UNIT-1 Introduction to Internet

1.1 What is the Internet?

The Internet is a short form for an interconnected network. It has become a vital part of our lives,
helping us connect with people worldwide. The Internet is made of a large number of
independently operated networks. It is fully distributed with no central control. Each
independently-operated system is motivated to ensure that there is end-to-end connectivity of
every part of the network.

The Internet is a global network of billions of computers and other electronic devices. With the
Internet, it's possible to access almost any information, communicate with anyone else in the
world, and do much more. You can do all of this by connecting a computer to the Internet, which
is also called going online. When someone says a computer is online, it's just another way of
saying it's connected to the Internet.

The Internet is simply a wire that runs underground and allows two computers to communicate
with each other. A server is a particular computer that is connected directly to the Internet. When
we talk about specific web pages, they are simply files that are stored on the server’s hard drive.
Every server has a unique protocol address or an IP address. IP addresses are essential for
computers to find each other.
What is the Web?
The World Wide Web—usually called the Web for short—is a collection of
different websites you can access through the Internet. A website is made up of related text,
images, and other resources. Websites can resemble other forms of media—like newspaper
articles or television programs—or they can be interactive in a way that's unique to computers.
The purpose of a website can be almost anything: a news platform, an advertisement, an online
library, a forum for sharing images, or an educational site. Once you are connected to the
Internet, you can access and view websites using a type of application called a web browser.

1.1.1 How Does the Internet Work?

Computers that we use every day are called clients because they are indirectly connected to the
Internet through an internet service provider. When you open a webpage on your computer, you
connect to the webpage, and then you can access it. Computers break the information into
smaller pieces called packets, which are reassembled in their original order.

If we put the right address on a packet and send it to any computer which is connected as part of
the internet, each computer would figure out which cable to send it down next so that it would
get to its destination. With several computers on a network, it may create confusion even with
unique addresses. This transfer of messages is handled by the Packet Routing Network, and
hence a router is required to set up.

The Transfer Control Protocol is another system that makes sure no packet is lost or left behind
because it might create a disrupted message at the receiving end.
The below are the steps for how the message is transferred.
 1. First, Computer1 sends a message by IP address to Computer2
2. The message sent by Computer1 is broken into small pieces- packets.
3. These small pieces- packets are transferred concerning Transfer Protocol so that the
quality is maintained.
4. Finally, these small pieces- packets reach Computer2 and are reassembled at their IP
address.

1.1.2 Advantages of Internet

The internet has become a popular name since the introduction of its easy installation and setup.
The Internet was first invented for only military and government uses. But now, it is found in
every house across the world. The following are the advantages of the internet.
 It is a great medium of sharing and has increased connectivity.
 With the internet, banking has now become easier. Long tiresome waiting lines have been
eliminated since the introduction of e-banking platforms.
 E-commerce websites are one of the great advantages of the internet. One can buy
groceries, clothes, household items, and much more with the internet.
 The Internet is also a great source of entertainment. One can watch videos and movies,
listen to music, and play games, without any hassle.
 Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have brought the world
closer.
 The education system has also transformed. With the internet, any student across the
world can attend online classes.

1.1.3 Anatomy of Internet

 Hubs, which link groups of computers together and let them intercommunicate through
multiple ports.
 Bridges, which link local area networks (LANs) with each another.
 Gateways, which act like bridges, but also convey data between dissimilar networks.
 Repeaters, which amplify the data at intervals so that the signal doesn't weaken.
 Routers, which ensure packets of data arrive at their proper destination across different
technologies, media, and frame formats.
 Servers, which deliver web pages and other services as requested.
 Client computers, which make the initial request for Internet services, and run
applications to handle those services.
 Cables and/or satellite communications, which make the hardware connections.
1.1.4 Evolution of the Internet
Although the Internet was developed much earlier, it only became popular in households in the
1990s. The emergence of the Internet can be tracked by how many businesses and homes started
changing the way they worked and started connecting their laptops and other devices to the
Internet. However, the concept of hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) as we know it today, was
created only during this time. This meant that people could access the same web pages on their
devices now and share information.
There has been a dramatic growth in the number of internet users since its inception. As a result,
the number of computer networks that are connected has grown exponentially too. It started with
only connecting less than ten computers initially. Today, 440 million computers can be
connected directly, making life easier for people across the globe. Sharing information and
knowledge has become extremely easy for those that have access to the Internet. The country
with the highest number of internet users is China, with 1.4 billion users, followed by India with
1.3 billion and the United States of America with a little over 0.3 billion users.

1.1.5 Basic Internet Terminology

1. Domain
While every computer has its own unique address, every user using the Internet has a unique
address called a domain. A domain recognizes one or more IP addresses. An example of a
domain is weather.com and is part of the URL such as https://www.weather.com. The standard
top-level domains are:

 com - Commercial business

 edu - Educational institutions
 gov - Government agencies
 mil - Military
 net - Networks organization
 org - Organizations (nonprofit)

2. Browser
A piece of software such as Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer that allows a computer to
access and display documents, view pictures, hear sound, and view video clips from the World
Wide Web.

