The Department of Energy’s Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) has published a 3D timeline celebrating thirty years of service. With the launch of an interactive timeline, viewers can explore ESnet’s history and contributions.
Thirty years ago, the idea of a unified network that allowed people to easily connect with colleagues, facilities and data centers was still a dream – the World Wide Web was still three years away. At the time, networking was confined to specialized networks created to support targeted research communities. One of those pioneers is the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Sciences Network, better known as ESnet. Created in 1986 to meet demands for moving data and accessing remote facilities, ESnet combined two networks serving researchers in fusion research (MFEnet) and high energy physics (HEPnet).
Since it launch, ESnet has marked many milestones and is today one of the world’s premier networks supporting science research around the globe. During its three decades, ESnet has also developed and deployed a number of tools and technologies to advance the state of networking and become a leading contributor to the international networking community.
