[ih] inter IMP hackery [was Recently restored and a small ARPANET was run using simulated IMP hardware, ]

[dave walden]

See *** below.

On 9/6/2020 8:57 PM, the keyboard of geoff goodfellow via 
Internet-history wrote
> How were the first four IMPs (UCLA, SRI, UCSB & UTAH) managed/controlled
> until the cross country link to IMP #5 to y'all at BBN was installed?

***phone calls between the host sites and BBN, paper tapes of software 
updates mailed or hand carried to site, etc

> and
> What was the length of time the initial 4 ARPANET IMPs "ran" without the
> cross country link to IMP #5 in Boston?
***Not long I think.  The original contract ended at the end of 1969 
with the installation of the four IMPs done.  It was extended (without a 
break) for 1970 and maybe beyond -- I remember (maybe) in order to 
expand the net to 19 IMPs total.  The gating item was likely ARPA 
ordering the cross-country circuit which the phone company could 
probably deliver pretty fast.  We already had an IMP at BBN -- maybe the 
prototype or maybe a development machine -- I don't remember which.
>
>