THE INTERNET

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
THE INTERNET
The Internet is a public, globally accessible, wide area network providing information and communication
technologies.
The internet does not have a central authority. There are organisations that develop technical aspects of
the network and set standards for creating applications on it, but no single governing body or
government is in control. The internet, therefore, has very few rules and answers to no single
organization.
It consists of independently maintains and administered networks. Each network on the internet is
responsible for formulating its own policies, procedures and rules. No one is in charge of the internet.
The internet backbone, through which internet flows, is owned by private companies.
 THE INTERNET

One organisation that plays an important role in making sure that the
network is stable and secure is ICANN (Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers).This is a private (non-government)
non-profit corporation with responsibility for:
 internet protocol (IP) address space allocation,
 protocol parameter assignment,
 domain name system management, and
 root server system management functions.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INTERNET

 Vast volumes of information are available on virtually any topic

 Information can be updated regularly
 Much of the information is free
 It allows people to ‘telecommute’, that is, to work from home using internet facilities such as email, and
to keep in touch cheaply and quickly with friends and relatives.
 It is convenient for many common tasks, such as booking flights and checking bank balances online.
 It is easily accessible: all you need is an internet-ready device (PC, smartphone, tablet and so on) and
an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
DISADVANTAGES OF THE INTERNET

 Large amounts of incorrect information are also available; there is no authority to check the accuracy
of internet documents, and so on.
 It can be difficult to find exactly what you need because of the large volume of information available.
 Computer viruses can be downloaded easily without the user knowing.
 There are many undesirable websites on the internet (pornography, racist propaganda, and so on)
 The security of computers and WAN/LAN systems connected to the internet may be at risk from
‘hackers’.
HOW THE INTERNET WORKS

For a person to connect to and become part of the internet successfully, a number of requirements are
necessary:
 TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
 Internet Protocol (IP)
 Communication links
 Internet Service Provider (ISP)
TCP/IP (TRANSMISSION CONTROL PROTOCOL/INTERNET PROTOCOL)

All forms of communication, either electronic or other means, are based on some form of protocol.
Computers connected to the internet use TCP/IP, which is a set of protocols used to transfer data from
one computer to another over the internet.
TCP/IP is a non-proprietary protocol suite (it is not designed for any specific type of computer) that
enables hardware and operating systems software from different computers to communicate.
TCP/IP is actually two protocols:
 TCP portion divides the data that is to be transmitted into smaller pieces called packets. This allows
data to travel more easily, and therefore quickly, along communication lines.
 The IP sends each packets by specifying the address of both the sending and the receiving computers.
INTERNET PROTOCOL (IP)
Each computer on the Internet has a unique address that identifies it as a node on the internet, so that
information can be sent to it. This unique address, which is similar to your home address, is really a
number called the Internet Protocol (IP) address. There are two standards fro IP addresses:
 IP Version 4 (IPv4)
 IP Version 6 (IPv6)
Almost all computers at present have an IPv4 address, although many are starting to use the new IPv6
address system.
An IPv4 address is expressed by four numbers separated by dots. It has two parts. The first part is the
network address and the last part is the host address.
For example, the IP address 192.168.1.152 can be divided into two parts as follows:
 192.168.1. refers to the network
 152 refers to the host
INTERNET PROTOCOL (IP)

The network part of the address is similar to a house address, number or postcode. The host part of the
address is similar to the person’s name on the mail who lives at that address. In essence, an IP address is a
unique number used to identify a device or machine on the internet.
The IP address might be constant – that is, remain the same every time you connect to the internet
(static) – or it could be a temporary address that changes every time you connect to the internet
(dynamic).
The IP address used by software is difficult fro people to remember, as they prefer to use names.
DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM (DNS)

IP addresses work really well, but they are not particularly easy for people to use. The domain name
system (DNS) was developed as a simpler system to allow users to refer to hosts by name. This system
divides the internet into a series of domains.
It uses a hierarchical naming system or tree structure to represent a host. A domain is divided into
second-level domains, which further sub-divide into third-level domains and so on.
The DNS system allows an internet host to find another internet host by translating the hostname to the
IP address of the computer.
At the top level, there are domains corresponding to educational institutions (edu), commercial entities
(com), public organisations (org) and governmental bodies (gov).
COMMUNICATION LINKS

Connecting to the Internet requires a physical link. As you know, we use a modem to connect to the
communication link. The four communication links we will look at are:
 Satellite
 Asymmetric Direct Subscriber Line (ADSL)
 Cable broadband
 Fibre optic
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER

