Who CONTROLS The Internet?

The internet is simply a connection of computers (generally servers), that stay on all the time and process requests from a client (such as your internet browsers).

Nobody really owns the internet, and everybody is free to host their own servers (unless limited from their ISP).

There is, although, a company named Network Solutions, that has undertaken the duty of registering and maintaining Domain Names.
Domain Names are simply URLs (such as http://answers.yahoo.com), that point to an IP address which identifies a specific server. Then the TCP/IP packets are routed to that server, back to the client and so on.

Domain Names are resolved to IPs using Domain Name Servers (or usually abbreviated DNS). There are many DNS servers containing copies of these IP-Domain Name Databases, but all originate from Network Solutions, and are updated at least once daily.

WHO OWNS THE INTERNET?


No one person or country owns the internet. Literally millions of governments, corporations, universities, commercial companies and citizens own the internet jointly. What this means is that no one can control it in its entirety. In the United States there is a group called the National Science Foundation (NSF) that over looks methods of improving the internet's performance. The NSF is supported by a group called the internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) committee. This committee has to conform to guidelines that are set by the Internet Architecture Board (IAB).

In reality, there are many groups that manage every facet of the internet. Unless you plan to devote your life to serving on one of these committees, you can probably live a very prosperous life on the internet without knowing they exist.

MEASURING BANDWIDTH

What is bandwidth?

The information found on the web can reach our computers or other Internet-enabled devices in two basic ways - when we open a website and browse through its pages or when we download files (MP3s, PDFs, flash files, etc.) for personal or office use. Whatever the case, the requested information has to go a long way before reaching our computers. Thanks to the advanced communication technologies in use today, when you open a website or download a file, the contained data is transferred at the speed of light from the data center it is located in to the ISP that ensures your Internet access and then to your computer.

However, in reality we do not always open the requested page or download the file we need as quickly as theoretically possible. This is explained by the technical possibility for Internet Service Providers to ensure different bandwidth quota to consumers. The bandwidth represents the 'width' of the wire that conducts information to your computer. The wider the route/path the transferred data passes through, the more packets of information (parts of theweb page you want to view or the file you download) will be transmitted to the consumers' Internet enabled devices. So the bandwidth is generally responsible for the Internet connection speed. The bigger the bandwidth quota is, the higher the connection speed will be and hence the quicker it will be for you to view web pages or download stuff from the web.

How is bandwidth measured?

Since bandwidth generally refers to a capacity of a communication line i.e. the amount of information that can be transferred from one point to another, its measurement units are the same as those of disk space and monthly traffic - bits, bytes, kilobytes (Kbps), megabytes (Mbps) and gigabytes (Gbps). The standard bandwidth period is considered to be a second, so when we refer to a bandwidth quota we say such and such kilobytes per second.

Bandwidth and ISPs

As a medium between the global network and your computer, the ISP is connected to the Internet at a much higher speed than the speed you get as an Internet subscriber. Its main function is to rent portions of the expensive high-speed connection to you and thus ensure the Internet access that you need at an affordable price.

The various Internet access technologies currently offered have different bandwidth standards. For instance, the dial-up Internet provides a very narrow bandwidth limit of about 50 Kbps per second, while the broadband connection ensured by the DSL or the LAN Internet allows data transfer at a much higher speed, ranging from 128 Kbps to 2,000 Kbps. So this means you can browse through the web and download stuff must faster if you have broadband Internet connection at home or in the office than if you use dial-up.

Bandwidth and web hosting

The bandwidth is also a factor you should consider when selecting your web hosting provider. If you intend to run your own website, you will need to search for a host that provides the best combination of resources for keeping your site online. While most of the features included in a hosting offer represent server resources, the bandwidth refers to the Internet connection between the servers in the data center where you site is hosted and the data center's ISP.

GUIDE TO CHOOSE BROADBAND PROVIDER!!

• There are a lot of factors to consider when comparing broadband packages, but perhaps the most important are speed, cost and contract length. With so many providers, contracts, offers and packages to choose from, the first step is to know exactly what you need.

What kind of broadband package do I want?

• Beginner's broadband. If you are just starting out, it's likely that you're looking for a package that's easy to set up, not too expensive and offers good customer support.
• Heavy-Use broadband. You know if you are a heavy-user if you enjoy downloading oodles of songs and movies using peer-to-peer software, or you're a big fan of online gaming. Either way, our heavy-use packages are the ones to look out for.
• Business broadband. These packages differ from consumer deals as they offer extras like static/fixed-IPs, webspace and email addresses as well as routers and secuity suites.
• Mobile broadband. If you access the Internet primarily from your laptop, then mobile broadband is an option worth considering - whether to be used at home or on the go. Mobile broadband providers will send you a 'dongle' (modem) that you plug into the USB slot on your laptop to access the Internet, at broadband speeds, wherever there's mobile phone coverage.

• Family broadband. With more and more devices like laptops, tablets, TVs, set-top boxes and gaming consoles connecting to the Internet, families have specific needs that are best catered for by certain providers.

