The Unique 1993: When Cisco's Time and Date Origins Began
One fascinating discovery has come to light while delving into the history of Cisco, a company now as renowned for its network routers and switching technology as Unix is for its epoch. The year 1993 marks a significant milestone for Cisco, and this article aims to explore why it is so unique in the context of the company's timeline and its relationship with Unix.
Unix Epoch and Cisco's First Router Release
The concept of Unix's epoch is crucial to understand the origins of Cisco's time and date management. Unix tracks time as the number of seconds since 00:00:00 on 1 January 1970. It's highly likely that this epoch corresponds to the initial release of the series router by Cisco, reflecting the technological advancements and shifts in the networking industry during that time.
Cisco's Evolution: From One Product to a Range of Technologies
Before 1993, Cisco had a single product: the router. This singular focus on just one product reflects the nascent stages of the company. However, in 1993, Cisco took a significant step by acquiring Crescendo Communications, thus entering the switching market. This acquisition paves the way for Cisco to diversify its product offerings, eventually evolving into a leader in multiple dimensions of networking technology.
Time and Clock Handling in Cisco IOS
The development of time and clock handling in Cisco's system began around 1993. This was the foundation of what would eventually be known as the Cisco IOS (Internal Operating System). The actual implementation of this crucial feature was done by several individuals, each contributing their expertise to create the robust time management system that is still in use today. It is believed that Tony Li might remember the exact individuals involved, but the specific names mentioned are Dave Katz, Dino Farinacci, Kevin Paul Herbert, or Bill Westfield. They were all instrumental in the development of the early Cisco hardware and software.
Early Model: The Cisco 7000 Router
Among the early models, the Cisco 7000 series router was particularly notable. It was the first to incorporate a battery-backed hardware clock, which was a significant advancement in maintaining accurate time across system failures. The 7000 series was released in January 1993, as noted on the front page of the January 1993 Network World. This release marks the advent of robust time management capabilities, with the early code being listed in the 9.171 release notes that clearly detail the introduction of clock commands.
Epoch Selection for Time and Date Handling
The decision to choose March 1, 1993, as the starting point for the time epoch was a strategic one. By starting the epoch at a date outside the typical January 1st, the complexity of leap year calculations was minimized. The reason behind selecting this month was to simplify the handling of leap years, ensuring that the system could manage time accurately without the need for frequent adjustments.
Conclusion
In conclusion, 1993 was a pivotal year for Cisco, marking the company's expansion into multiple markets and the development of sophisticated time management systems. The choice of March 1, 1993, as the starting point for the epoch was not just a technical decision but a forward-thinking strategy that has had lasting implications for the company's products and their reliability over the years.