Network properties of the ARPA computer network

The ARPA Computer Network, which today links over 60 host computers in more than 40 different locations is a significant advance both in computer systems and data communications. The ARPANET uses a communication technique called packet switching to dynamically select message routes through the network. In this paper, we discuss a number of important properties of the network as well as the techniques used to identify these properties. Among the topics discussed are ARPANET growth, performance sensitivity to traffic variations, incremental costs for adding capacity and new sites, peak throughput costs, and network reliability.