Fundamentals of Internet

Definition of Network
Network is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected
by communication channels (Transmission media) that allows sharing of resources
and information.
Computer network components are

 Transmission Media: a transmission medium is a physical path between the

Sender and the Receiver The various types of transmission media are
twisted pair cable, coaxial cable, fiber optics etc.
 Hardware: which helps to transfer the data from source to destination?
Different hardware devices used in the data communication are modem,
router, bridge, etc.
 Software: To transfer the data from source to destination we require
software, example: networking operating system software, internet
explorer etc.
 Topology: It is the way which data travels, the various topologies available
are: star, ring, bus, mesh, tree, etc.

Advantages of Networks

 Easy communication and speed

People can communicate efficiently using a network with a group of
people. They can enjoy the benefit of emails, online chat, telephones, video
conferencing, chat rooms etc.

 Ability to share Files, Data and Information

People can find and share information and data because of networking.
This is beneficial for large organizations to maintain their data in an
organized manner and facilitate access for desired people.

 Sharing Hardware: Ability to share hardware Resources such as printers,

fax machines and modems can be shared.
 Sharing Software: Users can share software within the network easily.
Networkable versions of software are available at considerable savings
compared to individually licensed versions of software.
 Security: Sensitive files and programs on a network can be passwords
protected. Then Those files can only be accessed by the authorized users.
 Each and every user has their own set of privileges’ to prevent them
accessing restricted files and programs.
 Speed: Sharing and transferring files within Networks are very rapid. Thus
saving time, while maintaining the integrity of the files.
Disadvantages of Networks
 Breakdown and possible loss of Resources:
breakdown of the whole network due to an issue of the server. Such
breakdowns are frequent in networks causing losses of thousands of
dollars in each year.
 Expensive to build
Building a network is a serious business, especially for large scale
organizations. Cables and other hardware are very expensive to buy and
replace.
 Security Threats
Security threats are always problems with large networks. There are
hackers who are trying to steal valuable data for large companies for their
own benefit.
 Band width issues
In a network there are users who consume a lot of more bandwidth than
others. Because of this some other people may exist experience difficulties.

Data Communication
Data communication means sharing the information. This sharing can be local or
remote or with in a building. Local communication usually occurs in face to face,
while remote communication takes place over distance.
Characteristics
1. Delivery: Delivery should be done to the correct destination.
2. Timeliness: Delivery should be on time.
3. Accuracy: Data delivered should be accurate.

Components of Data Communication

 1. Sender
A device that is used for sending messages (data) is called sender. It is also
called transmitter or source. The sender can be a computer, telephone, or a
video camera etc.
2. Receiver
A device that is used for receiving messages is called receiver. It is also
known as sink. The receiver can be a computer, telephone set, printer, or a
fax machine etc.
3. Message
The message is the information or data that is to be communicated. It may
consist of text, numbers, pictures, sounds, videos or any combination of
these.
4. TransmissonMedium
The path through which data is transmitted (sent) from one location to
another is called transmission medium. It may be a wire, or fiber optic
cable, or telephone line etc.
5. Protocol
These are some set of rules which govern data communication. It
represents an agreement between the communication devices. Without a
protocol, two devices may be connected but not communicating, just a
person speaking German cannot be understood by a person who speaks
only Japanese.

Types of Networking
There are many different types of networks. However, from an end user’s point of view there
are three basic types.
1. LAN(Local Area Network)
2. MAN(Metropolitan Area Network)
3. WAN(Wide Area Network)
Local Area Network
A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects computers
within a limited area such as a residence, school, laboratory, university campus or
office building.
 It Is limited in size, typically located a few hundred meters, and no more
than a mile, Requires little wiring single cable connecting to each device
 It is fast, with speeds from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps
 LAN’s can be either wired or wireless. Twisted pair, coaxial or fiber optic
cable can be used in wired LAN’s.
 Every LAN uses a protocol –a set of rules that governs how packets are
configured and transmitted.
 Nodes in a LAN are linked together with a certain topology. These
topologies include:Bus,Ring,Star

LAN configuration consists of:

File server
File server is a computer attached to a network that provides a location for shared
hard disk access, i.e. shared storage of computer files 
Workstation
A workstation is a special computer designed for technical or scientific
applications. 
Advantages
 Resource Sharing:
Computer resources like printers, switch,modems,DVD-Rom drives and
hard disks can be shared with the help of local area networks.
 Software Application Sharing:
It is cheaper to use network version software’s instead of purchasing
individual licensed software for each computer in a network.
 Easy and Cheap Communication
Data and messages can easily be transferred over networked computers.
 Centralized data
The data of all network users can be saved on hard disk of the server.
Because data is not stored on workstation locally, it can share the
information easily
 Data Security
Data is stored on server computer centrally, it will be manage data at only one
place and the data will be more secure too.
 Internet Sharing
It provides the facility to share a single internet connection among all the LAN
users Ex: Net cafe
Disadvantages
 High setup cost
Initial setup costs of installing local area network are high.
 Privacy violations
The Lan administrator has the right to check the personal data files of each
and every Lan user, internet history and computer use history.
 Data security threat
Unauthorized users can access important data of an organization. if
centralized data is not secured properly by the Lan administrator.
 Lan Maintenance job
It requies a Lan administrator because, there are problems of hardware or
software failures and cable disturbances.

