2. The Internet
The internet is a global network of computers and
is commonly called ‘the network of networks’
The internet enables computers from anywhere around the world to send information (data)
to each other, both hardware and software. Many different types of data are sent for
different applications, some examples are: email messages, digital videos, computer
files/music files via file transfer protocol, web pages, etc.
The internet started in the 1960s when it was originally called ‘ARPAnet’, and was
made as an experiment in how the US Military could communicate in case of a
nuclear strike. With time, ARPAnet was used by universities for academic
purposes. As personal computers became more popular in the 1980s and
1990s, the internet grew rapidly and today the internet is a spider web of
personal, government, and commercial computers, all connected by cables
and by wireless signals.
Remember:
The Web
and the
Internet are
not the same
thing
3. Domain Names and IP Addresses
Domain name: A domain name is a unique name and it identifies an internet
resource, they are human-friendly addresses as the internet works on IP (Internet
Protocol) addresses. Domain names have extensions at the end of the URL. For
example ".com", ".net" and ".org"
IP address: An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a unique set of numbers that identifies
a computer, web site or server. There are 2 versions – IPv4 and IPv6.
The reason a domain name is used instead of an IP address is because for most
people a name, rather than a series of numbers, is much easier to remember. So,
the domain name points to the IP address, which in turn points to the web site which
allows users all across the Internet to view the web pages.
4. Data Packets and Packet Switching
In packet switching, information is broken into small segments of data
known as packets and then reassembled when received at the
destination. This helps prevent any small information sent after larger
information from having to wait until the larger information has been
sent. When information is broken into packets, the information size
and speed of the line is what determines how fast it takes to send
information over a network and not the order in which it was sent.
5. Routers
A router is a device which analyses incoming packets and converts
the packets to another network to then direct them to the
appropriate location.
A router has many capabilities, more than any hub or switch,
as they can only perform simple tasks. Routers are mostly
used to share a single internet connections with
multiple devices e.g. A home network.
