Internet Addresses

1.    What is a URL?

 The URL stands for Uniform (or universal) resource locator, and it is the address of a Web page. The URL is broken down into three parts: the protocol, the server name, the file name.

2.    What is an IP address and how is it related to a URL?

Each machine on the Internet is assigned a unique address called an IP address. The browser communicated with a name server to translate the server name into an IP address, the IP address is the bit which connects to the server machine.

3. Given our school website's URL is http://www.mcauley.nsw.edu.au, what is our domain name and what protocol do you need to use to access the site?

The domain name is: mcauley and the protocol is: http://

4.   In the context of an IP address, what is an octet?

An octect is a grouping of eight bits.

MIni Project-

We did a mini project on URLs so what they are, how they are used etc. In my group were Julie and Hinarshi. We did a powerpoint based on URLs and presented to the class. We went pretty well it was basically the same information. This was just a practice before our big project.

Definitions-

1.     Define the term- Protocol:

Rules determining the format and transmission of data, it is a set of rules which is used by computers to communicate with each other across a network.

2.     What are the following protocols used for?

-          TCP/IP: is one of the core protocols of the Internet Protocol Suite. It provides reliable, ordered delivery of a stream of bytes from a program on one computer to another program on another computer.

-          http:// - Hypertext Transfer Protocol- it is when computers communicate webpages to one another and is used to access a server that is supporting www protocol.

-          Smtp://- Simple Mail Transfer Protocol- it is used to transfer email messages between computers.

-          Pop- Post Office Protocol is a technology used for downloading messages from an email server to your computer.

-          FTP - File Transfer Protocol- used to download a file from a server supporting the FTP Protocol

3.     What does GUI stand for? What was used before GUI?

GUI stands for Graphical User Interface. Before GUI became common, computers worked with a text-base interface. In these interfaces users interacted with the computer by typing commands, meaning users had to memorize commands in order to use them. DOS, for example, was a common operating system in the late 1980s and the early 1990s.

4.     There are two methods of data transmission – serial and parallel. Explain the difference between them.

The difference between serial and parallel is that the serial transmissions only use 2 wires for transmitting and receiving data and only 1 for sending or receiving, and can only send one bit at a time whereas parallel cabels use several wires for data transmission and is much faster than serial therefore 8 or more wires are carrying data ‘parallel’ to each other to its destination.

5.     Define the term “URL”. Explain the components that make up the url.

URL is an abbreviation of ‘Uniform/Universal Resource Locator’, it is the global address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web. It is a standard for identifying a resource (site, name, application, etc.) across a computer network, example internet.

6.  In the context of data transmission, what is “error detection”?

In the context of data transmission, error detection is the detection of errors caused by noise or other impairments during transmission from the transmitter to the receiver.

History of the Internet

How did the internet originate?

Although the internet originally began in the 19^th century with the invention of the telegraph system it was really recognised and in modern history is known has being developed in the 1950s and 1960s when with the development of computers. The Internet that exists today began as a military network that was used to transmit data over long distances. That developed into a text exchange between educational institutions.

Who were the people most responsible for creating it?

J.C.R Licklider of MIT first proposed a global network of computers in 1962 and moved over to the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency in late 1962 to head the work to develop it. Leonard Kleinrock of MIT and later UCLA developed the theory of packet switching, which was to form the basis of Internet Connections. Lawrence Roberts of MIT was also involved in this; she connected a Massachusetts computer with a California computer in 1965 over dial-up telephone lines. Al Gore has done more than any other elected official to support the growth and development of the Internet from the 1970’s to present. 

What system immediately preceded the internet? What was its purpose?

ARPANET was one of the systems that immediately preceded the internet. It was a lead to development of protocols for internetworking, where multiple separate networks could be joined together into a network of networks.

What is an IP packet? What is it comprised of?

IP shortened for Internet Protocol is a protocol used for communicating data across a packet-switched internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite, also referred to as TCP/IP.

IP packets are an extremely efficient way of sending information over the internet, it only a matter of a few milliseconds – when all this is received on another device. IP packets are a basic chunk of data that can be sent over the Internet. All the data is broken into “small parts” into IP packets on the sending computer and reassembled on the computer that is receiving the information.

What does TCP stand for? How does TCP deal with lost IP packets?

TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol. TCP adds support to detect errors or lost data and to trigger retransmission until the data is correctly and completely received.

Why do computer people like everything in letters?

They like everything in letters because words are easier to remember whereas numbers are sometimes a bit hard.