Chapter 3:

Technology Infrastructure:
The Internet and the World
Wide Web
 The Internet and the World Wide Web
• Computer network
– Any technology that allows people to connect
computers to each other
• The Internet
– A large system of interconnected computer
networks spanning the globe
• World Wide Web
– A subset of computers on the Internet

E-Commerce: The Second Wave, Fifth Annual Edition 2

 The Internet: Technology Background
• Internet
– An interconnected network of thousands of networks and
millions of computers, linking businesses, educational
institutions, government agencies, and individuals
• World Wide Web (Web)
– One of the Internet’s most popular services, providing
access to over 50 billion Web pages

The Evolution of the Internet 1961—The Present

History of Internet can be segmented into three phases:
– Innovation Phase
– Institutionalization Phase
– Commercialization Phase
Slide 3-3
 Packet Switching
• Packet switching: Method of slicing digital
messages into packets, sending the packets
along different communication paths as they
become available, and then reassembling the
packets once they arrive at their destination
– Uses routers (special purpose computers that
interconnect the computer networks that make up
the Internet and route packets) and routing
algorithms to ensure packets take the best
available path toward their destination

Slide 3-4
 TCP/IP
• Transmission Control Protocol (TCP):
– Establishes the connections among sending and
receiving Web computers, handles the assembly
of packets at the point of transmission, and their
reassembly at the receiving end
• Internet Protocol (IP):
– Provides the Internet’s addressing scheme
• TCP/IP divided into four separate layers:
– Network Interface Layer
– Internet Layer
– Transport Layer
– Application Layer
Slide 3-5
 Internet (IP) Addresses
• IPv4:
– 32-bit number expressed as a series of four
separate numbers marked off by periods, such as
201.61.186.227
• IPv6:
– 128-bit addresses; able to handle up to 1
quadrillion addresses (IPv4 can only handle 4
billion)

Slide 3-6
 Domain Names
• Sets of words assigned to specific IP
addresses
• Top-level domain (or TLD)
– Rightmost part of a domain name
• Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN)
– Responsible for managing domain names and
coordinating them with IP address registrars

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 Top-level Domain Names

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 Web Page Request and Delivery
Protocols
• Web client computers
– Run software called Web client software or
Web browser software
• Web server computer
– Runs software called Web server software
• Client/server architecture
– Combination of client computers running Web
client software and server computers running
Web server software

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 Web Page Request and Delivery
Protocols (Continued)

• Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

– Set of rules for delivering Web page files over
the Internet
• Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
– Combination of the protocol name and domain
name
– Allows user to locate a resource (the Web
page) on another computer (the Web server)

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 Electronic Mail Protocols
• Electronic mail (e-mail)
– Must also be formatted according to common
set of rules
• E-mail server
– Computer devoted to handling e-mail
• E-mail client software
– Used to read and send e-mail
– Example: Microsoft Outlook, Netscape
Messenger

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 Electronic Mail Protocols (Continued)

Three protocols used in processing email include

1. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP):- to send mail from
client to server or server to server
2. Post Office Protocol (POP3):- to download email from server
to client, and the server deletes the mail
3. Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP4):- to download
email from server to client, and the server does not delete
(keeps) the mail

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 Markup Languages and the Web

• Text markup language

– Specifies set of tags that are inserted into text

• Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML)

– Older and complex text markup language

• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

– Not-for-profit group that maintains standards for

the Web

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 Development of Markup Languages

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 Intranets and Extranets
• Intranet
– Interconnected network that does not extend
beyond organization that created it
• Extranet
– Intranet extended to include entities outside
boundaries of organization
– Connects companies with suppliers, business
partners, or other authorized users

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 Web Browsers

• Primary purpose to display Web pages

• Internet Explorer (75%) and Firefox (20%)
dominate the market
• Other browsers include:
– Netscape
– Opera
– Safari (for Apple)

Slide 3-16
 The Internet and Web: Features
• Internet and Web features on which the
foundations of e-commerce are built include:
– E-mail
– Search engines
– Intelligent agents (bots)
– Online forums/ chat
– Streaming media
– Cookies
– etc

Slide 3-17
 Public and Private Networks
• Public network
– Any computer network or telecommunications
network available to the public
• Private network
– A private, leased-line connection between two
companies that physically connects their
intranets
• Leased line
– A permanent telephone connection between
two points
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 ISPs (Internet Service Providers)

• Retail providers that deal with “last mile of

service”
• Offer both narrowband (traditional telephone
modem connection at 56.6 Kbps) and
broadband (service based on DSL, cable
modem, T1 or T3 telephone lines, and
satellite)

Slide 3-19
 Broadband Service Choices
• Digital Subscriber Line (DSL): High-speed
access through ordinary telephone lines
• Cable modem: Provide transmission speeds
between 300 Kbps and 1 Mbps
• T1 and T3: International telephone standards
for digital communication; offer guaranteed
delivery rates
• Satellite: high-speed downloads, slower
uploads

Slide 3-20
 Leased-Line Connections
• DS0 (digital signal zero)
– Telephone line designed to carry 1 digital signal
• T1 line (also called a DS1)
– Carries 24 DS0 lines and operates at 1.544 Mbps
• Fractional T1
– Provides service speeds of 128 Kbps and upward
in 128-Kbps increments
• T3 service (also called DS3)
– Offers 44.736 Mbps

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 Fiber Optics and the Bandwidth
Explosion in the First Mile
• Fiber optics concerned with “first mile” or
backbone Internet services that carry bulk
traffic over long distances
• Older transmission lines being replaced with
fiber-optic cable

Slide 3-22
The Last Mile: Mobile Wireless Internet
Access
• Wireless Internet access concerned with the
“last mile”—from Internet backbone to user’s
computer, cell phone, PDA, etc.
• Two different basic types of wireless Internet
access:
– Telephone-based
– Computer network-based

Slide 3-23
 Wireless Connections
• Bluetooth
– Designed for personal use over short
distances
– Low-bandwidth technology, with speeds of up
to 722 Kbps
– Networks are called personal area networks
(PANs) or piconets
– Consumes very little power
– Devices can discover each other and
exchange information automatically

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 Wireless Ethernet (Wi-Fi or 802.11b)

• Most common wireless connection technology for use

on LANs
• Wireless access point (WAP)
– Device that transmits network packets between
Wi-Fi-equipped computers and other devices
• Has potential bandwidth of 11 Mbps and range of
about 300 feet

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 Wireless Ethernet (Wi-Fi or 802.11b)
(Continued)
• 802.11a protocol
– Capable of transmitting data at speeds up to
54 Mbps
• 802.11g protocol
– Has 54 Mbps speed of 802.11a
– Compatible with 802.11b devices
• 802.11n
– Expected to offer speeds up to 320 Mbps

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Wi-Fi Networks

Slide 3-27
Telephone-based Wireless Internet Access
• Different standards
– Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM):
used primarily in Europe
– Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA): used
primarily in U.S.
• Third generation (3G) cellular networks
• Fourth generation (4G) cellular networks

Slide 3-28
 Who Governs the Internet?

• Organizations that influence Internet and

monitor its operations include:
– Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
– Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN)
– Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG)
– Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
– Internet Society (ISOC)
– World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

Slide 3-29
 Internet II: The Future Infrastructure
• Internet II: Second era of Internet being built by
private corporations, universities, government
agencies

The Internet2 Project

• Internet2: Consortium of 200+ universities,
government agencies, and private
businesses collaborating to find ways to
make the Internet more efficient

Slide 3-30