MHSnet is astore-and-forward Message Handling System for wide area networks. MHSnet and its precursor,SUNIII, were used to implement theAustralian Computer Science network,[1] commonly known asACSnet, which connected Australia's Universities to each other and toARPANET.[2]
MHSnet was originally developed at theUniversity of Sydney byPiers Lauder andBob Kummerfeld and was originally known as SUNIII (Sydney University Network version 3). Technically, it is similar in concept toUUCP in that it enabled the transfer of email,Usenet, and files in an efficient manner over non-dedicated links. In addition, it supported dynamic routing and a hierarchical name space avoiding the limitations of hardwired network addresses.[3]
MHSnet was a key technology in the introduction ofInternet access inAustralia. Due to the prohibitive costs of telecommunications structure, and the small amount of bandwidth available both internally and to other countries, MHSnet provided a system that could more efficiently use network resources. Gateways between ACSnet and the Internet were provided by many universities, and access to non-academic users was granted in the early 1990s.
In 1989, with the introduction ofAARNet which directly connected Australia's Universities to the Internet, the ACSnet and MHSnet became obsolete.[2]
ACSnet connected hosts in Australia resided in a.oz domain, which was moved into the Internet's.au namespace as.oz.au.[4]
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