Introduction to the Internet

1. Introduction to the Internet Brett J. Trout

2. The Internet • "640K ought to be enough for anybody." - Bill Gates, 1981 • Change is the only constant • Anticipate rather than react

3. What Is the Internet?

4. What Is the Internet?

5. What Is the Internet?

6. What Is the Internet?

7. What Is the Internet?

8. What Is the Internet?

9. History • Eisenhower reacts to sputnik • Creates advanced research project agency ARPA • Concerns rise over missiles • ARPA • Investigates decentralizing Department of Defense • Interconnected network

10. The Idea Is Born • Paul Baran • Rand corporation • Investigates use of telephone lines to decentralize • Nodes • Did not materialize until late 60’s • Four American universities • U.C. Santa Barbara • University of Utah • Stanford • UCLA

11. Milestones • 1982-DOD makes TCP/IP standard • 1990-Internet independently viable and ARPA exits picture • 1992-over 5 million computers • 1999-over 150 million computers

12. Terminology • IP number • Internet protocol number • Unique numeric identifier of each user • Your ISP typically assigns you A new one each time • Websites assigned static IP numbers

13. Terminology • Domain name • Unique for each extension • .com • .org • .edu • .net • .gov • Requires host server for use

14. Terminology • New Top Level Domain Names • .aero • .biz • .coop • .info • .museum • .name • .pro • All but .info will be restricted

15. Terminology • DNS • Domain name system • Database • Resolves domain names to IP numbers to locate websites

16. Internet Glossary • Internet - A global computer network utilizing standard access and transmission protocols. Although the Internet includes mainframe computers, the bulk of the workload on the Internet is handled by millions of small "servers", no larger than a typical personal computer.

17. Browser - A software program designed to send user defined requests for information over the Internet, for receipt, interpretation and display of the information by the user.

18. Server - A special computer having increased memory and processing power typically using a UNIX operating system. A server is designed to prioritize aspects of each task, based upon pre-determined rules. This allows a server to perform many simultaneous tasks and to more quickly transfer information from one computer to another over a network, such as the Internet.

19. UNIX - An established computer operating system especially well suited to addressing simultaneous requests for information.

20. URL- Uniform Resource Locator (sometimes pronounced "Earl") A location identifier associated with a particular webpage or file on the Internet, e.g. www.bretttrout.com

21. TCP - Transmission Control Protocol. This is the standard protocol computers utilize to communicate with one another over a network.

22. Bandwidth - Data volume transfer capability. Greater bandwidth is especially important for the transmission of graphics and will continue to be important as streaming video and other large volume applications come into more widespread use.

23. ISP - Internet Service Provider. An Internet server which, for a fee, allows a large number of "users" to share a limited amount of bandwidth and computer storage space.

24. IP- Internet Protocol. This is the standard protocol for allowing computers to identify one another over the Internet.

25. IP Address - An address which allows computers to find one another over the Internet. Your IP Address may change every time you log on, if you dial up to the Internet through an ISP. This is called a "dynamic" IP Address.

26. HTTP - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. This is a protocol for informing your browser how to display information found on a particular webpage. All webpages on the World Wide Web utilize HTTP, making them accessible to all other Web computers.

27. FTP - File Transfer Protocol. This is a protocol computers use to send files to one another. You may either upload or download files using FTP

28. HTML - Hyper Text Markup Language. A computer language used to encode nearly every webpage on the Internet. HTML informs a browser what information is on the page and instructs the browser how to display the information. The popularity of HTML stems from its ubiquity, ease of use and power.

29. XML - eXtensible Markup Language. A computer language which also instructs the browser how to display the information. Additionally, XML includes information relating to the "type" of information which allows other applications to use the information. XML will become increasingly important as mobile Internet devices incorporate data obtained over the Internet into spreadsheets, word processing programs, PDAs and other applications.

30. Dial-up Connection - An Internet connection typically provided through an ISP, such as America Online. Dial-up connections are typically the slowest type of Internet connection with download speeds of 56 kbps (kilobits per second).

31. ISDN Connection - Integrated Services Digital Network. An ISDN connection is an Internet connection. Typical ISDN connections provide two 56kbps channels used to access the Internet at 128kbps, or to access the Internet at 56kbps and use the other channel as a telephone line for voice communication.

32. DSL Connection - Digital Subscriber Line -Connects to the Internet using a regular phone line and a network box. DSL provides very high speed transmit speeds 256kbps to 1.5Mbps (megabits per second), depending on service provider, with slower receive speeds of about 64kbps.

33. Cable Connection - Coaxial cable with very high receive speed of 27Mbps are possible, with transmit speeds of 96kbps to 15Mbps. The number of users sharing access, however, drastically reduces the speed. A cable connection is slightly less than other options since information may pass through neighbors' computers before hitting the Web.

34. Satellite- 400kbps receive 56kbps transmit. You must also have a dial-up or other modem to transmit. T1 - A direct connection to the Internet. Very fast at 1.5Mbps, but also very expensive.

35. PDA - Personal Digital Assistant. Typically a hand-held computer running a small number of specialized applications. PDAs will become increasingly important as wireless capability and increased power, allow PDAs to run full version browsers and software applications, allowing PDAs to quickly access a broader range of information over the Internet.

36. Cookie - Small text file written to your hard drive by a website which rarely contains sensitive information, and cannot be read by any website other than the one that created it. A cookie allows the website that created it to provide you with information faster and reduce the amount of information you must key in to access information on the webpage. You may unilaterally delete a cookie from your hard drive at any time.

37. Upload - To forward a file to a server for later access over the Internet. Download - To copy a file from an Internet server to recordable media, such as a hard drive or a floppy disk.

38. WWW - The World Wide Web, or "Web", is the universe of users and resources accessible over the Internet using HTTP.

39. DNS - Domain Name System. A worldwide collection of databases used to translate domain names to their IP Addresses.

40. TLD - Top-level domain name. The highest-level domain name in the DNS hierarchy. The portion of the domain name appearing to the right of the "dot" in a URL.

41. SLD - Second level domain name. The second highest-level domain name in the DNS hierarchy. The portion of the domain name appearing to the immediate left of the "dot" in a URL.

42. email - Electronic Mail. A message containing text, graphics, video and/or audio transmitted electronically to another computer. Typically, email is divided into numerous "packets", each transmitted to another computer over the Internet. Since each packet is transmitted using a different "route", it is extremely difficult, but not impossible, to surreptitiously intercept and interpret an email message sent to another party. Generally, it is much easier to intercept and decode a cellular phone call than to intercept and decode an email message.

43. SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. This is the protocol computers use to "send" email.

44. POP - Post Office Protocol. This is the protocol computers use to "receive" email from an email server.

45. MIME - Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension. This is the convention computers use to "email" various file types to other computers.

46. Redneck IT Terminology Backup - What you do when you sight a skunk in the woods. Bar code - Them's the fight'n rules down da local tavern. Byte - What yer pit bull dun to cusin Jethro.

47. Redneck IT Terminology Cache - Needed when you go to da store. Terminal - Time to call da undertaker. Digital – The art of counting on your fingers.

48. Redneck IT Terminology Hacker - Uncle Leroy after thirty years of smoking. Hardcopy - Picture looked at when selecting tattoos. Internet - Where cafeteria workers put their hair.

49. Redneck IT Terminology Keyboard - Where you hang the keys to the John Deere. Megahertz - How your head feels after seventeen beers. Modem - What ya did when the grass and weeds got too tall.

50. Redneck IT Terminology Mouse pad - Where Mickey and Minnie live. Network - Scoop'n up a big fish before it breaks the line. Rom - Where the pope lives.