This document provides an overview of networking and communications basics, including network addresses, protocols, and infrastructure. It discusses IP addresses and their functions, the OSI model layers, URL structures, networking ports, and hosting/domain registration services. IP addresses allow devices on a network to communicate by providing unique identifiers. The seven-layer OSI model standardizes network communications. URLs, domains, and ports facilitate finding and accessing resources over the internet. Hosting facilities and registrars manage physical infrastructure and domain name resolution.

1. Introduction to Information Technology
6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics
Introduction to Information Technology
INT-1010
Prof C
Luis R Castellanos
1
06.2
Networking & Communications:
Network basics

2. Introduction to Information Technology
6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics
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Introduction Network
Basics
Resources in
Networks
Internet
Connections
Network
trends
Network
Security
Summary

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6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics
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IP Addresses URL & Ports
Network
Basics
Hosting &
Domains

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6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics
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IP Addresses
Networking &
Communications

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6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics
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An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a
unique code that identifies a piece of
equipment connected to a network.
These addresses are used in messages
between network devices like the
network or wireless card in your
computer, the equipment from your
ISP (internet service provider), and all
pieces of equipment between your
machine and the one your computer
needs to talk to.

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6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics
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6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics
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We can hide (or mask) our IP Address with 3
tools:
✓ VPN (Virtual Private Network): establishes
a protected network connection when using
public networks. It encrypts your internet
traffic and disguises your online identity.
✓ Proxy Server: provides a gateway between
users and the internet. It helps prevent
cyber attackers from entering a private
network.
✓ TOR browser (The Onion Router):
anonymizes your web traffic using the Tor
network, making it easy to protect your
identity online.

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IP Addresses live in the network layer, which is
one of seven layers in the protocol suite defined
in the OSI Model.
The OSI model stands for Open Systems
Interconnection, and was created by the
International Standardization Organization
(ISO), an international non-governmental group
of professionals who strive to establish standards
and best practices in a variety of fields.
The OSI Model for networking breaks the system
of transmitting data into the layers shown (left) in
an attempt to delineate where certain actions
should take place.

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The seven layers depicted to the right
make up the OSI body’s recommended
protocol suite.
In the diagram, transmission of data
crosses two routers and over the
Internet to reach its destination.
By following the data along the arrows,
we see it pass through various layers of
communication and processing as it
crosses the internal network, through
the first router, across the public
network (internet connection), into the
recipient’s router, and then is
reassembled into its original form.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

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Until recently, most network equipment
has operated on IPv4, the fourth standard
released for IP addresses, which has been
in place for about thirty years.
Addresses in this format are typically
represented as a pattern of four blocks of
up to three digits separated by periods,
with no block of numbers exceeding 255
such as 127.0.0.1 or 24.38.1.251.
This is referred to as dot-decimal
representation, and although it is not the
only way to express an IPv4 address it is
the most recognized form.

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Some IPv4 addresses are:
Apple → 10.0.1.1
Dell → 192.168.1.1
Google → 192.168.86.1
Microsoft → 192.168.2.1
Motorola → 192.168.0.1
Zoom → 192.168.1.1

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Segments of the addresses within the
ranges of 192.168.xxx.xxx,
172.16.xxx.xxx to 172.31.xxx.xxx, and
10.0.xxx.xxx to 10.255.xxx.xxx are
reserved for private networks, meaning
they are used within a network in your
house, at work, or anywhere else where
a group of computers share a
connection to the internet.
Each of these networks uses one or
more of these blocks of numbers for
devices on that network.

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Only the equipment connecting that
local network to the Internet needs a
unique address from the rest of the
world.
That equipment will track which
computer inside the network to send
data to and from by reading packets—
the individual pieces of messages that
are sent across networks.
This means your computer might be
192.168.1.25 at home, and so might
your computer at work, according to
your home and work networks.

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The connection between your house and
office will have a different, unique number
assigned to them.
This separation of networks was done to
reduce the speed at which unique addresses
were consumed.
Although this scheme allows for almost 4.3
billion addresses, the last one was officially
assigned on February 4th, 2012.
To sustain today’s growing number of
devices, IPv6 was created, which is depicted
as eight blocks of four hexadecimal digits now
separated by colons.

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These new addresses might look
like
2001:0db8:85a3:0042:1000:8a2e
:0370:7334, and can support
roughly 4 billion unique
addresses.
Since the new range is so
staggeringly large, additional
protocols were created that
specify when certain values or
ranges are used in addresses.
This allows additional
information about the device to be
conveyed just from the address.

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The actual messages sent between
machines are broken down into multiple
pieces.
These pieces, called packets, are sent
piece by piece from sender to recipient.
Each packet is sent the fastest way
possible, which means some packets may
take different routes—picture a short cut,
or getting off a congested road to take a
different one.
This helps to ensure that the message gets
from sender to receiver as fast as possible,
but also means packets may arrive in a
different order than they were sent.