Metropolitan Area Network

A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a large computer network that usually
located in a city.
 A MAN is optimized for a larger geographical area than a LAN, ranging from
several blocks of buildings to entire cities.
 A MAN might be owned and operated by a single organization, but it
usually will be used by many individuals and organizations.
 A MAN typically covers an area of between 5 and 50 km diameter.
 Examples of MAN: Telephone company network that provides a high speed
DSL to customers and cable TV network.

Advantages
 Bandwidth could be easily access within MAN
 Cost of sharing is quite cheap and fast
 It mainly used Fiber optic cable
 It transmission is very fast
 It generally covered a city or a town.
 It support voice communication.
Disadvantages
 It is very expensive for the setting part.
 Phone network is needed

Wide Area Network

A WAN is used to transmit data and information over large geographical distances
which may even span entire countries and continents. A WAN can contain
multiple smaller networks, such as LANs or MANs. The Internet is a WAN, and
connects computers all around the world together. Communication between
networks is called internetworking. WAN may use advanced technologies such as
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Frame Relay, and Synchronous Optical
Network (SONET). WAN may be managed by multiple administration.
Advantages
 large geographical area
 Shares software and resources with connecting workstations.
 Messages can be sent very quickly to anyone on the network such as
pictures, sounds or data.
Disadvantages
 Required high performance devices
 Need a good firewall to restrict outsiders from entering and disrupting the
network
 Security is a real issue, protection against hackers and viruses adds more
complexity and expense.
 WANs use very expensive network equipment.

Internet
  Internet is a world-wide global system of interconnected computer
networks.

 Internet uses the standard Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

 Every computer in internet is identified by a unique IP address.

 IP Address is a unique set of numbers (such as 110.22.33.114) which

identifies a computer location.

 A special computer DNS (Domain Name Server) is used to give name to the
IP Address so that user can locate a computer by a name.

 For example, a DNS server will resolve a name

http://www.webduniya.com to a particular IP address to uniquely identify
the computer on which this website is hosted.

 Internet is accessible to every user all over the world.

Advantages of Internet:
Now a day, using internet is almost everywhere. We can search for almost
any topic on the internet using a search engine(Google). Thousands of pages of
information is kept available on various topics on the internet.
 Electronic Mail (e-mail): e-mail is a fast, easy and economic way to send
messages to anyone having an internet account. Using e-mails, we can
send text messages, images etc.,
 Downloading software and programs: using internet, we can download
useful software, programs etc.we can update our existing programs like
antivirus etc., regularly in order keep our computer up to date. we can also
upload and download so that other people on the internet can utilize them.
 Entertainment: thousands of games are made available on the internet
free of cost to get relaxed. Internet also allows us to review the current
movies or any other topics as well as to be a part of an interactive
conversation with several people across the universe.
 Online shopping and e-commerce: with the use of internet, shopping any
article can be done right from our home or office without visiting the shops.
We can order almost any kind of material like books, computers,
software’s, dress etc.,

Services  of Internet
It allows us to access huge amount of information such as text, graphics, sound
and software over the internet. Following diagram shows the four different
categories of Internet Services.

1.Communication Services
There are various Communication Services available that offer exchange of
information with individuals or groups.
a. E-mail: Sending and receiving E-mails around the world at minimum price.
b. Telnet: One can login on to other network via Internet as if one is a
member of that network this is done through utility called TELNET.
c. News group: One can participate in discussions on wide range of topics
from recreational activities to scientific researches via a utitility called use
net news group.
d. InternetRelayChat(IRC)
Allows the people from all over the world to communicate in real time.

e. InternetTelephony(VoIP)
Allows the internet users to talk across internet to any PC equipped to
receive the call.
2.Information retrieval service
There exist several Information retrieval services offering easy access to
information present on the internet.
a. FTP: It is also used to send data inform of files from one computer to other
with the facility called FTP (File Transfer Protocol).
 b. Gopher
Used to search, retrieve, and display documents on remote sites.
c. Archive
a. It is a search utility that search on the Internet based on file names
or partial file names.

3. Web Services
Web services allow exchange of information between applications on the web.
Using web services, applications can easily interact with each other.

4. World Wide Web

WWW is also known as W3. It offers a way to access documents spread over the
several servers over the internet. These documents may contain texts, graphics,
audio, video, hyperlinks. The hyperlinks allow the users to navigate between the
documents.
a. Videoconferencing: One can have a live talk with persons all round the
world and can held meetings as if sitting just by their side by video
conferencing of multimedia conferencing.
b. ON line Entrance Exams and Results: Students can give exams on line
through the Internet.

Internet addressing
A way to locate people, computers, and Internet resources. It can be

1. IP (Internet Protocol) addresses and domain names

2. Electronic mail addresses
3. URLs
In general, Internet addressing is a systematic way to identify people, computers
and Internet resources.

