The Internet is a network of networks.

Computer users on the Internet can contact one another anywhere in the world . In Internet a huge resource of information is accessible to people across the world.

Information in every field starting from education, science, health, medicine, history, and geography to business, news, etc. can be retrieved through Internet. You can also download programs and software packages from anywhere in the world

In 1969 Department of Defense (DoD) of USA started a network called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Administration Network ) . They wanted to create network that will resist nuclear disaster.
Computers connected to ARPANET used a standard or rule to communicate with each other with NCP (National Control Protocol). Protocol is a network term used to indicate the standard used by a network for communication.

Rapid change in information technology suppressed NCP and brought TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) in to the world of networking. Around 1970, NSFNET (National Science Foundation Network) was created which created links between 5 regional centers of a University. In 1980s, Usenet groups & e-mail was introduced.
To keep track of information about internet, Archie & Wide Area Information System(WAIS) was created.

Gopher, a simple Menu Driven System was introduced to

provide easy-of use interface. In 1991, CERN introduced world wide web as the web.

It used Hypertexts & Hyperlinks.

Internet is not a governmental organization. The ultimate authority of the Internet is the Internet Society. This is a voluntary membership organization whose purpose is to promote global information exchange.

Internet has more than one million computers attached

to it. Ten years of research brought Local Area Ethernet Networks (LANs) and workstations were developed to get connected to LAN.

The Internet is a rare example of a large democracy with

no state of head, no official censors, no bosses, no board of directors. Nobody controls the Internet and in principle, any

computer can speak to any other computer, as long as it

obeys the technical rules of the TCP/IP protocol.

1977: 111 hosts on Internet 1981: 213 hosts 1983: 562 hosts 1984: 1,000 hosts 1986: 5,000 hosts 1987: 10,000 hosts 1989: 100,000 hosts 1992: 1,000,000 hosts 2001: 150 175 million hosts 2002: over 200 million hosts By 2010, about 80% of the planet will be on the Internet

Internet Evolution detailed

Blog - A blog is information that is instantly published to

a Web site. Blog scripting allows someone to automatically post information to a Web site. Bookmark - a way of storing your favorite sites on the Internet. Browsers like Netscape or Internet Explorer let

you to categorize your bookmarks into folders.

Browser - A software program that allows users to access the Internet. Examples: Internet explorer, Mozila Firefox, Google Chrome, etc.

Non-graphical a user interface for computers which allows you to read plain text, not pictures, sound, or video, on the Internet. It is strictly text based, nonWindows, and does not place high memory demands on your computer. Graphical a user interface for computers which enables people to see color, graphics, and hear sound and see video, available on Internet sites.
Examples are Netscape and Internet Explorer.

CGI (Common Gateway Interface script) - a specification for transferring information between a Web server and a CGI program, designed to receive and return data. Chat - real-time, synchronous, text-based communication via computer. Cookie - Information (in this case URLs, Web addresses) created by a Web server and stored on a users computer. This information lets Web sites the user visits to keep of a users browsing patterns and preferences. People can set up their browsers to accept or not accept cookies.

Domain Name - A method of identifying computer addresses. Your e-mail address has a domain address. If you have an edu at the end of your e-mail address that means your account is affiliated with an educational institution. A com extension means you have a business account. A government account has a .gov suffix.

FTP - Using file transfer protocol software to receive from upload) or send to (download) files (text, pictures, spreadsheets, etc.) from one computer/server to another.

Firewall: It is a barrier between your computer & the outside world.

Webpage It is an electronic document which contains information.

Website It is a collection of related WebPages.

Home page - Generally the first page retrieved when accessing a Web site. Usually a home page acts as the starting point for a user to access information on the site.

HTML - A type of text code in Hypertext Markup Language which, when embedded in a document, allows that document to be read and distributed across the Internet.
HTTP - The hypertext transfer protocol (http) that enables html documents to be read on the Internet. Hypertext - text that is non-sequential, produced by writing in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) language. This HTML coding allows the information (text, graphics, sound, video) to be accessed using HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol).

