Course : Introduction to Computing

Module No. : 3 (Internet and Cyber Security)

Title : B. Introduction to the Internet and the worldwide web

Objectives
:

The Internet

Have you ever wondered what makes it possible to communicate with your friends from
other countries over the internet? Why in such a short period of time communication
took place even when both people are at the opposite end of the globe?

The internet is a global network of billions of computers and other electronic devices
connected together. With the internet which is the information superhighway, almost all
information are accessible in just one click away. When someone says a computer is
online, it’s just one way of saying it’s connected to the internet.

It is a very important theory that the internet is a global network of physical cables,
which can be copper telephone wires, TV cables, and fiber optic cables. Even wireless
connections like Wi-Fi and 3G/4G rely on these physical cables to access the Internet.
When you click a website to visit, your computer will send a request send through the
wires to the server. A server is the repository of websites. When your request arrives,
the server will retrieve the website and send you the correct data through your
computer.

How are these data sent to the exact server and back to the requesting device? What
are the protocols used for these communication between devices to take place?

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Internet Protocol

The internet Protocol (IP) a set of rules governing the format of data sent over the
internet or other network. The IP is responsible for addressing host interfaces,
encapsulating data into datagrams (including fragmentation and reassembly) and
routing datagrams from a source host interface to a destination host interface across
one or more IP networks.

Types of Protocols

● Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

TCP is a connection oriented protocol. The data is transmitted with a sequence
so that packets will arrive in-order at the receiver device.

● User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

UDP is a connection less protocol. This means that there is no sequencing of
data. It is the application layer that manages data to reassemble as it arrives in
the receiver device.Examples of UDP protocols usage are Voice over IP (VoIP),
online games, and media streaming.

● Post office Protocol (POP)

Post Office Protocol (POP) is a type of computer networking and Internet
standard protocol that extracts and retrieves email from a remote mail server for
access by the host machine. POP is an application layer protocol in the
OSI model that provides end users the ability to fetch and receive
email.

● Simple mail transport Protocol (SMTP)

Simple mail transport Protocol (SMTP) is push protocol used to transfer emails
from one server to another.Mail is sent by a series of request and response
messages between the client and a server.

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● File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard communication protocol used for
the transfer of computer files from a server to a client on a computer network.
FTP is built on a client–server model architecture using separate control and data
connections between the client and the server.

● Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

HTTP is a request-response protocol which gives users a way to interact with
web resources such as HTML files transmitted through hypertext messages
between clients and servers.

● Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)

HTTPS stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure. It is a protocol for
securing the communication between two systems e.g. the browser and the web
server.

● Domain Name System

The Domain Name System (DNS) turns domain names into IP addresses, which
browsers use to load internet pages. Every device connected to the internet has
its own IP address, which is used by other devices to locate the device.

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What Can I Do on the Internet

New uses for the internet are being invented every day. There are literally
hundreds of millions of web pages and services available. It’s very easy to sink
hours, days, weeks and months exploring all the internet has to offer. At the
beginning, though you might want to keep it simple and try:
● Sending emails, which are letters that can be sent for free to anyone and
arrive instantly.
● Looking up news, weather, health information, lotto and sports results,
government information and forms.
● Ordering groceries, electronics, white goods and pretty much anything
else you can imagine from online stores.
● Searching for information on just about any topic, such as train timetables,
the date of your next bowls game, phone numbers, recipes, and just about
anything else you can think of!
● Doing all your banking, taxes and business online.
● Sharing your photo and video collection, and seeing the shared collections
of others.
● Talking or video chatting with online friends – at any time, for free.
Participating in discussions on topics you find interesting, with people from
around the world.
● Downloading and watching movies, reading book reviews or watching
sports.