May 1974
Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn publish TCP/IP design
Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn published A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunication in May 1974 — defining the TCPTransmission Control Protocol — a reliable, connection-oriented protocol used on the internet. design that became the internet's foundation.
What it was for
The paper described how heterogeneous packet networks could interconnect with reliable end-to-end communication — later split into TCPTransmission Control Protocol — a reliable, connection-oriented protocol used on the internet. and IPInternet Protocol — the addressing and routing layer that moves packets across networks.. Every HTTPHyperText Transfer Protocol — the protocol browsers use to request and receive web pages. request still rides protocols descended from this work.
People
- Vint Cerf — researcher
- Bob Kahn — researcher
Why it's here
The Cerf–Kahn paper is the architectural birth certificate of the internet protocol suite.
Why it mattered
It enabled internetworking beyond any single vendor or network technology.
What it solved
Packet networks could not share resources or route across incompatible systems.
Media
ImageVint CerfDuncan.Hull, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- ARPANET switches to TCP/IPJanuary 1, 1983