The StarKeith Information Network, or "InfoNet" as it is more commonly known, is a highly-sophisticated data network used to link the various computer systems of the Federation and StarKeith together.

In the early days of space exploration, the computer systems on space ships and space stations were primitive in the extreme (at least by current StarKeith standards). They had no capability for general data exchange with other computers, and thus, the only network which existed at the time was a simple voice and video network known as the "ComNet." The ComNet could be used by computer systems for short bursts of data, but they were not equipped or optimized for extended data transmissions.

With the advent of newer, more general computer systems, there arose a need for a network which could be used by computers, rather than by people. After the development of the "Computer" command software by Vigil Computer Systems, a team of scientists from Vigil Computer Systems got together with the lead computer scientists from StarKeith R&D, and designed the plans for a galaxy-wide computer and data information network.

This network was designed to be a direct connection network, as opposed to the ComNet, which was a broadcast-based network. Though still able to utilize subspace and hyperspace transmissions, the InfoNet would feature dynamic addressing controlled by a backbone of "routing" nodes. These "routing" nodes would allow point-to-point communications to be maintained without requiring the end units to recalculate the transmission path if one unit moved out of range.

By the time the recommendations for the InfoNet had passed StarKeith Command's review, the HAL series computer core had been built, and secondary cores were being spread throughout Federation space. These secondary nodes became the largest part of the "routing" nodes, and also allowed for increased response time to requests from nodes on the farthest edge of the network.

The StarKeith InfoNet (often abbreviated as "SKIN") is, essentially, a data-based network which continuously links thousands of individual computer systems across Federation space. In addition, its "backbone" is formed by the HAL and MAL series computer cores, which provide all users with the vast computing power and resources of the Federation's master computer.

With the advent of the InfoNet, starship commanders could be in constant contact with their superiors at StarKeith Command, and the HAL series computer could monitor the happenings of hundreds of thousands of ships, space stations, and outposts across Federation space. HAL could then provide up to the second updates, reports and analyses to the command staff at StarKeith Command, and other command centers throughout the Federation and StarKeith.

The major drawback of the InfoNet is its range. Unlike the ComNet, which can be extended easily by dropping a simple, self-powered relay node, the InfoNet nodes require substantial processing power of their own in order to process network traffic. Thus, the InfoNet is generally limited to the well-defined areas of Federation space. Spacecraft beyond Federation borders find themselves out of contact with the network, and must act on their own (although the ComNet can serve as a makeshift backup).