ES5 Module 6
ES5 Module 6
ES 5 – COMPUTER
FUNDAMENTALS
AND
PROGRAMMING
SELF-LEARNING MODULE 6
College of Engineering
ES 5 -Computer Fundamentals and Programming
College of Engineering
The Internet
2
Laguna State Polytechnic University
College of Engineering
ES – Computer Fundamentals and Programming
It is believed that the internet was developed by "Defense Advanced Projects Agency"
(DARPA) department of the United States. And, it was first connected in 1969.
Internet is different from the World Wide Web as the World Wide Web is a network of
computers and servers created by connecting them through the internet. So, the internet
is the backbone of the web as it provides the technical infrastructure to establish
The internet is not owned by a single person or organization entirely. It is a concept based
on physical infrastructure that connects networks with other networks to create a global
network of billions of computers. As of 12 August 2016, there were more than 300 crores
of internet users across the world.
Set Up
Physical copper or optical fiber data transmission cables, as well as other networking
technologies like LAN, WAN, and MAN, are used to set up the internet. Even the 2g, 3g,
and 4g services, as well as Wi-Fi, need this physical cable arrangement in order to access
the Internet connection. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN), a US-based organization, is in charge of overseeing the management of the
Internet and its related protocols, including IP addresses.
The internet works with the help of clients and servers. A device such as a laptop, which
is connected to the internet is called a client, not a server as it is not directly connected
to the internet. However, it is indirectly connected to the internet through an Internet
Service Provider (ISP) and is identified by an IP address, which is a string of numbers. Just
like you have an address for your home that uniquely identifies your home, an IP address
acts as the shipping address of your device. The IP address is provided by your ISP, and
you can see what IP address your ISP has given to your system.
A server is a large computer that stores websites. It also has an IP address. A place where
a large number of servers are stored is called a data center. The server accepts requests
send by the client through a browser over a network (internet) and responds accordingly.
To access the internet we need a domain name, which represents an IP address number,
i.e., each IP address has been assigned a domain name. For example, youtube.com,
facebook.com, paypal.com are used to represent the IP addresses. Domain names are
created as it is difficult for a person to remember a long string of numbers. However,
For example, if you have a person's name, you can find his phone number in a phone
book by searching his name. The internet uses the DNS server in the same way to find the
IP address of the domain name. DNS servers are managed by ISPs or similar organizations.
Now after understanding the basics, let us see how internet works?
When you turn on your computer and type a domain name in the browser search bar,
your browser sends a request to the DNS server to get the corresponding IP address. After
getting the IP address, the browser forwards the request to the respective server.
Once the server gets the request to provide information about a particular website, the
data starts flowing. The data is transferred through the optical fiber cables in digital format
The optical fiber is connected to a router, which converts the light signals into electrical
signals. These electrical signals are transmitted to your laptop using an Ethernet cable.
Thus, you receive the desired information through the internet, which is actually a cable
that connects you with the server.
Furthermore, if you are using wireless internet using wifi or mobile data, the signals from
the optical cable are first sent to a cell tower and from where it reaches to your cell phone
in the form of electromagnetic waves.
The internet is managed by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers) located in the USA. It manages IP addresses assignment, domain name
registration, etc.
The data transfer is very fast on the internet. The moment you press enter you get the
information from a server located thousands of miles away from you. The reason for this
speed is that the data is sent in the binary form (0, 1), and these zeros and ones are divided
into small pieces called packets, which can be sent at high speed.
The Web is the part of the Internet that gets the greatest traffic. One unique aspect of this
is hypertext, a rapid cross-referencing method. The majority of websites feature text that
highlights keywords or phrases by being a different color than the rest of the text. When
a user selects one of these words or phrases, they will be sent to the chosen website or
page. Buttons, graphics, and even particular areas of images are also utilized as hyperlinks.
On the Internet, there are billions of pages of information. The most popular web
browsers are Google Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. A web browser is used to
surf the internet or do online browsing. A certain Web site's look may vary slightly
depending on the browser being used. A certain browser's later or more updated
versions have the potential to render more complicated features like music files, sound,
animation, and virtual reality.
