OARnet

The Ohio Academic Resources Network (OARnet) is a state-funded IT organization that provides member organizations with intrastate networking, virtualization and cloud computing solutions, advanced videoconferencing, connections to regional and international research networks and the commodity Internet, colocation services and emergency web-hosting.

The OARnet network (known for a time as OSCnet and, earlier, Third Frontier Network) is a dedicated, statewide, high-speed fiber-optic network that serves Ohio K-12 schools, college and university campuses, academic medical centers, public broadcasting stations and state and local/state government. OARnet is considered one of the most advanced statewide telecommunications networks dedicated to research, education and economic competitiveness in the nation.

OARnet is connected in Cleveland to Internet2, the United States' most advanced nationwide research and education network. OARnet also maintains direct connections to New York's NYSERNet, Michigan's Merit network, and OmniPoP in Chicago.

OARnet offices are located on the West Campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, United States.

OARnet additionally serves as the delegated registrar for many third-level domains (both generic and locality-based) under .oh.us and some under .in.us and .ky.us.

A member of the Ohio Technology Consortium, a technology initiative of the Ohio Board of Regents, OARnet was created by the Ohio General Assembly in 1987 to provide Ohio researchers with network connectivity to the resources of the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC). It was recognized at the time that the network would serve a much broader audience, so when a network name was selected in early 1988, OARnet was chosen to emphasize the many uses of the network.

The initial plan (1987) was to make use of a number of existing Bitnet and CCnet (regional DECnet network) connections to get started. Three network (compatible) protocols were used, NJE, DECnet, and . The first OARnet-funded line was installed between Case Western Reserve University and John Carroll University in June 1987. Many subsequent lines at 9.6 kbit/s, 56 kbit/s, and T1 (1.544 Mbit/s) were installed with the aid of an Ohio Department of Administrative Services contract with Litel Corp. Internet (then NSFnet) connections were obtained in the spring of 1988. The non-TCP/IP protocols were soon phased out, and a process of upgrading connections took place regularly.

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