HOW TO CHOOSE AN ISP? DIALUP, BROADBAND OR MOBILE?

HOW TO CHOOSE AN ISP?

Here is some advice in helping you choose an ISP.

• Monthly or yearly charge: Yes, we all need to keep a close watch on our wallets but this does not mean you pick a lousy ISP just because it’s cheap. The price would also vary across different plans – ensure you get the best deal.
• Type of internet access: A dialup connection would be more than enough if you plan to access the internet for only a few hours each week. Want to download movies, music etc.? Get a broadband connection.
• Regional or national ISP: Are you a frequent traveller? If so, talk to a national ISP and see if they have a plan that lets you use the same connection (via a USB modem) from different places.
• Extra services from the ISP: Multiple email accounts and extra web storage space is probably going to cost you more... but does you ISP provide these extra services?
  By the way, I suggest you create free accounts on the many popular web based email service providers than paying extra to the ISP.

DIALUP

• Dial-up refers to an Internet connection that is established using a MODEM. The modem connects the computer to standard phone lines, which serve as the data transfer medium. When a user initiates a dial-up connection, the modem dials a phone number of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that is designated to receive dial-up calls. The ISP then establishes the connection, which usually takes about ten seconds and is accompanied by several beeping an buzzing sounds.

WHAT IS ISP?

• An Internet Service Provider (also known as an ISP or even as an IAP, internet access provider) is a firm that offers subscribers access to the internet. This internet service provider maintains large runs of cabling and maintains network services in order to transfer and deliver web content to those paying the subscription fee.
• For most users, the most important qualification (beyond the ever present price point) is the speed of the connection. Depending on the intended use, there are a myriad of different internet services, and even varying levels of coverage within each and every service. The slowest of these is dial-up internet service. Modern dial-up transfers web content at a maximum rate of 56.6 kilobits per second. In the early days of internet service, this was typically sufficient, as websites were designed with a lean mentality, with very little imagery and a heavy emphasis on text, and text based linking. As time has progressed however, most websites assume that the user is on a high speed connection, and have therefore loaded their website with visual flair and high file size images. What was once acceptable no longer is for most web users, who opt to selecting a faster service.

HOW DOES THE CONNECTION WORK FROM HOME?

 To connect from home you need several things. Apart from a computer , you'll need a phone connection, a modem or ADSL router, and some Internet software. Things will be easier if you're using a relatively recent operation system, such as Windows Vista/XP or MacOSX, but it's possible to connect with older or more obscure systems.

HOW DOES INFORMATION TRAVEL THROUGH THE INTERNET?

• The Internet is an electronic communications network that allows computers all over the world to be connected.
• A computer has to be equipped with a device called a modem before it can be connected to a telephone or cable TV line. Following are the most common connection types and each requires a different modem type.
• An ISP (Internet Service Provider) is required to complete a connection to the Internet. For DSL connections the telephone company is usually the ISP and for cable TV connections the cable company is the ISP. For dial-up connections the ISP is usually an independent company like NetZero.
• Website pages have to be stored on an Internet server so then can be accessed by other computers. A server is basically a computer that has a lot of disk capacity and the required Internet interface software. Hosting companies like IX Webhosting have large numbers of servers and rent space for storage of website pages.
• The telephone company is able to find another telephone because each telephone has a unique telephone number. Similar numbers called IP (Internet Protocol) numbers are used by the Internet. Every computer and server connected to the Internet has a unique IP number/address. Websites also have unique IP numbers so they can be found on the host server. Websites have a domain name (e.g. http://www.doawebsite.com) because names are easier to remember but it is the website IP number that is used by the Internet to find a website page.           

NOTE: You can access a website by using the IP number instead of the domain name. For example use http://66.116.147.131 to access www.doawebsite.

WHAT IS TCP OR IP?

IP address is a numerical identifier assigned to each machine in IP network.

•An IP address allows a host on one network to communicate with a host on a different network, regardless of the type of LAN the host is connected to. IP addresses are hierarchical in nature.

•An IP address is 32 bits long.

•IP address are represented in Dotted-decimal form, like 172.16.3.53 or rarely in Hexadecimal like AC 10 IE 35.

Example of IP are:-

IP (Internet Protocol)
IPSec (Internet Protocol Secured)
IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6)
HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol)
MPLS (Multi Protocol Label Switched)
SMTP (Simple Mail Transmission Protocol)
POP (Post Office Protocol)
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

WHAT ARE PROTOCOLS?

Protocols are simple rules created to standardize a particular network activity. They are simply some scripts that make up rules to determine a specific standard that should be used worldwide by everyone for a specific purpoes such as file transmission, authentication, verification etc.

Protocols typically do their tasks that is, they do what they are programmed for. They simply trigger when their functions is called such as transmission, validation, verification etc.

It typically, runs the script it had been coded with and follows the standard rule specified in it.

We get the necessary output of it after all which will be a standard and security protocol.