<s>
SURAnet	B-Protocol
was	O
a	O
pioneer	O
in	O
scientific	O
computer	O
networks	O
and	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
regional	O
backbone	O
computer	O
networks	O
that	O
made	O
up	O
the	O
National	O
Science	O
Foundation	O
Network	O
(	O
NSFNET	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
later	O
Internet	O
communications	O
standards	O
and	O
protocols	O
were	O
developed	O
by	O
SURAnet	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
SURA	O
itself	O
stepped	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
challenge	O
and	O
,	O
with	O
support	O
from	O
the	O
U.S.	O
National	O
Science	O
Foundation	O
(	O
NSF	O
)	O
and	O
SURA	O
universities	O
,	O
SURAnet	B-Protocol
was	O
up	O
and	O
running	O
in	O
1987	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
phase	O
of	O
National	O
Science	O
Foundation	O
Network	O
(	O
NSFNET	O
)	O
funding	O
as	O
the	O
agency	O
built	O
a	O
network	O
to	O
facilitate	O
scientific	O
collaboration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SURAnet	B-Protocol
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
and	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
largest	O
Internet	O
providers	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SURA	O
sites	O
first	O
used	O
a	O
56	O
kbit/s	O
backbone	O
in	O
1987	O
which	O
was	O
upgraded	O
to	O
1.5M	O
bit/s	O
(	O
DS1	B-Protocol
)	O
in	O
1989	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
a	O
45	O
Mbit/s	O
(	O
DS3	O
)	O
backbone	O
in	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SURAnet	B-Protocol
participated	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
Internet	O
communications	O
standards	O
and	O
telecommunications	O
protocols	O
that	O
enabled	O
researchers	O
and	O
federal	O
agencies	O
to	O
communicate	O
and	O
work	O
in	O
this	O
early	O
Internet	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SURAnet	B-Protocol
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
NSFNET	O
regional	O
networks	O
to	O
become	O
operational	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SURAnet	B-Protocol
provided	O
networking	O
services	O
for	O
universities	O
and	O
industry	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
TCP/IP	B-Protocol
networks	I-Protocol
to	O
sell	O
commercial	O
connections	O
,	O
when	O
IBM	O
Research	O
in	O
Raleigh-Durham	O
,	O
North	O
Carolina	O
was	O
connected	O
in	O
1987	O
–	O
1988	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
first	O
network	O
to	O
attempt	O
to	O
convert	O
to	O
OSPF	B-Protocol
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SURAnet	B-Protocol
was	O
so	O
successful	O
that	O
it	O
outgrew	O
SURA	O
's	O
primary	O
mission	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
SURA	O
Board	O
approved	O
its	O
sale	O
to	O
Bolt	O
,	O
Beranek	O
and	O
Newman	O
in	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
the	O
protocols	O
and	O
procedures	O
created	O
under	O
SURAnet	B-Protocol
are	O
still	O
in	O
use	O
in	O
the	O
commercial	O
Internet	O
today	O
.	O
</s>
