Editing AARNet (section)

==History==
[[File:AARNet Network 1993.png|thumb|350px|right|The AARNet network as at October 1993]]
AARNet was initially built between the [[University of Melbourne]] in [[Melbourne]], where the international Internet feed initially landed, and university and [[CSIRO]] facilities in all [[Australian state]] capital cities and the [[Australian National University]] in [[Canberra]]. AARNet was formed in 1989 by the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee (AVCC).

In 1989, [[Kevin Robert Elz]] established the first permanent Internet feed to Australia, at the University of Melbourne. Until this time, researchers within Australia had limited access to the [[ARPANET]], due to the high expense of providing communications between Australia and the United States. The national network infrastructure generally consisted of groups of hosts connected throughout the country exchanging mail and files on a periodic schedule using the [[MHSnet|SUNIII]] software and protocols, with several international dial-up links around the country exchanging this information where required.

AARNet was initially built as a multi-protocol network, comprising [[Internet Protocol]] (IP) as well as [[DECnet]] and [[X.25]] so as to accommodate pre-existing [[ACSnet]] and [[SPEARnet]] systems then in current use. With the rapid subsequent growth in popularity of the Internet, AARNet soon evolved into an [[Internet Protocol|IP]]-only network. In 1988, there were a number of popular network protocols, such as [[IBM]]'s [[Systems Network Architecture|SNA]] and the [[CCITT]]'s [[X.25]], and the ARPANET's IP protocol was only beginning to become favoured. Australian National University staff members [[Geoff Huston (internet)|Geoff Huston]] and Peter Elford were seconded by the AVCC in 1989 and tasked with technical management and build of the new network.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.internethalloffame.org/blog/2012/07/09/father-australian-internet-warns-address-crunch-0|title=Father of Australian Internet Warns of Address Crunch {{!}} Internet Hall of Fame|website=www.internethalloffame.org|access-date=2020-04-03}}</ref>

AARNet introduced its 'value added reseller' program to allow [[Internet service provider]]s (ISPs) to use its network, the first being [[Connect.com.au]] in May 1994.<ref name=Virtual_Nation /> AARNet gradually became a wholesale [[backbone network|backbone]] ISP, serving over 300 smaller ISPs by June 1995. At that point, about 20% of total AARNet traffic was from these other users, and AVCC decided to sell the AARNet commercial assets to [[Telstra]], who currently operates it under the name [[Telstra#Telstra Internet|Telstra Internet]].

In early 1997, AARNet2 went into service, a network that used [[Asynchronous Transfer Mode|ATM]] links and Internet services under a contract with Cable & Wireless Optus (CWO), now [[Optus]]. AARNet became a separate company from the AVCC in 1999.

In 2001 AARNet deployed its own international capacity by acquiring 310&nbsp;Mbit/s of capacity from Sydney via Hawaii to [[Seattle]]. As of 2006, the current network is known as AARNet3, and the backbone uses a [[dark fibre network]] provided by [[Nextgen Networks]].

[[File:AARNet International Network.png|thumb|600px|centre|The AARNet international network as at September 2013, showing onward connections to peer [[national research and education network|NREN]] networks]]