Security and the Internet
Due to the volume of private and public information collected online, customers are at
risk for security attacks and data breaches. Crackers and hackers have access to networks
o TCP/IP Network Model: The most popular protocols for linking networks are
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP). Any communication
is split up into a number of packets that are sent from source to destination.
o File Transfer Protocol: With the help of FTP (File Transfer Protocol), a user can
transfer documents, text files, multimedia files, program files, etc., from one device
to another.
o Hypertext Transfer Protocol: It is used to move a hypertext between two or more
computers or other devices. Links can be made using HTML tags and can take the
form of text or graphics.
o Dial-Up: Users must connect their phone line to a computer system in such
connections in order to access the Internet connection. The user is unable to make
or receive calls using the tier home phone service while connected.
o Broadband: Today's most popular high-speed internet connection, broadband is
offered either by cable or phone companies.
o Wireless Connection: This category includes Mobile and Wi-Fi services providers.
No matter where you are, you can connect to the Internet anywhere because
connectivity is made possible by radio waves. Several instances of wireless
connections are provided below:
o Wi-fi: Without the use of cables, wi-fi or wireless fidelity, enables high-speed
internet connectivity.
o Mobile Phones: In modern times, all smartphones include an Internet connectivity
option that can be availed using Internet packs and coupons. These don't require
a wire or external connection as well.
o Satellite: Satellites are utilized for wireless Internet connectivity in areas Where
broadband connections is not available.
o Integrated Services Digital Network: With the help of using telephone lines,
ISDN enables users to send audio or video data.
The ability to communicate with anyone in the world virtually immediately is one of the
best features of the Internet. With billions of users worldwide, email is one of the most
established and widely used methods of online communication as well as information
sharing with others. People can communicate with each other in a number of ways and
create online communities with the help of using social media platforms.
Intranet
It is based on internet protocols (TCP/IP) and is protected from unauthorized access with
firewalls and other security systems. The firewall monitors the incoming and outgoing
data packets to ensure they don't contain unauthorized requests. So, users on the intranet
can access the internet, but the internet users can't access the intranet if they are not
authorized for it. Furthermore, to access the intranet, the authorized user is required to
be connected to its LAN (Local Area Network).
o It is cheap and easy to implement and run, and is more safe than the internet
and extranet.
o It streamlines communication that enables the company to share its data,
information, and other resources among employees without any delay. The entire
staff can receive company's announcements, ask questions, and access internal
documents.
o It provides a secure space to store and develop applications to support business
operations.
o It improves the efficiency of the company by speeding up workflow and reducing
errors. Thus, it helps achieve targets by completing the tasks on time.
o It offers a testing platform for new ideas before they are uploaded on the
company's internet webpage. Thus, it helps maintain the credibility of the company
o Information is shared in real-time, or updates are reflected immediately to all the
authorized users.
o Modern intranets also offer a mobile app that allows employees to stay connected
on the go.
Features of intranet
Intranets are powerful tools that offer various features to enhance internal
communication, collaboration, and organizational productivity. Let's delve into some key
features of an intranet and their benefits in simple language.
Intranet basically comprises three components: a web server, an intranet platform, and
applications. The web server is hardware that contains all the intranet software and data.
It manages all requests for files hosted over the server and finds the requested files and
then delivers it to the user's computer.
The intranet platform, which is software, allows communication tools, collaboration apps,
and databases to work seamlessly with each other. It is tailored to the specific needs of a
business.
The applications are required to enable users to work smoothly. They are the computing
tools that allow users to do their work, communicate, and coordinate with each other and
retrieve and store information.
Furthermore, the user who wants to access the intranet is required to have a special
network password and should be connected to the LAN. A user who is working remotely
can gain access to the intranet through a virtual private network (VPN) that allows them
to sign in to the intranet to access the information.
Several intranet types are available to meet organizations' unique requirements and
preferences. Let's investigate the various intranet types.
Uses of Intranet
An intranet is a versatile tool that offers several uses to organizations, improving internal
communication, collaboration, and productivity. Let's elaborate on the key uses of an
intranet in simple language:
Disadvantages of Intranet:
o It may be costly to set up an Intranet due to hidden costs and complexity.
Examples of Intranet:
IT Sector Intranet: In the IT sector three is always a lot of information that needs to be
shared with all the employees at one go. It may be related to a project that needs to be
completed within the given time frame, such as guidelines, terms and conditions, and
rules that are to be followed while working on a project.
Internet Intranet
It is a medium such as optical fiber cable that connects It is a small, private network as it belongs
billions of computers with each other to establish a to a specific organization.
worldwide network.
It can be assessed or used by anyone using an internet- Only authorized persons can use this
enable devices, such as laptop, mobile phone, etc. network.
It offers a wide range of information, such as news, It offers limited information related to its
blogs, websites, etc. organization's work, policies, updates,
etc.