3. E-mail
Mail that's electronically transmitted by your computer. As opposed to snail mail, e-mail sends
your messages instantaneously, anywhere in the world. It has the capability to send messages at
any time and to anyone.

4. File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

The standard method for downloading and uploading files over the Internet. With FTP, you can
login to a server and transfer files (meaning you can "send" or "receive" files).
5. Homepage
The first page that is viewed when the browser starts. It is also the page of a Web site that
provides the introduction or content with links.

6. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

The abbreviation for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is the set of rules by which Web pages are
transferred across the Internet.

7. Internet Protocol (IP) Address

The Internet is composed of local, regional, national, and worldwide computer networks. Each
computer on the Internet can be identified by a set of unique numbers that is called an internet
protocol (IP) address. The IP address is composed of four different numbers separated by periods
such as 205.134.120.60.

8. Link or Hypertext Link

An underlined word(s), phrase(s), or graphics on a Web page that transports the reader to
additional or related information on the Internet.
9. TelNet
A terminal emulation protocol (or Internet program) used to connect a computer to a remote host
or server. Telnet is one of the oldest Internet activities and is primarily used to access online
databases or to read articles stored on university servers.
10. Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
An addressing scheme that is used on the Internet to locate resources and/or services on the
World Wide Web. Basically the URL is the address of a computer file that has been put on a
computer server to access the
Internet.
11. Web Page
A single hypertext file or a page that is part of a Web site.
12. Website
A collection of World Wide Web pages or files.

1.2 ARPANET
It is defined as the first computer network that used packet switching to connect geographically
dispersed computers and laid the foundation for the development of the internet.
It was developed by the United States Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects
Agency (ARPA) in the late 1960s and early 1970s to connect computers and researchers at
various universities and research institutions.

1.2.1 What Is ARPANET?

ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) was the first computer network that
used packet switching to connect geographically dispersed computers and laid the foundation for
the development of the internet. It was developed by the United States Department of Defense’s
Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) in the late 1960s and early 1970s to connect
computers and researchers at various universities and research institutions. The U.S. government
funded ARPANET to create a robust, reliable, and decentralized communication system that
could be used for military and academic purposes.

The development of ARPANET was a collaborative effort among several researchers and
institutions. The initial concept for the network was proposed in 1967 by Larry Roberts, a
researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). ARPA eventually took over the
project, providing the funding necessary to make the network a reality.

The first node of ARPANET was established at the University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA) in 1969. Over the next few years, additional nodes were added at various universities
and research institutions, including the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), the University of Utah,
and MIT. By 1971, the network accommodated 15 nodes.

ARPANET was also the birthplace of many of the technologies that are now essential to the
modern internet. For example, the first email message was sent over ARPANET in 1971, and the
first online chat system was developed on the network in 1973. In addition, ARPANET was the
first network to use the TCP/IP protocol suite, which is still used today as the standard for
internet communication.

