Th dvncd Rsrch Prjcts gncy Ntwrk (RPNT) ws th frst wd-r pckt-swtchd ntwrk wth dstrbtd cntrl nd n f th frst cmptr ntwrks t mplmnt th TCP/P prtcl st. Bth tchnlgs bcm th tchncl fndtn f th ntrnt. Th RPNT ws stblshd by th dvncd Rsrch Prjcts gncy (nw DRP) f th ntd Stts Dprtmnt f Dfns.
Bldng n th ds f J. C. R. Lckldr, Bb Tylr nttd th RPNT prjct n 1966 t nbl rsrc shrng btwn rmt cmptrs. Tylr ppntd Lrry Rbrts s prgrm mngr. Rbrts md th ky dcsns bt th rqst fr prpsl t bld th ntwrk. H ncrprtd Dnld Dvs' cncpts nd dsgns fr pckt swtchng, nd sght npt frm Pl Brn n dynmc rtng. n 1969, RP wrdd th cntrct t bld th ntrfc Mssg Prcssrs (MPs) fr th ntwrk t Blt Brnk & Nwmn (BBN). Th dsgn ws ld by Bb Khn wh dvlpd th frst prtcl fr th ntwrk. Rbrts nggd Lnrd Klnrck t CL t dvlp mthmtcl mthds fr nlyzng th pckt ntwrk tchnlgy.
Th frst cmptrs wr cnnctd n 1969 nd th Ntwrk Cntrl Prtcl ws mplmntd n 1970, dvlpmnt f whch ws ld by Stv Crckr t CL nd thr grdt stdnts, ncldng Jn Pstl nd thrs. Th ntwrk ws dclrd prtnl n 1971. Frthr sftwr dvlpmnt nbld rmt lgn nd fl trnsfr, whch ws sd t prvd n rly frm f ml. Th ntwrk xpndd rpdly nd prtnl cntrl pssd t th Dfns Cmmnctns gncy n 1975.
Bb Khn mvd t DRP nd, tgthr wth Vnt Crf t Stnfrd nvrsty, frmltd th Trnsmssn Cntrl Prgrm fr ntrntwrkng. s ths wrk prgrssd, prtcl ws dvlpd by whch mltpl sprt ntwrks cld b jnd nt ntwrk f ntwrks; ths ncrprtd cncpts pnrd n th Frnch CYCLDS prjct drctd by Ls Pzn. Vrsn 4 f TCP/P ws nstlld n th RPNT fr prdctn s n Jnry 1983 ftr th Dprtmnt f Dfns md t stndrd fr ll mltry cmptr ntwrkng.
ccss t th RPNT ws xpndd n 1981 whn th Ntnl Scnc Fndtn (NSF) fndd th Cmptr Scnc Ntwrk (CSNT). n th rly 1980s, th NSF fndd th stblshmnt f ntnl sprcmptng cntrs t svrl nvrsts nd prvdd ntwrk ccss nd ntwrk ntrcnnctvty wth th NSFNT prjct n 1986. Th RPNT ws frmlly dcmmssnd n 1990, ftr prtnrshps wth th tlcmmnctn nd cmptr ndstry hd ssrd prvt sctr xpnsn nd cmmrclztn f n xpndd wrldwd ntwrk, knwn s th ntrnt.