Editing Local area network (section)

==History and development of LAN==

=== Early installations ===
{{Home networking standards}}
The increasing demand and usage of computers in universities and research labs in the late 1960s generated the need to provide high-speed interconnections between computer systems. A 1970 report from the [[Lawrence Radiation Laboratory]] detailing the growth of their "Octopus" network gave a good indication of the situation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rogerdmoore.ca/PS/OCTOA/OCTO.html |title=Octopus: The Lawrence Radiation Laboratory Network |author=Samuel F. Mendicino |publisher=Rogerdmoore.ca |date=1970-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706202409/http://www.rogerdmoore.ca/PS/OCTOA/OCTO.html |archive-date=2011-07-06 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |osti=4045588 |title=THE LAWRENCE RADIATION LABORATORY OCTOPUS |journal=Courant Symposium Series on Networks |date=29 Nov 1970 |publisher=Osti.gov |last1=Mendicino |first1=S. F.}}</ref>

A number of experimental and early commercial LAN technologies were developed in the 1970s. [[Ethernet]] was developed at [[Xerox PARC]] between 1973 and 1974.<ref name="metcalfe video">{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5MezxMcRmk |title=The History of Ethernet |publisher=NetEvents.tv |year=2006 |access-date=September 10, 2011}}{{cbignore}} Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/g5MezxMcRmk Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120113032536/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5MezxMcRmk Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_687626 |title=Ethernet Prototype Circuit Board |year=1973 |publisher=Smithsonian National Museum of American History |access-date=September 2, 2007 |archive-date=October 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028132431/http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_687626 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Cambridge Ring (computer network)|Cambridge Ring]] was developed at Cambridge University starting in 1974.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/conference/EDSAC99/history.html |title=A brief informal history of the Computer Laboratory |publisher=University of Cambridge |date=20 December 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113213834/http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/conference/EDSAC99/history.html |archive-date=13 November 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>  [[ARCNET]] was developed by [[Datapoint]] Corporation in 1976 and announced in 1977.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arcnet.com/resources/HistoryATA.pdf|title=ARCNET Timeline|date=Fall 1998|publisher=ARCNETworks magazine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414155134/http://www.arcnet.com/resources/HistoryATA.pdf|archive-date=2010-04-14|url-status=dead}}</ref> It had the first commercial installation in December 1977 at [[Chase Manhattan Bank]] in New York.<ref>{{cite web |author=Lamont Wood |url=http://www.computerworld.com/article/2538907/networking/the-lan-turns-30--but-will-it-reach-40-.html |title=The LAN turns 30, but will it reach 40? |work=Computerworld |date=2008-01-31 |access-date=2016-06-02 |archive-date=2016-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630130355/http://www.computerworld.com/article/2538907/networking/the-lan-turns-30--but-will-it-reach-40-.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1979,<ref name="European Parliament Archives-2021">{{Cite web|last=European Parliament Archives|date=January 25, 2021|title=Voting system Tender Specifications - 1979 |url=https://enricomassetti.com/the-european-parliament-electronic-voting-system/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616175401/https://enricomassetti.com/the-european-parliament-electronic-voting-system/|archive-date=June 16, 2021|url-status=dead}}</ref> the [[electronic voting in the European Parliament|electronic voting system for the European Parliament]] was the first installation of a LAN connecting hundreds (420) of microprocessor-controlled voting terminals to a polling/selecting central unit with a [[multidrop bus]] with [[Master/slave (technology)]] arbitration.{{dubious|date=January 2021|Claim to first LAN/on of first LANs for Electronic voting systems for the European Parliament}} It used 10 kilometers of simple [[unshielded twisted pair]] [[category 3 cable]]—the same cable used for telephone systems—installed inside the benches of the European Parliament  Hemicycles in Strasbourg and Luxembourg.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 January 2021 |title=Italian TV network RAI on the voting system |url=https://vimeo.com/504531637 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117220933/https://vimeo.com/504531637 |archive-date=17 January 2023}}</ref>

The development and proliferation of [[personal computer]]s using the [[CP/M]] operating system in the late 1970s, and later [[DOS]]-based systems starting in 1981, meant that many sites grew to dozens or even hundreds of computers. The initial driving force for networking was to share [[Computer data storage|storage]] and [[Printer (computing)|printers]], both of which were expensive at the time. There was much enthusiasm for the concept, and for several years, from about 1983 onward, computer industry pundits habitually declared the coming year to be, "The year of the LAN".<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FzsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA46|title=Will The Year of the ISDN be 1994 or 1995?|first=Robert|last=Metcalfe|quote='The Year of The LAN' is a long-standing joke, and I freely admit to being the comedian that first declared it in 1982...|journal=InfoWorld|date=Dec 27, 1993|volume=15|issue=52|access-date=June 14, 2021|archive-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614014127/https://books.google.com/books?id=FzsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA46|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/java/quotes1999.html|title=Quotes in 1999|quote=...you will remember numerous computer magazines, over numerous years, announcing 'the year of the LAN.'|website=Cafe au Lait Java News and Resources|access-date=2011-02-25|archive-date=2016-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414043142/http://www.ibiblio.org/java/quotes1999.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://herot.typepad.com/cherot/2010/10/connected-health-symposium.html|title=Christopher Herot's Weblog|quote=...a bit like the Year of the LAN which computer industry pundits predicted for the good part of a decade...|first=Christopher|last=Herot|access-date=2023-10-21}}</ref>