1.2.2 Architecture of ARPANET

The architecture of ARPANET was designed to be a decentralized and fault-tolerant
communication system that could connect each computer on a network without needing
dedicated phone connections between them. Data was transmitted over the network using packet
switching, a method that breaks data into small packets and sends them individually over the
network. The network was built using a hierarchical structure, with backbone nodes at the top
and smaller nodes at the bottom. The backbone nodes were responsible for carrying the majority
of the network traffic and were typically located at major research institutions and government
agencies. The smaller nodes were located at universities and other research institutions and
connected to the backbone nodes.
To ensure that the network was fault-tolerant, ARPANET used a distributed routing algorithm
that allowed each node to make its own decisions about the best path for data to take. Each node
was equipped with a special-purpose computer called an Interface Message Processor (IMP)
responsible for routing data between nodes. The IMPs communicated with each other using a
protocol called Network Control Program (NCP), which was developed specifically for
ARPANET.
In addition to packet switching and distributed routing, ARPANET introduced several other key
concepts still in use today. These include:
1. Host-to-host communication: ARPANET was the first network to allow direct
communication between computers rather than requiring all traffic to pass through a
central hub.
2. End-to-end principle: ARPANET was designed to be a simple and robust system, with
most of the intelligence and complexity located at the endpoints (i.e., the individual
computers) rather than the network itself.
3. Protocol layering: ARPANET was the first network to use a layered protocol stack, with
each layer responsible for a different aspect of network communication.
4. TCP/IP protocol suite: ARPANET was the first network to use the TCP/IP protocol suite,
which remains an indispensable standard of internet communication even today.
1.2.3 Features of ARPANET
ARPANET had several key features that made it unique and innovative for its time. Here are
some of the main features of the network:
1. Packet switching
ARPANET was the first operational packet-switching network. In packet switching, information
is divided into small packets and sent separately across the network. This method of
communication allowed multiple computers to share the same communication lines, making the
transmission of data faster and more efficient.
2. Decentralized network architecture
ARPANET used a decentralized network architecture that allowed each computer on the network
to communicate with several others. This made the network more resilient to failures and
allowed information to be routed around damaged or congested areas. The decentralized
architecture of ARPANET was achieved using routers, which were used to direct data packets to
their intended destinations. The routers on ARPANET were designed to be intelligent and
adaptable, which made the network more flexible and able to handle a wide range of traffic
conditions.
3. Resource Sharing
One of the primary objectives of ARPANET was to allow researchers to share resources such as
computer programs, data sets, and processing power. This was achieved by developing protocols
that allowed users to access remote resources as if they were local. For example, the Remote Job
Entry (RJE) protocol allowed users to submit jobs to remote computers and receive the results
back over the network.
4. Email
ARPANET was the first network to support email communication. The first email message was
sent in 1971 by Ray Tomlinson, a computer engineer working on the network at the time. Email
communication quickly became one of ARPANET’s most popular uses, allowing researchers to
communicate more efficiently than ever before. The email protocols developed for ARPANET
paved the way for today’s email systems.
5. File transfer
ARPANET also supported file transfer protocols that allowed users to upload and download files
from remote locations. The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) was developed for ARPANET and
allowed users to transfer files between remote computers over the network. FTP quickly became
one of ARPANET’s most popular uses, allowing researchers to share data and collaborate more
effectively.
6. Remote login
ARPANET allowed users to log in to remote computers and use them as if they were local
physical machines. This was achieved through the development of remote login protocols such
as Telnet. It allowed users to access remote computers and use them with ease. This was a
significant breakthrough for researchers who needed to access powerful computers and resources
in remote locations. It eventually led to the development of remote access technologies such
as virtual private networks (VPNs) and cloud computing.
7. Error correction
Error correction was a critical feature of ARPANET, ensuring that data transmitted across the
network was received correctly and without errors. ARPANET used a technique known as
Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ), which enabled error detection and correction at the data link
layer of the network protocol.
1.2.4 Applications of Internet
1. Communication
Communication refers to exchanging ideas and thoughts between or among people to create understanding. The
communication process involves the elements of source, encoding, channel, receiver, decoding, and feedback. In
organizations, both formal and informal communications simultaneously take place. Formal communications refer
to official communications in orders, notes, circulars, agenda, minutes, etc. Apart from formal communications,
informal grapevine communications also exist. Informal communications are usually in the form of rumors,
whispers, etc. They are unofficial, unrecorded, and spread very fast.

2. Web Browsing
Web Browsing is one of the applications of the internet. A web browser is a program that helps the user to interact
with all the data in the WWW (World Wide Web). There are many web browsers present in today's world. Some of
them are as follows:
 Google Chrome
 Firefox
 Safari
 Internet Explorer
 Opera
 Microsoft Edge
 Netscape

3. Online Shopping
The era of the internet took shopping into a new market concept, where many virtual shops are available 24x7. The
shops provide all the necessary details of a product on their website, so the user can choose as per their needs.

4. Real-Time Update
The internet makes things easier. One can quickly get an update on the things happening in real-time in any part of
the world. For example, sports, politics, business, finance, etc. The internet is very useful in many decisions based
on real-time updates.

5. Social Media
The youth of this generation spend the maximum of their free time on social media, all thanks to the internet. Social
media is a place where the user can communicate with anyone, like friends, family, classmates, etc. User can
promote their businesses on social media as well. You can also post your thoughts, pictures and videos with your
friends on social media.
6. Job Search
The internet has brought a revolution in the field of Jobs. The candidate can search for their dream job, apply and get
it very easily. Even companies nowadays post their need on the internet and hire candidates as per their skills based
on the job role.
There are many platforms which are primarily doing this. Some of them are listed below.
 LinkedIn
 Monster.com
 Naukari.com
 Indeed
 Glassdoor
 Upwork
7. Education
The Internet has a vital role in the education field. It became an effective tool in both teaching and learning.
Teachers can upload their notes or learning videos on the websites with the help of the internet. It made the learning
process more diverse and joyful.

8. Travel
Users can easily search for their favourite tourist places worldwide and plan their trips. One can book holiday trips,
cabs, hotels, flight tickets, clubs, etc., with the help of the Internet. Some websites that provide these facilities are as
follows:
 goibibo.com
 makemytrip.com
 olacabs.com

9. Stock Market Update

A stock market update refers to the latest information and news related to the financial markets, particularly the
stock market. The stock market is where individuals buy and sell publicly traded company shares. Stock market
updates include vital data and statistics, like the current prices of major stocks, individual stock prices, trading
volumes, market capitalization, and price movements.

10. Video Conferencing

Video conferencing means using computers to provide a video link between two or more people. It allows users in
different locations to hold face-to-face meetings. You can also see them instead of just talking to someone on the
telephone. Video conferencing is a widely accepted mode of communication among businesses, houses, and other
organizations.