An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a company that has a direct connection to the internet and gives
users access to it, usually for a fee.
The company generally has a small network that is connected via a high-speed communications link to a
high-link that forms part of the internet’s backbone (supercomputers and other large networks that make
up the inter worldwide).
Some o f the companies providing internet services in the Caribbean are Digicel, Flow and bMobile.
SERVICES OF THE INTERNET
Terminal
Emulation
Services
(TES)

File access
Services World
& transfer
services
of the Wide Web
(WWW)
Internet

Communication
Services
TERMINAL EMULATION SERVICES (TES)

These service enable you to connect your computer to a remote host and use services
available as if your computer were a terminal of that remote host. This can give you special
offerings such as online databases, library catalogues and chat services.
An important TES is Telnet, a special program that allows you to access data and programs
from a Telnet server. When connected to a Telnet site, your computer becomes ‘dumb’
terminal that can be used only to send text-based messages to the Telnet site and to view
the results.
FILE ACCESS AND TRANSFER SERVICES
These services enable you to locate and use electronic files stored on computers across
the Internet.
File transfer protocol (FTP)
File transfer protocol (FTP is a set of rules for communicating over the internet. It enables
you, through an FTP program, to find an electronic file stored on a computer somewhere
else and to download it (take a file from one computer on the internet and copy it to a
storage device on your computer). It also enables you to upload files (send files to other
computer on the internet).
The electronic files are stored on what are called FTP sites, which may be maintained by
universities, government agencies and large organizations. The files on an FTP site are
stored in directories.
COMMUNICATION SERVICES
Electronic Mail (email) and email addresses
 Email is the most popular and widely-used service on the internet today. It enables users
locally and worldwide to send electronic messages (text, video, sound and graphics) to
one individual or to a group of individuals, and to receive messages from others.
 A powerful feature of email is to send attachments.
 Email is much faster than mail delivered by the traditional postal system. An email can be
sent to an email subscriber in any part of the world in a matter of minutes (depending
on the ‘traffic’ on the internet).
 Apart from the fee that a subscriber has to pay to an ISP for internet access, sending
email is free.
 You can send as many emails as you like at no additional charge and at your own
convenience.
COMMUNICATION SERVICES
Electronic Mail (email) and email addresses
 To be able to send and/or receive email, each user must have an email address and an
email program such as Microsoft Outlook. The address is unique to the user and
consists of two parts separated by the @ (‘at’) symbol. The first part is the user name.
the second part is the domain name – the location of the email account on the internet,
for example, with your ISP.
The general form of an email address is as follows: username@domainname
 Internet users can also use the other free email services offered by websites such as
Yahoo!, Outlook.com, ZOHO and Google.
COMMUNICATION SERVICES

Electronic Mail (email) and email addresses

For an email message to be sent and received, the following must be in place:
 Mail server – this is a computer on the internet that operates like the traditional post
office. The mail server receives incoming messages and delivers outgoing messages. The
area of storage allocated to you is your mailbox. You can retrieve your mail by supplying
your username and password.
 Mail client – this program enable you to read and compose email messages, send email,
and access email from the server.
 COMMUNICATION SERVICES
Voice-over internet protocol (VoIP)
VoIP is the transmission of telephone calls over computer networks. It uses the internet
rather than traditional communication lines to support voice communications. To place
telephone calls using VoIP requires an internet telephone (or other appropriate input and
output devices), an internet connection, sound card and special software.
The two most popular VoIP communications are:
 Computer-to-computer communications – this is the least expensive and allows
individuals to place long-distance calls between computers without incurring traditional
long-distance telephone charges.
 Computer-to-traditional telephone communications – this allows the user to call
almost any traditional telephone from their computer. This application requires an internet
phone service provider.
COMMUNICATION SERVICES
Podcasting
 Podcasting is online audio content that is delivered via an RSS feed over the internet. The term
‘podcasting’ derives its name from the Apple’s iPod.
 Podcasting gives far more options in terms of content and programming than those provided by
traditional radio. It lets you create your own syndicated online talk show or radio programme,
with the content of your choosing.
Podcasting can be used for:
 Self-guided walking tours (informational content)
 Music – band promotion, clips and interviews
 Talk shows – sportscast, news
 Training – instructional material
 Stories – storytelling for children or visually impaired
 WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW)