=== Competing standards ===
In practice, the concept was marred by the proliferation of incompatible [[physical layer]] and [[network protocol]] implementations, and a plethora of methods of sharing resources. Typically, each vendor would have its own type of network card, cabling, protocol, and [[network operating system]]. A solution appeared with the advent of [[Novell NetWare]] which provided even-handed support for dozens of competing card and cable types, and a much more sophisticated operating system than most of its competitors.

Of the competitors to NetWare, only [[Banyan Vines]] had comparable technical strengths, but Banyan never gained a secure base. [[3Com]] produced [[3+Share]] and Microsoft produced [[MS-Net]]. These then formed the basis for collaboration between [[Microsoft]] and 3Com to create a simple network operating system [[LAN Manager]] and its cousin, IBM's [[LAN Server]]. None of these enjoyed any lasting success; Netware dominated the personal computer LAN business from early after its introduction in 1983 until the mid-1990s when Microsoft introduced [[Windows NT]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://guide.sbanetweb.com/press/varbiz07116001.html |title=Has Microsoft Ever Read the History Books? |publisher=VARBusiness |author=Wayne Spivak |date=2001-07-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716012211/http://guide.sbanetweb.com/press/varbiz07116001.html |archive-date=2011-07-16 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1983, TCP/IP was first shown capable of supporting actual defense department applications on a Defense Communication Agency LAN testbed located at Reston, Virginia.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Scott|first=W. Ross|date=May 1, 1984|title=Updated Local Area Network Demonstration Plan|journal=MITRE Corporation Working Paper|issue=WP83W00222R1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=MITRENET: A Testbed Local Area Network at DTNSRDC.|last=Havard (II.)|first=Richard|publisher=Defense Technical Information Center|date=17 June 1986|location=Ft. Belvoir Defense Technical Information Center|page=i}}</ref> The TCP/IP-based LAN successfully supported [[Telnet]], [[FTP]], and a Defense Department teleconferencing application.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Scott|first1=W. Ross|last2=Cavedo|first2=Robert F.|date=September 1, 1984|title=Local Area Network Demonstration Procedures|journal=MITRE Corporation Working Paper|issue=WP83W00595}}</ref> This demonstrated the feasibility of employing TCP/IP LANs to interconnect [[Worldwide Military Command and Control System]] (WWMCCS) computers at command centers throughout the United States.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Scott|first=W. Ross|date=August 1, 1984|title=Local Area Network Alternative "A" Demonstration Analysis (DRAFT)|journal=MITRE Corporation Working Paper|issue=WP84W00281}}</ref> However, WWMCCS was superseded by the [[Global Command and Control System]] (GCCS) before that could happen.

During the same period, [[Unix workstation]]s were using TCP/IP networking. Although the workstation market segment is now much reduced, the technologies developed in the area continue to be influential on the Internet and in all forms of networking—and the TCP/IP protocol has replaced [[IPX]], [[AppleTalk]], [[NetBIOS Frames|NBF]], and other protocols used by the early PC LANs.

[[Econet]] was Acorn Computers's low-cost local area network system, intended for use by schools and small businesses. It was first developed for the [[Acorn Atom]] and [[Acorn System 2]]/[[Acorn System 3|3]]/[[Acorn System 4|4]] computers in 1981.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Retro Isle - Acorn Econet|url=http://www.retroisle.com/general/acorn_econet.php|access-date=2020-10-28|website=www.retroisle.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Chris's Acorns: Econet|url=http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/Network/Econet.html|access-date=2020-10-28|website=chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk}}</ref>

