Internet Knowledge Guide
- Internet - A worldwide network of computers (servers)
connected by cable that can be accessed by individual computers through
an Internet Service Provider (ISP) - see below.
- WWW - World Wide Web. Internet servers that conform
to a standardized set of rules that facilitate access and navigation
using industry standard browsers. Not all Internet servers are part
of the WWW system.
- Browser - A program that can display and navigate
the Internet. Netscape and Internet are the most popular. America On
Line (AOL) has its own browser.
- Web Site - A web site or web page is a series of
files on the Internet conforming to the World Wide Web standards that
are accessible through an ISP using a computer and a browser or an
Internet appliance (see page 2). Each site has a home page and is accessible
via a Universal Resource Locator (URL) - see below. Web sites are usually
owned by a company or organization and can reside on an ISP server
or a server owned and located at the establishment.
- ISP - Internet Service Provider. Furnishes link
to Internet. Tier one ISPs have the highest speed connections - T3
lines (see page 2) operating at up to 43Mbps. This is the same speed
the Internet uses to transmit data. You must have a connection to an
ISP to be able to connect to the Internet. ISPs usually charge a monthly
fee for access, web hosting and e-mail addresses. Normally there are
no usage charges based on time. Depending on the type of connection
and equipment has a company can host their own web site and e-mail
accounts.
- TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol. This is the standard way of handling data on the Internet.
It is also used for Local Area Networks (LAN).
- IP Address - A unique number in the form XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX
that identifies a site or device on the Internet. Numbers between the
periods can be from 0 to 255.
- URL - Uniform Resource Locator. The address of a
web site - for example "ourcompany.com". The extension usually
indicates what type of establishment it is, "com" - company, "org" -
organization, "net" - a company involved with the network
such as an ISP, "gov" - government, "edu" - educational, "mil" -
military, "ca" - Canadian and "th" for a Thailand
site. The URL translates into an IP address. A URL is also referred
to as a domain name. The URL is usually preceded by the protocol designator
(ftp or http) and www for a World Wide Web site. FTP stands for File
Transfer Protocol and these sites are used to transfer files back and
forth to users. HTTP means HyperText Transfer Protocol and is the standard
for accessing web sites using a browser. Examples of full address for
a web site are "http://www.ourcompany.com" or "ftp://www.ourcompany.com".
All domain names are unique and registered by one company at this time
- InterNic.
- Bit - Smallest unit of data - a 1 or 0. Eight bits
make up a byte.
- Byte - A character such as an "A", "1", "/",
etc.
- Kbps - Kilobits per Second - 1000 bits per second.
- Mbps - Megabits per Second - 1,000,00 bits per second.
- MB - Megabytes - 1,048,576 bytes when used in relation
to data storage. 1,000,000 bytes when used in relation to data transfers.
- MBps - Megabytes per Second - 1,000,000 bytes per
second.
- Bandwidth - Measurement of how much data can be
passed through a connection usually measured in Kbps (Kilobits per
Second), Mbps (Megabits per Second) or MBps (Megabytes per Second).
For comparisons common network data transfer speeds are 10Mbps or 100Mbps
(Megabits per Second), hard disk drives at 10 to 160MBps (Megabytes
per second) while Internet connections range from 56Kbps to 1.5Mbps
(Megabits per second). Even the fastest commonly available Internet
connections is almost 7 times slower than a 10Mbps network and 50 times
slower than the slowest hard drives.
- Router - A device that makes the connection between
a computer or network and the line going to the Internet. Required
for T1, ISDN and DSL connections. A modem is used for analog lines.
- Modem - Stands for Modulator/Demodulator. This device
translates data in digital format to analog format and vice versa.
Required for analog connections between computers.
- Analog Line - Data is handled as stream of information
like a sound wave. Data must be translated from digital to analog then
back to digital to communicate between two computers. A standard telephone
line is analog with a maximum speed (bandwidth) 56Kbps for data. This
is the most basic way to access the Internet. Regular telephone charges
are incurred. Requires a modem.
- Digital Line - Data is handled in discrete units
(bits) same as a computer. Does not require translation to be used
by a computer. Most modern electronic equipment use digital technology.
- ISDN Line - Integrated Services Digital Network
line. A digital service with a maximum speed of 128Kbps for a dual
channel line. Can be dedicated or a dial up. Expensive to install and
use. Can have monthly charges from both the phone company and the ISP
plus usage charges from both. Requires a router. Equipment is expensive
and reliability is poor. Difficult to setup and maintain.
- T1 Line - Dedicated digital connection point to
point. Can be used to connect two or more locations or as a connection
to the Internet. Various speeds are available up to a maximum speed
of 1.5Mbps. Lines with bandwidths less than the maximum are called
fractional T1s. Very expensive to install and lease - usually over
$1,000.00 per month. No usage charges. Requires a router. T3 lines
are basically the same but operate at up to 43Mbps.
- DSL - Digital Subscriber Line. Can be a dial up
or most likely a dedicated connection. Various speeds are available
up to 7Mbps but most top out at 1.5Mbps. They can be synchronous (SDSL
- same speed both directions) or asynchronous (ASDL - different speed
each direction). The majority of connections are SDSL. Most important
is the speed from the ISP to the user. Dedicated lines have a setup
charge but normally no usage charges from either the telephone company
or the ISP. This type of connection is usually the most cost efficient
connection if Internet usage is more than just sporadic. Line costs
are based on bandwidth - higher speeds are more expensive. The connection
requires a router.
- Cable Modem - Allows Internet access using television
cable connections. Fairly fast but speed can be degraded if number
of users is high. Fairly inexpensive in light of its bandwidth. Requires
a cable modem and an Ethernet card for the computer. A monthly fee
is charged.
- Internet Appliances - Hardware items with integrated
programs that access or control access to the Internet. They can screen
information, track usage, block sites, host web sites and e-mail addresses
plus other functions. Most devices have firewalls which block unauthorized
access to the users computer and/or network. WebTV is an example of
an Internet appliance that can directly access the Internet.
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Novell, Microsoft, and Cisco Certified Technicians
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