CHAOSnet

Symbolics, maker of the Lisp Machine, licensed the MIT CHAOSnet hardware and software implementation from the CADR[?] computer design. The Lisp Machine Lisp networking software supported transparent access to a wide variety of other machines -- as long as the other machines supported CHAOSnet.

The CHAOSnet protocol originally used its own hardware implementation over coaxial cable, and was later also implemented as a payload that could be carried over Ethernet.

CHAOSnet can be regarded as a precursor of both Ethernet and the Internet Protocol, and was supported by early versions of the BIND DNS server. The original GNU manifesto[?] stated the aim of supporting CHAOSnet.

References:

• David A. Moon. Chaosnet. A.I. Memo 628, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, June 1981.

External links:

• http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/software/ssr83/rpc_r/48381.htm
• http://www.uwsg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/net/0104.3/0050
• http://kogs-www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~moeller/symbolics-info/literature/AIM-628.ps.gz (in ps.gz format, not checked)
• Another reference to AI Memo 628 (http://gopher.quux.org:70/Archives/usenet-a-news/FA.works/81.07.13_ucbvax.2264_fa.works.txt)
• Another place to get AI Memos 500 to 999 (ftp://publications.ai.mit.edu/ai-publications/500-999)