Hyperlink - Text, images, graphics that, when clicked with a mouse (or activated by keystrokes) will connect the user to a new Web site. Instant Messaging (IM) - a text-based computer conference over the Internet between two or more people who must be online at the same time. When you send an IM the receiver is instantly notified that she/he has a message.

IP Address - (Internet Protocol) The number or name of the computer from which you send and receive information on the Internet.

Modem - A device that connects your computer to the Internet, when you are not connected via a LAN. The modem translates computer signals to analog signals which are sent via phone lines.

PPP: Point-to-Point Protocol used in establishing a direct connection between two networking nodes.

SMPT: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol ,Used to send E-Mail over the Internet.

VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol , for transmitting ordinary telephone calls over the Internet.

Virus: Virus is a program that replicates by being copied , causing harm to files on the computer.

URL A universal resource locator (a computer address) that identifies the location and type of resource on the Web. A URL generally starts with http.

URL parts The protocol is followed by a colon (http:), The server is preceded by two slashes(//www.mnmjec.edu.) Each segment of the pathname is preceded by a single slash /facscim/ /english/Tables/Default.htm). The first component, the protocol, defines the manner for interpreting computer information. Many Internet pages use HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol). Other common Internet protocols that one might come across are FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

Intranet: It is a relatively smaller private network that uses the Internet protocols and connectivity. It is an extension of the Internet and is privately used by organizations.
Web Server: A web server is a computer program that accepts HTTP requests from web clients and provides them with HTTP responses.

Download - It is the process of receiving data from a remote computer to the local computer.
Upload It is process of sending data from local computer to remote computer. Internet Service Provider: A company, which provides users with an access to the Internet, is known as an Internet service provider or Internet access provider.

Basic Requirements for Internet Connection TCP/IP enabled computer with a web browser. An account with an ISP A telephone line plugged to a suitable socket A modem to connect the computer to the telephone line.

At least 386 microprocessor chip with a minimum of 16MB RAM High end processors for a good speed (PENTIUM III,IV) 640x480 resolution Capability of displaying a minimum of 256 colors. Hard disk with 200MB of free space, to store temporary Internet files Speakers Modem: Which converts digital data into analog signals. Speed 28 Kbps to 56 Kbps

Dial up ISDN Cable Modem Leased Line DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) Broadband

Dial up : Speed 56 Kbps Uses telephone lines to connect to the Internet To connect to the Internet by using dial-up, the user needs to specify a user-name, a password and a telephone number. Phone connection or Internet connection at a time. Personal use Used by small industries.

ISDN Speed 128 Kbps Integrated Services Digital Network Business and commercial use Involves the digitization of telephone network so that voice, graphics, text, and other data can be provided to users Digital connections have fewer errors in transmission. Speed of downloading is high.

Cable Modem : Speed 10 to100 times faster than dial -up modem Connects the user to the Internet through a Cable Television line A cable modem will typically have two connections, one to the television outlet and the other to the computer. To use Internet Connection Sharing(ICS) to share your Internet connection, the host computer must have one network adapter that is configured to connect to the internal network, and one network adapter or modem that is configured to connect to the Internet.

Speed 2.4 Kbps to 45 Mbps Is an affordable way to link two or more sites for a fixed monthly charge. Leased line facility can be provided via fiber optic or copper lines. Provides a consistent amount of bandwidth.

Speed
128 Kbps basic DSL 8.448 Mbps high-end service

DSL service provided through the existing phone line, but it works differently than regular analog modem dial-up access. It can be used simultaneously with the telephone.

Speed at least 10 times faster than standard 56 K modem link This type of access is good for remote locations, where ISDN, cable or DSL are not available. It gives decent download speed, but to upload data, the user still needs a regular analog modem to dial in, via a phone line. The data is transmitted via satellite to a dish antenna at the users house. Satellite connection is expensive but sometimes is the only fast option for people who are beyond the service area of cable and DSL providers.