I. Startup Stage (1994--1995)

CERNET Pilot Project. The first TCP/IP-based computer network with nationwide coverage funded by Chinese government. In November 1994, the State Planning Commission formally approved the feasibility study report of CERNET Pilot Project. In one year thereafter, CERNET built up the national backbone connecting 8 major cities, implemented international accessibility, completed the CERNET National Center, eight regional centers and two major nodes, essentially created a relatively complete network management and operation system, developed out a spectrum of network resources and application systems. By the end of 1995 when CERNET Pilot Project was accepted, CERNET had connected 108 universities and colleges around China but Tibet, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. With more than 30,000 login users, CERNET was China's largest computer net at that time. More remarkably, it was independently designed, constructed and managed by technical personnel at home, playing as a shining demonstrator in expansion of computer network and application in China.

 II. Growth (1996-1999)

Since 1996, CERNET migrated into a stage of consolidation, expansion and growth, in which three major projects were completed, which are: the Study Project on Crucial Technologies for Computer Information Network and Its Application, CERNET Backbone Upgrade Project, and CERNET Regional Backbone and Key Subjects Information Service System Project. The Study Project on Crucial Technologies for Computer Information Network and Its Application, a project included in the "Key Sci-tech Breakthrough Program Package during the Ninth Five-Year Period", was approved by the State Planning Commission in 1996, administered by Ministry of Education and undertaken by Tsinghua and other 13 universities and research institutions. This project involved cutting-edge network management and operation technologies, network and information security technologies, network interconnection and routing technologies, network design and test technologies, Chinese-interface network application environment and information mining technologies and typical computer network applications. In December 1998, the project passed through the appraisal and acceptance by an expert team constituted by several ministries. Most of the 30 entries of scientific research achievements attained in this project ride the technical frontline at home, some even come up to internationally leading level. This project has led to major breakthroughs in technological areas of workflow models applied in operation and management of large-scale complex networks, fast router forwarding, TTCN-based TCP/IP consistency test and so on. Applications developed on the basis of these technologies have come up to internationally leading level, which are crucial to evolution of information network and application of information resource in China. Up to date, outcomes of this project have widely been applied in CERNET construction, directly serving China's information initiative for its national economy. With steady expansion of user base and accessibility of Internet, all the original 64Kbps backbone channels over CERNET had almost been outstretched by 1997, addressing a pressing demand for capacity expansion. Considering this, the State Planning Commission formally approved the "CERNET Backbone Upgrade Project" in 1998, including constituting a DDN-satellite hybrid backbone in accommodation with real situations in different regions; building up the satellite communication system for the national and regional centers; constructing nodes and satellite communication mobile systems in remote and hard-to-access areas; deploying a batch of network management and security systems. Completion of this project increased the rate over CERNET backbone up to 4M, led to cutover of satellite channels from CERNET to Lanzhou, Yinchuan, Xining, Urumchi, Kunming, Guiyang and Chongqing, eliminating the congestion over CERNET in good time, paving the way for uninterrupted CERNET growth. "CERNET Regional Backbone and Key Subjects Information Service System" in "Program 211", A project that was initiated in 1998 and will be completed by 2000, including upgrade of the 8 regional centers, expansion and construction of 24~26 regional hubs, construction of the large-scale China Education Information Search System, creation of 10~20 key subjects information systems. This project, upon completed, will make CERNET a platform capable of connecting universities and colleges countrywide, and lead to formation of CERNET architecture. Currently, the project has come to wind-up stage.

III. Status Quo and Future Evolution (2000~ )

Thanks to painstaking efforts made by Chinese government and the project team in past years, CERNET has been upgraded and expanded to an important infrastructure in China's information initiative. Since 1999, development and application of CERNET have been advancing vigorously. In response to the State Council's requests defined in Decision with Respect to Deepening Education Reform and Vigorously Advancing Competence Education, as well as demands of the Education Revitalizing Initiative Oriented to 21st Century approved by the State Council and of the Modern Remote Learning Program launched by Ministry of Education, in consideration of CERNET evolution, the Ministry of Education initiated the "CERNET High-speed Backbone" Project. Approved by the State Planning Commission in September 1999, the "CERNET High-speed Backbone" Project that would be implemented during the period from September 1999 through December 2000 was contracted to a consortium comprising of Tsinghua and decades of universities. In this project, a high-speed transmission network will be built up by leveraging leading-edge information network technologies and existing communication facilities, on the basis of which, a CERNET high-speed backbone and medium-to-high-speed regional backbones will be established to expand the transmission capacity, and to boost the access capability and management of CERNET, thus accommodating demands of modern distance education, providing reliable and sound network services for remote learning, and laying a solid foundation for setup of China's remote learning system. CERNET will cooperate with China Broadcast and Television Education System to improve the environment and conditions for higher education, compulsory education and adult education in China to serve to cultivation of culture-indifferent, future-oriented and modernization-oriented talents. This project covers: construction of CERNET high-speed transmission network, CERNET high-speed backbone, medium-to-high-speed regional backbone, CERNET city high-speed access network and CERNET high-speed network service platform. At present, the high-speed backbone in the Modern Remote Learning Project is just under intense construction.