Computer/network interface design: lessons from Arpanet and Ethernet

The author's involvement in developing Arpanet and Ethernet computer network interfaces is described. The lessons learned in designing and implementing Arpanet in 1969 and Ethernet in 1989 are discussed. It is argued that some of the more general lessons are likely to be applicable to interfaces operating on up to a terabit, petabit, or perhaps even an exabit per second