complex topic. Thus far, two frameworks exist that can be of some use for understanding and taming network management: FCAPS and ITIL. |
| Networking podcasts: Listen to our networking podcasts and learn more about technologies you need to know to keep your network running smoothly. |
| The IT Guy: Networking comics: In our networking comic series, the IT guy and his office coworkers encounter day-to-day network challenges. |
| LAST UPDATED: |
29 Mar 2005
|
 |
Do you have something to add to this definition? Let us know.
Send your comments to techterms@whatis.com
|
|
More resources from around the web:
|
 |
 |
| |
RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS
| Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary |
 |
availability
(SearchNetworking.com)
1) In a telephone circuit, availability is the ratio between the time during which the circuit is operational and elapsed time.
2) In a network...
|
|
carrier detect
(SearchNetworking.com)
|
|
|
Show me everything on 