The Internet

What is the Internet? The question is actually difficult to answer, because the answer is continually changing with time. About a decade ago, the Internet would have been, “All networks, using the IP protocol, that collaborate to form a seamless network for their collective users.” But more recently the Internet itself consists of thousands of independent networks at academic institutions, military installations, government agencies, commercial enterprises, and other organizations. (Long, 197)

When one gets on the Internet they are exposed to everything the Internet can give them. They can chat with people from all over the world, view the thousands of files, and send electronic mail. The possibilities of the Internet are endless.

The Internet was first started as a U.S. Defense Department network called the ARPAnet. The ARPAnet was an experimental network designed to support military research. In particular, research about how to build networks that could withstand partial outages and still function. Say in a nuclear war, if one part of the network was to be disabled, the network would still be operational. (Krol, 11)

To send a message across the ARPAnet, a computer only had to put its data in an envelope, called an Internet Protocol packet or IP, and address the packets correctly. The communicating computers –not the network itself-were also given the responsibility to ensure that the communication was accomplished. The philosophy was that every computer on the network could talk, as a peer, with any other computer. (Krol, 11)

In 1971, the ARPAnet included more than 20 sites. Ten years later in 1981, more than 200 sites were linked. (Krol 11)

After a couple of years passed, ARPAnet had grown so much that they needed to make rules to govern the ever-growing network. The rules were called the standard protocol, and would allow communication between dissimilar computers and networks. As time went on the networks gradually adapted to each other and fused together to form the Internet. And because of this the ARPAnet was no longer needed, and ceased to exist. (Long, 198)

How does the Internet work? The Internet is built around the concept of “layers of service.” This level consists of wires and hardware, and not always very good wires. Then you add a layer of basic software to shield yourself from the problems of hardware. You add, yet, another layer of software to give the basic software some desirable features. You continue to add functionality and smarts to the network, one layer at a time, until you have something that is useful.