Stanford University Network
Encyclopedia
The Stanford University Network, also known as SUN, SUNet or SU-Net is the campus computer network
for Stanford University
.
nodes. Later ARPANET nodes were located in the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the Computer Science Department, and the Stanford University Medical Center
. In late 1979, the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center donated equipment including Xerox Alto
computers, a laser printer
, and file server
connected by Ethernet
local area network technology.
A router based on the PDP 11 computer from Digital Equipment Corporation
with software from MIT was used to connect the Ethernet to the ARPANET.
The PARC Universal Packet
protocol was initially used on the local parts of the network, which was the experimental version of Ethernet with a data rate under 3 Megabits/second.
As the TCP/IP protocols evolved through the 1980s, a TCP/IP network was built on the main campus, extending to other departments, and connecting many other computers. This network was called the "Stanford University Network" or SUN. Today, the campus network is referred to as SUNet.
Andy Bechtolsheim
, a Stanford graduate student at the time, designed a SUN workstation
for use on the network in 1980. It was inspired by the Alto, but used a more modular design powered by a Motorola 68000
processor interfaced to other circuit boards using Multibus
.
The workstations were used by researchers to develop the V-System
and other projects.
Bechtolsheim licensed the design to become the basis of the products of Sun Microsystems
(whose name was a pun based on the SUN acronym).
The CPU board could be configured with Bechtolsheim's experimental Ethernet boards, or commercial 10 Megabit/second boards made by 3Com
or others to act as a router.
These routers were called "Blue Boxes" for the color of their case. The routers were developed and depoloyed by a group of students, faculty and staff, including Len Bosack who was in charge of the computer science department's computers, and Sandy Lerner who was the Director of Computer Facilities for the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. All told there were about two dozen Blue Boxes scattered across campus. This original router design formed the base of the first Cisco Systems
router hardware products, founded by Bosack and Lerner (who were married at the time).
The original router software was called NOS, Network Operating System, written by William Yeager
, a staff research engineer at Stanford's medical school. Distinguishing features of NOS were that it was written in C
and that it was multi-tasking capable; this allowed additional network interfaces and additional features to be easily added as new tasks. NOS was the basis of Cisco's IOS
operating system. In 1987 Stanford licensed the router software and two computer boards to Cisco, after investigations by Stanford staff members such as Les Earnest
.
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
for Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
History
Stanford Research Institute, formerly part of Stanford but on a separate campus, was the site of one of the four original ARPANETARPANET
The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network , was the world's first operational packet switching network and the core network of a set that came to compose the global Internet...
nodes. Later ARPANET nodes were located in the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the Computer Science Department, and the Stanford University Medical Center
Stanford University Medical Center
Stanford University Medical Center represents the Stanford Hospital and the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and is located at 300 Pasteur Drive in Stanford, California. Stanford Hospital provides both general acute care services and tertiary medical care for patients locally, nationally and...
. In late 1979, the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center donated equipment including Xerox Alto
Xerox Alto
The Xerox Alto was one of the first computers designed for individual use , making it arguably what is now called a personal computer. It was developed at Xerox PARC in 1973...
computers, a laser printer
Laser printer
A laser printer is a common type of computer printer that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction printers , laser printers employ a xerographic printing process, but differ from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced...
, and file server
File server
In computing, a file server is a computer attached to a network that has the primary purpose of providing a location for shared disk access, i.e. shared storage of computer files that can be accessed by the workstations that are attached to the computer network...
connected by Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
local area network technology.
A router based on the PDP 11 computer from Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
with software from MIT was used to connect the Ethernet to the ARPANET.
The PARC Universal Packet
PARC Universal Packet
The PARC Universal Packet was one of the two earliest internetwork protocol suites; it was created by researchers at Xerox PARC in the mid-1970s...
protocol was initially used on the local parts of the network, which was the experimental version of Ethernet with a data rate under 3 Megabits/second.
As the TCP/IP protocols evolved through the 1980s, a TCP/IP network was built on the main campus, extending to other departments, and connecting many other computers. This network was called the "Stanford University Network" or SUN. Today, the campus network is referred to as SUNet.
Andy Bechtolsheim
Andy Bechtolsheim
Andreas von Bechtolsheim is an electrical engineer who co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982 and was its chief hardware designer....
, a Stanford graduate student at the time, designed a SUN workstation
SUN workstation
The original SUN workstation was a modular computer system designed at Stanford University in the early 1980s.-History:The project name was derived from Stanford University Network, the campus network within Stanford....
for use on the network in 1980. It was inspired by the Alto, but used a more modular design powered by a Motorola 68000
Motorola 68000
The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-bit CISC microprocessor core designed and marketed by Freescale Semiconductor...
processor interfaced to other circuit boards using Multibus
Multibus
Multibus is a computer bus standard used in industrial systems. It was developed by Intel Corporation and was adopted as the IEEE 796 bus.The Multibus specification was important because it was a robust, well-thought out industry standard with a relatively large form factor so complex devices could...
.
The workstations were used by researchers to develop the V-System
V (operating system)
The V operating system is a microkernel operating system that was developed by faculty and students in the distributed systems group at Stanford University from 1981 to 1988, led by Professors David Cheriton and Keith A. Lantz...
and other projects.
Bechtolsheim licensed the design to become the basis of the products of Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
(whose name was a pun based on the SUN acronym).
The CPU board could be configured with Bechtolsheim's experimental Ethernet boards, or commercial 10 Megabit/second boards made by 3Com
3Com
3Com was a pioneering digital electronics manufacturer best known for its computer network infrastructure products. The company was co-founded in 1979 by Robert Metcalfe, Howard Charney, Bruce Borden, and Greg Shaw...
or others to act as a router.
These routers were called "Blue Boxes" for the color of their case. The routers were developed and depoloyed by a group of students, faculty and staff, including Len Bosack who was in charge of the computer science department's computers, and Sandy Lerner who was the Director of Computer Facilities for the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. All told there were about two dozen Blue Boxes scattered across campus. This original router design formed the base of the first Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
router hardware products, founded by Bosack and Lerner (who were married at the time).
The original router software was called NOS, Network Operating System, written by William Yeager
William Yeager
William "Bill" Yeager is an American engineer. He is best-known for being the inventor of a packet-switched, "Ships in the Night," multiple-protocol router in 1981, during his 20 year tenure at Stanford's Knowledge Systems Laboratory.The code was licensed by upstart Cisco Systems in 1987 and...
, a staff research engineer at Stanford's medical school. Distinguishing features of NOS were that it was written in C
C (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
and that it was multi-tasking capable; this allowed additional network interfaces and additional features to be easily added as new tasks. NOS was the basis of Cisco's IOS
Cisco IOS
Cisco IOS is the software used on the vast majority of Cisco Systems routers and current Cisco network switches...
operating system. In 1987 Stanford licensed the router software and two computer boards to Cisco, after investigations by Stanford staff members such as Les Earnest
Les Earnest
Lester Donald Earnest was born in the United States on December 17, 1930. He began his career as a computer programmer in 1954 during a stint as a U.S. Navy Aviation Electronics Officer & Digital Computer Project Officer at Naval Air Development Center, Johnsville, Pennsylvania...
.