The CGNET Story: A Case Study of International Computer Networking

Charles R. Crawford, formerly an associate professor of computer science
at York University, is currently a mathematics and computer-programming
consultant.

CGNET is a computer-based messaging network serving the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), whose centres and
remote facilities are located primarily in developing countries. This
book describes the design and development of that network.

The components of CGNET are connected in a variety of ways, some
through the Internet and the larger centres through their own local
e-mail networks. Some remote experimental stations, on the other hand,
connect via microwave towers or satellite links. In addition to the
usual technical problems, CGNET must also deal with a variety of
government bureaucracies.

CGIAR is connected with the United Nations, the World Bank, and
Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC). “Its
mandate is to support research programs aimed at improving the quantity
and quality of food produced in developing nations.” The authors
(several of whom are directly connected with CGIAR) give a clear account
of the problems in setting up an e-mail network and the ways such a
network can help an organization such as CGIAR—once the network is set
up and working.

Although the book has no index, the appendices contain detailed
information about CGNET and a bibliography.