How the Internet Works:
What is the internet?
The internet is a Wide Area Network
made by a connection of millions of smaller networks. It was first created when
researchers for the Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA) needed to connect
their computers in California and Boston. On October 29, 1969, the ARPANET was
created and it linked four small computers to two large mainframe computers. In
1983 Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) were
developed and are the standard internet protocol today. They define how data
packets look on the internet and how they are sent and received. Another protocol
used is HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) which controls more specific
messages and data formats the network uses. The internet hit a global use in
the mid 1980’s. The internet connects smaller networks that all use the same
protocols, which allows them to communicate freely. A huge part of the Internet
is the World Wide Web (WWW) which is a huge set of documents linked together by
URLs and hyperlinks.
What
is a protocol?
A network
protocol is a rule that controls how computers on the network communicate with
each other. Protocols control the connection, communication and data transfer
between two computers. APRANET created the first set of network protocols in
1969.In 1973 File Transfer Protocol (FTP) was developed and allowed computers
to share files. In 1983 the standard internet protocol TCP/IP was created and
allowed computers to exchange messages at the information packet and Internet
levels.
What is DNS?
A Domain Name Server (DNS) is a way
of sorting IP addresses that allows you to find and communicate with the right
IP address. A DNS looks up a host name and returns an IP address, or it can
return a host name when you search an IP address. A DNS server only has
information for a limited number of IP addresses and host names, if it doesn’t
have information on the domain you search, it queries other DNS servers in the
network. The request for a search is called a DNS lookup. The DNS lookup goes
on until the DNS name is found on a DNS server and then “resolves” the name the
IP address your computer needs to application with the right computer.
Explain what an ISP is
and what it does?
An internet service
providers (ISP) is a method of stat transfer for the internet. ISPs connect to Local
Area Networks (LANs) and Wide Area Networks (WANs) through routers. Routers
determine where to send information between two computers. The data moves from
its start location to its final destination by “hopping” through routers. If a
user wants to trace how their information moved through the internet, they can
use a utility called Traceroute. An ISP help individuals access the internet.
What is a PING and
Firewall?
PINGs are used to
check network connections and Firewalls can protect a user and computer from
internet threats. A ping utility sends test packets to a machine to evaluate if
the machine they were intended to reach receives them. A PING can whether the
user’s connection to the machine is functional. Firewalls block unauthorized
access to while allowing communication to other machines. A Firewall can be
either software or hardware based.
Connecting to the
Internet:
How
Networks Link to the Internet
A bunch of small network link
together to form the internet. The smallest networks are the ones the users set
up at home, they are then connected to a larger network run by their ISP. The ISP
connects to other networks at internet access points. The internet is just an aggregate
of these connections. Data is handled at the highest levels through backbones
and routers which are responsible for moving data between networks.
What
Is an Internet Service Provider?
An Internet Service Provider (ISP)
helps people and companies connect to the internet. Signing up with and ISP
usually included and email address, some storage space on the servers and,
occasionally, web hosting services. ISP’s allow the client to choose the
service that will best accommodate their needs. Dial-up accounts (connections
over telephone lines) were common not that long ago, however, we us Digital
Subscriber Lines (DSLs) as the most common connection type now. Connections can
be made through telephone wires made of copper, cable TV lines or another form
of wiring like fiber-optic cables.
Connecting
Your Computer to the Internet
There is a variety
of ways to connect a computer to the internet, but fundamentally, they are all
the same, connect your computer to a modem, turn it on and make sure you have
an ISP. If you have broadband, when you connect to a modem you don’t always
have to connect to your ISP to get to the internet. DSL lines can “always be on”
because they send data at a higher frequency as not to tie up the phone line.
If you have a T1 connection, no one else can use your line. Like phone lines,
T1 lines are connected with copper wires. If you have a dial-up modem, your
modem uses a phone line to dial the back of other modems at you ISP every time
you connect. You may also choose to connect wirelessly to the internet. Instead
of the modem connecting to your computer, it connects to a hub or router. Once
your computer connects to the ISP, it is assigned an IP address, the number
that will be used to identify your machine on the internet.
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