The Web is a services offered on the internet. It was originally developed to help physicists in
Geneva, Switzerland, to exchange data and research materials quickly with other scientists.
The internet and the WWW are not the same thing. The Web can be thought of as a large
subset of the internet.
The Web is a global collection of millions of hypertext and hypermedia documents and other
resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs.
A hypertext document is a document that contains a hyperlink to another document
located on the same computer or on another computer in any part of the world. Hypertext
allows you to move easily from one document to the next.
 WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW)

Hypermedia is a general name for documents that contain links to text, graphic, sound or
video files.
A computer that stores and makes available hypertext and hypermedia documents is called as
server (or web server), and a computer that requests such a document is called a client.
Hypertext transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a set of rules that controls how data travels
between server and client.
In order to find, retrieve, display and send hypertext and hypermedia, you need a _______.
 WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW)
Browsers
In order to navigate the WWW, you need a web browser.
A web browser is a program that is in your computer and enables you to find, retrieve, view and send
web pages on the internet.
A web page is a hypertext or hypermedia document that has been created using Hyper Text Markup
Language (HTML).
Popular browsers include:
 Internet Explorer
 Google Chrome
 Opera
 Mozilla Firefox
 Microsoft Edge
 WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW)
All web browsers operate in a very similar way and have similar features. The following can be
done by browsers:
 View hundreds of millions of web pages
 Send and receive email (Outlook Express)
 Participate in ‘conferences’ (e.g. NetMeeting)
 Chat (discussion groups and converse online)
 Develop web pages (ActiveX control software to build web pages)
 View channels (a website that automatically transmits information to your computer)
 Shop online
 See and hear recorded broadcasts
 WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW)
HyperText Markup Language (HTML)
HTML is a programming language that you can use to create web pages. It contains standard
codes that are used to specify how a web page is structured and formatted. These codes
determine the appearance of the web page when it is displayed on your browser.
SEARCH ENGINES (FINDING INFORMATION ON THE WEB)
You can retrieve information by clicking on a direct link using your browser, or by using one of the
many search engines.
A search engine (web portal), is a website that allows users to find information quickly and easily.
Each search engine has its own database of web documents. Items are continually added to the site
by a program called a web crawler or spider, which searches the Web looking for new pages to add
to the database.
Some of the best-known search engines are:
 Google™
 Bing
 Yahoo
 Ask.com
 AOL.com
 Baidu
SEARCH ENGINES (FINDING INFORMATION ON THE WEB)

Gain access to web pages by doing the following:

 Search through subject directories linked to organized collection of web pages
 Enter an internet address or URL and retrieve a page directly
 Enter a keyword or a search statement at a search engine to
retrieve pages on the topic of your choice
 Browse through pages and select links to move from one
page to another
SEARCH ENGINES (FINDING INFORMATION ON THE WEB)
Finding information using a uniform resource locator (URL)
You can find information by typing in a website’s direct address or uniform resource locator
(URL) into the ‘Address’ field, located at the top of the browser window, just below the
menu bar.
A URL is the address of an internet file, and is usually in this format, made up of four parts:
Protocol://Server/Path/Filename
 Protocol: the name of the internet protocol, usually ‘http’
 Server (hostname, like www): the computer on which the document is located
 Path (directory hierarchy): the top-level directory and any lower-level sub-directories
 Filename: the actual file name of the document
SEARCH ENGINES (FINDING INFORMATION ON THE WEB)
Finding information using a uniform resource locator (URL)
You can find information by typing in a website’s direct address or uniform resource locator
(URL) into the ‘Address’ field, located at the top of the browser window, just below the
menu bar.
A URL is theaddress of an internet file, and is usually in this format, made up of four parts:
Protocol://Server/Path/Filename
 Protocol: the name of the internet protocol, usually ‘http’
 Server (hostname, like www): the computer on which the document is located
 Path (directory hierarchy): the top-level directory and any lower-level sub-directories
 Filename: the actual file name of the document
 WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW)
Other services offered by the World Wide Web (WWW):
 Webcasts: The delivery of live or delayed sound or video broadcasts over the Web is called
webcasting. The sound or video is captured by conventional video or audio systems. It is then
digitized and ‘streamed’ on a web server. Live webcasting is commonly used to transmit radio. The
transmission is one-way, without any interaction between the presenter and the audience.
 Webinars: the term webinar is short for web-based seminar and refers to conducting a seminar or
lecture via the Web, using graphics (often slides), text, and even live voice. Unlike webcasting, the
presenter can interact with the audience.
 Web 2.0: Web 2.0 is the popular term fro the group of internet technologies and applications that
includes blogs, wikis, podcasts, RSS feeds and social bookmarking.
 Wiki: a wiki is a website where users can add, remove and edit every page using a web browser. A
wiki allows a group of people to collaboratively develop a website with no knowledge of HTML.
Anyone can add to or edit pages in a wiki.
 TYPES OF WEBSITES
The first websites on the internet were used for informational purposes. With the
development of the WWW many other types of websites were developed.
1. Personal websites
Individuals can be used to display family photos, an online diary or information they want
to share. These websites can be created from scratch using html or by using free website
buiding sites such as Weebly, Wix.com, GoDaddy and WordPress.
2. Photo-Sharing websites
websites such as Flickr.com an Google Photos™ photo storage and organizing platform
offer free photo-sharing and hosting services. Also many digital cameras and smartphones
comes with software to create digital photo slide shows, which can be uploaded to the
Web.
 TYPES OF WEBSITES
3. Community building websites (social websites, forum websites, and sharing websites)
these websites build online communities of people who want to interact with other
people socially or meet people who share their interests. Some of the best known
websites of this type is facebook.com, Linkedin.com and Twitter.com. For sharing and
discussing mutual interests, there are online forums for practically any subject you can
think of. These forums can be a great source of information.

