Broadband Resources: How Does the Internet Work?
The Internet is a global system which connects millions of computers and devices together using a set of rules called the Internet Protocol Suite or the TCP/IP. To understand how the Internet works, it’s necessary to learn some Internet terms. Some of the important terms are mentioned below:
Binary – A numbering system containing the two digits 0 and 1. 1 signifies ‘on’ while 0 equals to ‘off’.
Bit – A bit is the smallest piece of data that a computer can store.
Byte – A byte consists of eight bits of data. It’s the fundamental unit of memory which is addressable. A kilobyte on the other hand is 1024 bytes. A megabyte is 1048576 bytes whereas a gigabyte is 1000000000 bytes, and a terabyte is 1000000000000 bytes.
Broadband Cable – Cable which carries messages in a computer belonging to a network.
Cable Modems – A type of broadband connection which connects the user to the Internet through a cable TV cabling system.
Client – A device which is front end and requests the server for services. A client can be a software program or a node.
DHCP – Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol is used by IP networks as an auto-configuration protocol.
DNS – Stands for Domain Name System. It helps to translate the domain names in the Internet to IP addresses.
DSL – A type of data transmission system in broadband networks which uses copper telephone lines.
Ethernet – The protocol which is used for connecting the specialized circuits to machines in local networks which are medium speed.
Fiber-Optic Cables – Flexible and thin cable which delivers high speed data transmissions. It’s resistant to electromagnetic interference.
FQDN – A Fully Qualified Domain Name is a host’s or a computer’s complete domain name on the Internet.
FTP – File Transfer Protocol is the protocol which allows a particular user on a network to receive files from another computer.
Host – The computer which is connected to a network and acts as a terminal where other computers in the network connect.
HTML – Hyper Text Markup Language is the software language in which the majority of webpages are written.
HTTP – Hyper Text Transport Protocol is a set of rules which is followed by browsers and servers to communicate with each other.
IP Address – The unique address which identifies each computer or host machine on the network.
ISDN – Certain communications standards which facilitate the cables and optical fibres to carry digital services, audio and video.
ISP – Internet Service Provider is the entity who provides the Internet connection to a customer.
LAN – Local Area Network is the type of communication system which connects several computers and allows each computer to use the other’s resources effectively. WAN or Wide Area Network is similar to LAN but it extends to a distance exceeding one kilometre. MAN or Metropolitan Area Network on the other hand is the network which can span across a whole city. rel=”nofollow”
What is the difference between a LAN, a MAN, and a WAN, and what is a LAN connection?
Leased Line – Telephone circuitry that connects two points permanently.
MAC Address – A computer’s hardware address in a shared network medium.
Modem – Modulator Demodulator is the device which converts analog signals to digital data for the computer to understand and again converts digital data into analog data for transmitting it back through the cable or telephone lines.
Network – Several computers or devices which are connected together through telephone lines or cables.
NIC – Network Interface Card is a circuit board which is integrated in a computer and helps in connecting the computer to the network.
Packet – A specific unit of data which is sent as a single identity across a network.
Port – A pathway from where data is transmitted in and out of the computer. Precisely, the slots where cables and other output devices are attached are called ports.
Protocol – A set of rules which hardware and software programs conform to, in order to carry out communications effectively.
Router – A dedicated computer which acts as a gateway by attaching two or more networks together and routing data packets from one network to the other.
SMTP- Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is the set of rules which helps to send emails between users belonging to different host systems.
Switch – Packet switching facilitates individual packet routing between nodes without the need of a previous communication path.
TCP/IP – Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol is a set of rules which allows computers to share data and resources across the network.
URL – Universal Resource Locator is the specific hypertext pointer format which is used by WWW and HTML.
WWW – Server networks, essentially the networks which utilize the HTTP protocol for delivering HTML documents or web pages.
When a user types in a website address or URL on the web browser address bar, the browser will initially connect to the primary DNS server. It then obtains the IP address for the entered domain name from the DNS server. After collecting the information, it connects to the destination computer or server and requests for the website or web pages.
The Transmission Control Protocol or TCP is one of the primary set of rules which work together with the Internet Protocol Suite or IP. The TCP/IP helps in the seamless exchange of data between two hosts on a network.
The lowest layer in the TCP/IP is called the Network Access Layer. It facilitates data delivery of a system to other devices. Internet Layer is the layer above the Network Access Layer and it uses the important protocol called RFC 791. The Transport Layer is placed above the Internet Layer and is also referred to as the Host-to-Host Transport Layer. Application Layer is the topmost layer in the TCP/IP architecture and it uses Transport Layer protocols for delivering data.
Encapsulation is the process in which the data moves to the lower level of TCP/IP protocol from the upper level. These layers contain a set of relevant information called headers. In the process of reverse encapsulation, the data moves to the upper layers from the lower layers of TCP/IP protocol stack.
A number of components such as protocol stacks and packets, Internet addresses, networking infrastructure, Internet routing hierarchy, Internet protocols, and domain names combine together. This enables millions of people across the world to stay connected to each other and exchange data in this rapidly growing network web called the Internet.
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