Interface Message Processor Front Panel
This is the front panel of the very first Internet Message Processor (IMP), which went to UCLA's Boelter 3420 lab and became the very first node on the ARPANET, which would become the Internet that we all know and love today.
The IMP was essentially a primitive router, much like the Wi-Fi router or cable modem you may have sitting on your desk, yet it was about the size of a refrigerator. This IMP, however, with the help of a SDS Sigma-7 computer, did transmit the the first message ever sent on the Internet to the Stanford Research Institute, promptly crashing the computer on Stanford's end.
Today, the original Boelter 3420 lab at UCLA, the birthplace of the Internet, is being turned into a museum with the original equipment used to transmit the very first messages on the Internet (today was their grand opening, which I was present for). The Kleinrock Internet Heritage Site and Archive will soon open to the public. If you'd like to learn more about the museum, click here.
Note: I've also uploaded this photo to the Wikimedia Commons, which can be found here. Likewise, I've licensed this photo under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, unlike most of my photos which are CreativeCommons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Note that the Flickr copy of this photo is under version 2.0 of the license, while the Wikimedia Commons version is under version 3.0. Although they are essentially identical to the end user, you may use either version of the CC-BY-SA license, whichever you prefer.
Interface Message Processor Front Panel
This is the front panel of the very first Internet Message Processor (IMP), which went to UCLA's Boelter 3420 lab and became the very first node on the ARPANET, which would become the Internet that we all know and love today.
The IMP was essentially a primitive router, much like the Wi-Fi router or cable modem you may have sitting on your desk, yet it was about the size of a refrigerator. This IMP, however, with the help of a SDS Sigma-7 computer, did transmit the the first message ever sent on the Internet to the Stanford Research Institute, promptly crashing the computer on Stanford's end.
Today, the original Boelter 3420 lab at UCLA, the birthplace of the Internet, is being turned into a museum with the original equipment used to transmit the very first messages on the Internet (today was their grand opening, which I was present for). The Kleinrock Internet Heritage Site and Archive will soon open to the public. If you'd like to learn more about the museum, click here.
Note: I've also uploaded this photo to the Wikimedia Commons, which can be found here. Likewise, I've licensed this photo under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, unlike most of my photos which are CreativeCommons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Note that the Flickr copy of this photo is under version 2.0 of the license, while the Wikimedia Commons version is under version 3.0. Although they are essentially identical to the end user, you may use either version of the CC-BY-SA license, whichever you prefer.