4. Directory websites
Directory websites are the modern version of the printed Yellow Pages in phone books to
find services and businesses. Directories can be dedicated to a certain topic or industry,
or they can cover geographical areas. Some examples of general website directories are
real estate, events, jobs, hotels, restaurants and so on.
 TYPES OF WEBSITES
5. Mobile device website
Mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, watches, etc.) are used extensively today. One
problem is that standard websites are difficult to view and sometimes take a long time to
download on some of these devices, with their small screens and wireless connections. A
new domain designation .mobi, which was available since the year 2006, has been created
to identify websites that are ‘mobile friendly’.
6. Informational websites
Informational websites are websites that provide information on a wide range of topics.
Newspaper companies, television companies, government and business organisations all
have websites that offer information to the public. One of the main informational sites
available is Wikipedia.org, the online encyclopaedia.
 TYPES OF WEBSITES

7. E-commerce websites
There are millions of small businesses who use their e-commerce websites to sell their
products over the internet. Just about anything that can be sold in a physical store can be
sold online – with far fewer overheads. Some popular e-commerce sites are AMAZON,
eBay, Tmall and Alibaba.
 MOBILE NETWORK APPLICATIONS
The use of wireless data services continues to increase worldwide. The ever-increasing speeds of
wireless networks have resulted in their use in diverse applications such as education, commerce,
journalism, military, package delivery, disaster recovery and medical emergency care.
Mobile Learning
Mobile learning represents a way to address a number of our educational problems and enhance
learning. Devices such as smartphones and tablets enable innovation and they help students, teachers
and parents to gain access to digital content and personalized assessment.
Mobile learning makes it possible to extend education beyond the physical classroom and beyond the
fixed time periods in a day. The value of mobile devices is that they allow students to connect,
communicate, collaborate and create digital resources that use text, sound, graphics, images and video.
The greater flexibility that is gives to students has resulted in more students finishing courses and
continuing studies.
 MOBILE NETWORK APPLICATIONS
Mobile Commerce
The continuous increase in the number of people owning and using mobile devices has
provided a large and growing marketplace for various goods and services, as well as mobile
commerce (m-commerce). M-commerce refers to conducting business activities via mobile
devices – such as smartphones and tablets – over a wireless internet connection.
This method of conducting business provides many advantages fro individuals, and for large
and small businesses because:
 Businesses do not need expensive high street shops.
 Customers can shop from anywhere and get purchases delivered anywhere.
M-commerce can make services or applications available to consumers whenever and
wherever a need arises.
 MOBILE NETWORK APPLICATIONS

Through mobile devices, business entities can approach customers anywhere and anytime. As a
result, customers are no longer restricted by time or place in accessing e-commerce activities.

Mobile networks and journalism

Mobile devices such as a smartphone enable journalists to quickly capture and create news
content that can be broadcast live in simpler and less expensive way than with traditional
equipment. Live streaming through social platforms also enables journalists to engage with
their audience while broadcasting.
TECH REQUIREMENTS

NETWORK SATELLITE LINK

DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

Cloud

Local

Hybrid
THANK YOU
[email protected]