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Additional Notes
Hexadecimal is a number scheme that
allows 0 through 9 and A through F as
unique values, which means we can
count to 15 with one character.
To account for this, each piece of the
message, or payload, is wrapped in a
header—additional information that
describes how many other pieces there
are, what protocol is being used, where
the packet came from and is headed to,
along with some other related
information.

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After the packets are reassembled, the
receiving computer sends any
necessary responses, and the process
repeats.
This all takes place in fractions of a
second, beginning with the “hello,” or
handshake packet to announce a
communication request, to the last
piece of the packet.

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IP Addresses URL & Ports
Network
Basics
Hosting &
Domains

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URL & Ports
Networking &
Communications

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URL
Seeing as most of us would have a hard time
remembering what IP address is needed to get to,
say, Facebook (173.252.100.16) or the Weather
Channel (96.8.80.132) we instead use URLs, uniform
resource locators.
This allows us to use www.facebook.com and
www.weather.com to get to where we want to go
without referring to a long list of IP addresses.
Specialized servers (called name servers) all around
the world are responsible for responding to requests
from computers for this information.

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When you type facebook.com into your address
bar, if your router does not have a note of its
own as to where that is, it will “ask” a name
server, which will look it up in its records and
reply.
There are three parts to a network address: the
protocol, name, and resource id. The protocol
represents how we want to send and receive
messages, for example we can use http:// for
accessing websites and ftp:// for moving files.
The name is what we associate with the site, like
www.facebook.com, and the resource id, or
URI, is everything after that, which points to
the particular file we want to see.

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Ports
While an IP address and a URL will
bring you to a particular web
server, there may be more than one
way you want to interact with it, or
more than one thing you want it to
do.
Maybe you also want the server to
provide email services, or you want
to use FTP to update your files.
These ports act as different doors
into your server, so different
applications can communicate
without getting in each other’s way.

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Certain ports are typically used for certain
activities, for example port 80 is the
standard port for web traffic (your browser
viewing a page), as opposed to ftp, which
typically uses port 21.
Using standard ports is not a rule, as
applications can be configured to use any
available port number, but it is
recommended in most cases as firewalls
and other security devices may require
additional configuring to keep them from
blocking wanted traffic because it is
arriving at an unusual, firewalled, or
“locked” port.

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IP Addresses URL & Ports
Network
Basics
Hosting &
Domains

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Hosting &
Domains
Networking &
Communications

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Hosting Facilities
If you are using a server that is not under
your physical care, and is managed by an
off-site third party, then you likely have an
agreement with a hosting facility.
Hosting facilities are typically for-profit
companies that manage the physical
equipment necessary to provide access to
websites for a number of clients.
Many offer web development and
management services as well, but if you are
still reading, then that tidbit is probably of
little interest as you are here to build it
yourself.

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Hosting companies

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Up Time is the average amount of time that
all services on a server are operational and
accessible to end users.
It is a typical measurement of a hosting
company’s ability to provide the services they
promise.
The benefit of using a hosting service falls
under the same principles as other cloud
computing services.
You are paying to rent equipment and/or
services in place of investing in equipment
and managing the server and Internet
connection yourself.

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Additionally, hosting facilities are equipped
with backup power sources as well as
redundant connections to the internet, and
may even have multiple facilities that are
physically dispersed, ensuring their clients
have the best up time as possible.
Ads like the one on the right are common to
these services and often emphasize their
best features.
Price competition makes for relatively
affordable hosting for those who are not
looking for dedicated servers and are
comfortable with sharing their (virtual)
server resources with other customers.

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Domain Registrar
Domain registrars coordinate the name servers
that turn URLs into the IP addresses that get us
to our destinations.
These companies are where you register
available names in order to allow others to find
your site.
One of the most recognized registrars right now
is GoDaddy—you may know them from their
ads, which feature racecar driver Danica Patrick.
Like many registrars, GoDaddy also offers other
services like web and email hosting as well as
web development in an effort to solve all of your
website needs.

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Domain registrar companies

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6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics
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6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics
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Which is the actual
standard for IP addresses?
1. IPv4
2. IPv6
3. IPv7
4. IPv8

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How many layers does the
OSI Model has?
(Open Systems Interconnection)
1. 6
2. 7
3. 8
4. 10

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Which are the components of an URL?
http://www.google.com

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To which businesses or
organizations correspond
these TLD extensions:
1. .edu
2. .com
3. .gov
4. .mil

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6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics
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47. Introduction to Information Technology
6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics

48. Introduction to Information Technology
6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics
Textbook
48
https://eng.libretexts.org/Courses/Prince_
Georges_Community_College/INT_1010%
3A_Concepts_in_Computing
Purchase of a book is not
required.

49. Introduction to Information Technology
6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics
Professor C
49
castellr@pgcc.edu
eLearning Expert
BS in Systems Engineering
MS in Systems Engineering
HC Dr in Education
IT Professor | Spanish Instructor
LCINT1010.wordpress.com
Presentation created in 01/2022.
Slides last updated on 10/2023

50. Introduction to Information Technology
6.2. Networking & Communications: Network basics
Introduction to Information Technology
INT-1010
Prof C
Luis R Castellanos
50
06.2
Networking & Communications:
Network basics