The Internet
by John Anthony
The Internet literally means 'a network of networks.' The
networks can be just a few computers connected together in
an office in what's called a Local Area Network (LAN), or
many millions connected to the Internet through an Internet
Service Providers (ISP) like AOL.
Every host (computer or device) on the Internet device has
it's own unique 32-bit IP address, which is made up of two
parts: network and host. The network part defines the
network the computer is on and the host part is the exact
address of the computer (host) within that network. No two
hosts can have the same IP address, just like no two postal
mailboxes can have the same address. If they did, it would create big problems.
The Internet address space defined by IPv4 is running out of space. IPv6
was developed to fix this. Learn more.
Domain Names
Instead of long numeric IP addresses, domain names are
often used to identify and link to web sites. The domain
name of our web site is ComputerHelpAtoZ.com and it's IP
address 64.55.148.244. Entering either one in the
address section of your browser would link you to our
web site.
Most personal home computers are not part of a LAN and do
not have their own domain name server. Instead they connect
to the Internet through ISPs (Internet Service Provider)
like AOL or Earthlink.
Internet Connections
The networks that form the Internet are not directly
connected together. Devices called routers are used to
connect networks together. Copper or fiber optic cables
are used to connect all these elements together.
Messages in the Internet are routed much like letters in
the postal system. Each intermediate station along the way
uses the destination address to route the letter to the
next post office or mail depot on the route to the
destination address. This process continues from station to
station until it finally arrives at the destination
address.
As messages move through the Internet, routers along the
way use the IP address to determine how each message should
be routed, so that it keeps moving to other routers that are on
the path to the final destination. Routers receive and
route millions of messages per second. For the most part
the messages carry data. The Internet is being tuned to
effectively handle digitized voice messages that will have
the phone line quality we are accustomed to.
History of the Internet
What we know today as the Internet, had its beginnings as
the ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency NET).
It was developed by DARPA (Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency) in the early 1970s. It was intended to
connect a relatively small number of government, business
and university sites together, so they could share information.
The word Internet is derived from IP which is a part of
TCP/IP which stands for Transmission Control Protocol /
Internet Protocol. TCP/IP are protocols (orderly methods)
that enable devices to communicate with each other.
The Internet as we now know it today, didn't appear until
about 1995. Before then, there were vital pieces of
technology not yet been developed for PCs that
enabled them to access the Internet. In the few
short years since 1995, the Internet has had a tremendous
impact on the way we communicate. Our work, play and
commerce have all been affected.
In business today the connection to the Internet is no
longer an option. Without it, the products and services of a
business are not readily available to the buying public.
Information about any subject exists on computers called
servers somewhere in the Internet.
The World Wide Web, Servers and Browsers
The Internet is all the communications equipment, cabling
and protocols that connect computers together.
The World Wide Web can be considered the endpoints of the
Internet. These endpoints (computers) either serve or request
web pages. A protocol called http (hyper text transport
protocol) is used to send and receive pages across
the Internet.
Each computer on the Internet runs one of two types of
software. Computers with server software, serve web pages
to computers called browsers, that request web pages.
Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are examples
of browser software.
When you enter a web address in your browser and
send it, the server at the web site receives the request and
responds by sending your browser the requested web page.
Once your browser has received the first (home) web page
from a server, other web pages from the web site are served
to your browser as you click on links (addresses to other
web pages) on the home page.
Computer Help A to Z
88 Windmere Drive
Angier, NC 27501
Copyright 2000-2005
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The Internet