Edexcel IT

Topic 3
The Online Environment – Part 1
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Table of Contents
The Internet ................................................................................................................................................................ 2
Domain Name Server .............................................................................................................................................. 2
The World Wide Web .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Features & Functions of the World Wide Web ......................................................................................................... 3
Hypertext and Hyperlinks .................................................................................................................................... 3
Web Pages and Multimedia Content.................................................................................................................... 3
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) ....................................................................................................................... 3
Web browsers ..................................................................................................................................................... 4
Search Engines .................................................................................................................................................... 4
Services that run on the WWW ........................................................................................................................... 4
Static vs Dynamic Webpage Content ....................................................................................................................... 5
Client-Side vs Server-Side Scripting .............................................................................................................................. 5
Client-Side Scripting ................................................................................................................................................ 5
Server-Side Scripting ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Past Paper Questions .................................................................................................................................................. 6

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Edexcel IT
Topic 3
The Online Environment – Part 1
The Internet
The Internet is a global network of interconnected computers and computer networks that allows information to be
exchanged and accessed globally.

The Internet is not owned or controlled by any single entity. Instead, it is a decentralized network of networks, with
each connected device serving as a node in the overall infrastructure.

The Internet relies on a set of standardized protocols, such as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol), to enable communication and data transfer between devices.

Domain Name Server

As you know every device connected to the Internet is automatically assigned an IP address.

So, when you try to access a website say for example www.ikman.lk this address, which is referred to as a domain
name or has to be automatically translated into the IP address of Ikman’s server computer.

Translating a domain name into an IP address is done by the Domain Name Server.

Below is the process that takes place when you are visiting a website:

When you type a domain name into your web browser, example www.pizzahut.lk, this domain name is sent to a local
DNS resolver to identify the IP address of www.pizzahut.lk

The local DNS resolver is usually provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

The local DNS resolver checks its cache to see if it already has the IP address for the requested domain. If the
information is found and still valid, the resolver can use it, without having to go any further.

However, if the resolver doesn't have the relevant IP address, it starts a recursive query. The resolver queries the root
DNS servers, which are a set of thirteen highly resilient servers strategically distributed worldwide.

The root DNS server will not have information about specific domain names, but based on the domain type (.com,
.edu, .org, .net) in the domain name used by the user the root DNS server will be able to send the domain name to its
respective Authoritative DNS Server.

The Authoritative DNS Server will then be able to match the user’s domain name with its respective ip address.

When an ip address is received from an Authoritative DNS server, this ip address along with the domain name will be
cached on the local DNS resolver, so that the next time a user requests for the same domain name, their request can
be solved at the local DNS server itself.

Diagram

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 Edexcel IT
Topic 3
The Online Environment – Part 1
The World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (WWW) is a service that runs on the Internet, it consists of publicly accessible webpages.

The WWW provides a platform for hosting web pages containing text, images, videos, and other multimedia content.
These webpages and documents are interconnected by means of hyperlinks.

Search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo help users navigate the vast content on the WWW by providing relevant
search results based on user queries.

Features & Functions of the World Wide Web

Hypertext and Hyperlinks

The WWW is based on the concept of hypertext, where text is linked to other documents through hyperlinks.

Hyperlinks allow users to navigate between web pages, providing a seamless and interconnected browsing
experience.

Hyperlink to Menu

Hypertext

Web Pages and Multimedia Content

The WWW allows the creation of interactive and multimedia-rich web pages that can include text, images, videos,
audio, and interactive elements.

Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)

URLs serve as addresses that uniquely identify resources on the internet, enabling users to access specific web pages,
documents, or multimedia content. Ex: https://www.glomark.lk

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Edexcel IT
Topic 3
The Online Environment – Part 1
Web browsers
Web browsers provide a user-friendly interface for accessing and interacting with
content on the WWW.

Browsers interpret HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to render web pages and execute
interactive elements. Figure 1 Some of the most popular
web browsers

Search Engines
Advanced algorithms in search engines help users find relevant information by analyzing and ranking web pages
based on various factors.

Figure 2 Best Search Engines 2022

Services that run on the WWW

1. Search Engines 9. Online Learning Platforms

2. Social Media Platforms 10. Blogs and User Generated Content Platforms

3. Email Services 11. Cloud Storage Services

4. Online Collaboration and Productivity Tools 12. Communication and Messaging Apps

5. Video Streaming Services 13. Travel and Booking Services

6. Music Streaming Services 14. Financial and Banking Services

7. E-Commerce Platforms 15. Gaming Platforms

8. News Websites

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Edexcel IT
Topic 3
The Online Environment – Part 1
Static vs Dynamic Webpage Content
Static webpage content refers to web pages where the content remains fixed or unchanged, presenting the same
information to all users without any dynamic or personalized elements.

Unlike dynamic web pages, which can change based on user interactions or real-time data.

Examples of static web page content:

• The ‘About Us’ and ‘Contact Us’ webpage of a corporate webpage

• The ‘Course Description’ webpage of an educational institute

Examples of dynamic web page content

• Social Media Feeds

• News sites
• E-Commerce Stores

Client-Side vs Server-Side Scripting

Client side and server side are web development terms that describe where application code runs.

Client-Side Scripting
Client-side scripting refers to scripts that are executed on the user's web browser rather than on the web server.

These scripts run on the client side, which is the user's device, and they are primarily used to enhance the
interactivity and functionality of web pages. The most common client-side scripting languages are JavaScript, HTML,
and CSS.

Server-Side Scripting
Server-side scripting refers to scripts that are executed on the web server rather than on the user's web browser.
These scripts handle tasks related to server processing, database interactions, and server-side logic. Server-side
scripting is crucial for dynamic web applications, as it allows servers to generate dynamic content that is then sent to
the user's browser. The most common server-side scripting languages include PHP, Python, Ruby, ASP.NET, and
Node.js.

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Edexcel IT
Topic 3
The Online Environment – Part 1
Past Paper Questions
2019 June

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Edexcel IT
Topic 3
The Online Environment – Part 1

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Edexcel IT
Topic 3
The Online Environment – Part 1
2020 June

2021 June

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Edexcel IT
Topic 3
The Online Environment – Part 1
2022 June

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Edexcel IT
Topic 3
The Online Environment – Part 1
2019 June

Ahmed Muhsin
FIT, DIT (University of Colombo School of Computing) P a g e | 10
Edexcel IT
Topic 3
The Online Environment – Part 1
2020 June

2021 June

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FIT, DIT (University of Colombo School of Computing) P a g e | 11
Edexcel IT
Topic 3
The Online Environment – Part 1
2022 June

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FIT, DIT (University of Colombo School of Computing) P a g e | 12