=== Further development ===
In the 1980s, several token ring network implementations for LANs were developed.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Early Token Ring Work at MIT |author=J. Noel Chiappa |author-link=Noel Chiappa |journal=[[IEEE Annals of the History of Computing]] |volume=36 |issue=2 |date=April–June 2014 |pages=80–85 |doi=10.1109/MAHC.2014.14|s2cid=30761524 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://historyofcomputercommunications.info/section/14.18/Proteon/ |title=14.18 Proteon in Chapter 14 - Internetworking: Emergence 1985-1988 |work=The History of Computer Communications |first=James |last=Pelkey}}</ref> IBM released its own implementation of token ring in 1985,<ref>{{Cite web|date=1985-10-15|title=IBM Token-Ring Network  |url=https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/announcements/archive/ENUS185-123|access-date=2025-03-26|website=IBM  |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lS8EAAAAMBAJ&dq=October+15+1985+token&pg=PA27 |title=Major Vendors Differ On Network Approach |first=Don |last=Crabb |magazine=[[InfoWorld]] |volume=8 |issue=12 |date=24 March 1986 |page=27}}</ref> It ran at {{val|4|ul=Mbit/s}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AToEAAAAMBAJ&dq=ibm+token+ring+speed+4&pg=PA11 | title=InfoWorld | date=21 November 1988 }}</ref> IBM claimed that their token ring systems were superior to Ethernet, especially under load, but these claims were debated;<ref>{{cite book |title=IEEE 802.3 Local Area Network considerations |publisher=[[IBM]] |id=GG22-9422-0}}</ref><ref name="Boggs1988">{{cite journal
 |author1=David R. Boggs |author2=Jeffrey C. Mogul |author3=Christopher A. Kent | year = 1988
 | title = Measured capacity of an Ethernet: myths and reality
 | journal = ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review
 | volume = 25
 | issue = 1
 | pages = 123–136
 | doi = 10.1145/205447.205460
 |s2cid=52820607 | url = http://www.hpl.hp.com/techreports/Compaq-DEC/WRL-88-4.pdf
}}</ref> while the slow but inexpensive AppleTalk was popular for Macs, in 1987 ''[[InfoWorld]]'' said, "No LAN has stood out as the clear leader, even in the IBM world".<ref name="satchell19870817">{{Cite magazine |last=Satchell |first=Stephen |date=1987-08-17 |title=IBM PS/2 Model 25 |department=Short Looks |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2jsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA44#v=onepage&q&f=true |access-date=2025-05-25 |magazine=InfoWorld |page=44 |volume=9 |issue=33}}</ref> IBM's implementation of token ring was the basis of the IEEE 802.5 standard.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Dn9KlIVM_EC&dq=ibm+802.5&pg=PA1009 | title=Internetworking Technologies Handbook | year=2004 | publisher=Cisco Press | isbn=978-1-58705-119-7 }}</ref> A 16&nbsp;Mbit/s version of Token Ring was standardized by the 802.5 working group in 1989.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/802.5/1100/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817022518/https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/802.5/1100/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=August 17, 2022 | title=IEEE Standards Association }}</ref> IBM had market dominance over Token Ring, for example, in 1990, IBM equipment was the most widely used for Token Ring networks.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://hcd.ucdavis.edu/faculty/webpages/kenney/articles_files/Sponsors,%20Communities,%20and%20Standards_%20Ethernet%20vs.%20Token%20Ring%20in%20the%20Local%20Area%20Networking%20Business.pdf |title=Sponsers, [sic] Communities, and Standards: Ethernet vs. Token Ring In The Local Area Networking Business |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219041820/http://hcd.ucdavis.edu/faculty/webpages/kenney/articles_files/Sponsors,%20Communities,%20and%20Standards_%20Ethernet%20vs.%20Token%20Ring%20in%20the%20Local%20Area%20Networking%20Business.pdf |archive-date=2018-02-19 |url-status=dead |author1=Urs Von Burg |author2=Martin Kenny |journal=Industry and Innovation |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=351–375 |date=December 2003 |doi=10.1080/1366271032000163621 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis Ltd]]|s2cid=153804163 }}</ref>

[[Fiber Distributed Data Interface]] (FDDI), a LAN standard, was considered an attractive campus [[backbone network]] technology in the early to mid 1990s since existing Ethernet networks only offered 10&nbsp;Mbit/s data rates and Token Ring networks only offered 4&nbsp;Mbit/s or 16&nbsp;Mbit/s rates. Thus it was a relatively high-speed choice of that era, with speeds such as 100&nbsp;Mbit/s.
By 1994, vendors included [[Cisco Systems]], [[National Semiconductor]], Network Peripherals, SysKonnect (acquired by [[Marvell Technology Group]]), and [[3Com]].<ref>{{Cite news |title= Wading Through Plethora of Options Poses Challenge for Life on the Fast LAN |work= Network World |pages= 41, 44, 46–49 |author= Mark Miller |date= March 21, 1994 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=eA0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA47 |access-date= August 15, 2013 }}</ref> FDDI installations have largely been replaced by Ethernet deployments.<ref>{{Cite book |title= Optical Fiber Communication: Principles and Systems |pages= 241–249 |author=A. Selvarajan |author2=Subrat Kar |author3=T. Srinivas |publisher= Tata McGraw-Hill Education |year=2003 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=uyBSO4hf6DYC&pg=PA241 |isbn= 978-1-259-08220-7 }}</ref>