On the Internet, the term "address" is used loosely. Address can mean many
different things from an electronic mail address to a URL.

1.IP Address
An IP address is a unique number that identifies computers on the Internet; every
computer directly connected to the Internet has one. Every client, server and
network device must have a unique IP address for each network connection
(network interface).An IP address consists of four numbers separated by
periods(dot). Each number must be between 0 and 255.

An example is: 204.81.205.32

Domain Name
Most computers on the Internet have a unique domain name.See the domain
name and match it to the corresponding IP address so that data can be properly
routed to its destination on the Internet.

An example domain name is: healthyway.com

2.Electronic Mail Address

Other networks may use different electronic mail addressing schemes within their
own networks. To be used in Internet e-mail, these addresses often need to be
modified.

For example, within CompuServe an e-mail address consists only of two numbers
separated by a comma: 36547,891.

 To convert this to an address that can be used on the Internet, the

comma is changed to a period and the number serves as the
username.
 The domain name is compuserve.com, so the Internet address would
be: 36547.891@compuserve.com

3.URLs
URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. URLs are used to identify specific sites
and files available on the World Wide Web.
Similar to an e-mail address, a URL is read like a sentence.
For ex: http://www.healthyway.com

Internet Applications
1. Search engine
It can be used to search anything and everything. Most popular search
engines are Google and yahoo searches.

2. Shopping
 Shopping has become easier with the advent of internet. You can buy or
sell online.
3. Communication
This is a major role of the internet. It helps people to communicate either
with the use of social networking websites or through e mails. Even
chatting is a major use of the internet.
4. Job search
Nowadays, many people search for their jobs online as it is quicker and
there is a larger variety of job vacancies present.
5. Hobbies
Those who are having certain hobbies can try to improve on it by reading
up on many aspects of their hobby.

6. Research
Research papers are present online which helps in the researcher doing
literature review.
7. Studying
Now right from kinder garden children is exposed to internet and
computers. They find many useful things to learn on the internet (though
with supervision). Up to doctorate level education, people rely on internet
for their education. Online educational books have even reduced the need
for a library.

Virus
Definition: A virus is a computer program that can copy itself and it can infect
other programs in a computer by modifying them without permission or
knowledge of the user.

Different types of Viruses

1. 1.Boot Sector Virus - targets the boot sector of a hard drive and crucially
effects the boot process.
2. File Infection Virus - coded viruses that attach themselves to .exe files;
compressed files such as zip or drive files.

3. Multipartite Virus - cross between a file virus and a boot sector virus.
 4. Network Virus - uniquely created to quickly spread throughout the local
area network and generally across the Internet as well. Typically moves
within shared resources like drives and folders.
5. Macro Virus - infects program files that use macros in the program itself,
such as word processors. 
6. E-mail Virus - generally this is a macro virus which multiplies by sending
itself to other contacts in your address book, in hopes they'll activate the
virus as well.

Virus preventive techniques

1. Install Licensed version antivirus software

2. Perform Daily scans
3. Disable Auto run
4. Don’t click on email links or attachments
5. Keep anti-malware applications current
6. Enable the Firewalls in Computer

What is Web Browser? Explain types of Web Browsers.

A web browser is an interface that helps a computer user gain access to all the
content that is on the Internet and the hard disk of the computer. It can view images,
text documents, audio and video files, games, etc. More than one web browser can also
be installed on a single computer. The user can navigate through files, folders and
websites with the help of a browser.

When the browser is used for browsing web pages, the pages may contain
certain links which can be opened in a new browser. Multiple tabs and windows of the
same browser can also be opened. There are four leading web browsers: Explorer,
Firefox, Netscape and Safari but there are many others browsers available.

Some web browsers is shown below.

 Netscape

Netscape is one of the original Web browsers. This is what Microsoft designed
Internet Explorer to compete against. Netscape and IE comprise the major portion of
the browser market. Netscape was introduced in 1994.
  Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer (IE) is a product from software giant Microsoft. This is the most
commonly used browser in the universe. This was introduced in 1995 along with
Windows 95 launch and it has passed Netscape popularity in 1998. 

 Safari

Safari is a web browser developed by Apple Inc. and included in Mac OS X. It was
first released as a public beta in January 2003. Safari has very good support for latest
technologies like XHTML, CSS2 etc.

 Firefox

Firefox is a new browser derived from Mozilla. It was released in 2004 and has
grown to be the second most popular browser on the Internet.

Opera

Opera is smaller and faster than most other browsers, yet it is full- featured. Fast,
user-friendly, with keyboard interface, multiple windows, zoom functions, and more.
Java and non Java-enabled versions available. Ideal for newcomers to the Internet,
school children, handicap and as a front-end for CD-Rom and kiosks. 

Google Chrome

This web browser was developed by Google. Its beta and commercial versions were
released in September 2008 for Microsoft Windows. It has soon become the fourth-
most widely used web browser with a market share of 1.23%. The browser versions for
Mac OS X are under development. The browser options are very similar to that of Safari,
the settings locations are similar to Internet Explorer 7, and the window design is based
on Windows Vista.