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| | The Internet Interconnected Networks is a global system of voluntarily interconnected computer networks, based on the use of the protocol IP and the routing of data packets. The Internet forms a global (uniform) information environment, the abode of digitized information. The Internet serves as physical base for the World Wide Web. It is often referred to as Worldnet and the Global network. The slang words “INet” and “Net” are also popular.
When the word Internet is used, more often it's referring to the World Wide Web and information available on the Internet but not the physical network.
By mid 2008 the number of regularly availing Internet services constituted around 1.4 billion (about ¼ of the population worldwide).
Key principles of the Internet
The Internet consists of several thousand corporate, scientific, governmental and household computer networks. Connecting the networks of a different architecture and topology became possible thanks to the IP (abbr. from English “Internet Protocol”) and the routing principle of data packets. The IP has been a specially created agnostic with respect to the physical communication channels. That is, any digital data transmitting system (network), wireline or wireless, can transfer the traffic of the Internet. Special routers (software or hardware), present on joints of networks, are engaged in the automatic sorting and redirection of data packets, on the basis of the IP-addresses of the recipients of these packets. IP protocol forms the uniform address space on a global scale, but the own address subspace, which is selected on the basis of class of network, can also exist in each separate network. Such an organization of IP-addresses allows routers to explicitly define further direction for each smallest data packet. As a result, conflicts do not arise between separate networks of the Internet and data is freely and precisely transmitted from one network to network on the entire planet and near space.
IP protocol was born in discussions inside the organization IETF (abbr. from English Internet Engineering Task Force, Task force — the group of experts for solving specific tasks), whose name can be liberally translated as the “Group for resolving design tasks of the internet”. Till today, IETF and its working groups are engaged in developing the global network protocols. IETF is opened for public participation and discussion. Committees of the organization publish so-called documents RFC. Technical specifications and precise explanations to several questions are mentioned in these documents. Some RFC documents are raised by the organization IABAR (abbr. Internet Architecture Board — Council about the architecture of the Internet) to Internet Standards status. Since 1992, IETF, IAB and a number of other Internet organizations are members of the Internet Society (ISOC). The Internet society is an organizational foundation for various research and consultation groups which are engaged in the development of the Internet.
Internet protocols
In any given case, a protocol is figuratively speaking, a “language” used by computers for data exchange while working in a network. Various computers of the network could interact, they should “talk” in one “language”, that is, using the one and the same protocol. The system of internet protocols is called stacks of TCP/IP protocols.
The most widespread Internet protocols (in alphabetic order, grouped in OSI model):
1. On application layer:
* DNS
* FTP
* HTTP
* HTTPS
* IMAP
* LDAP
* POP3
* SMTP
* SSH
* Telnet
* XMPP (Jabber)
* SNMP
2. On session layer/Presentation layer
* SSL
* TLS
3. On transport layer
* TCP
* UDP
4. On network layer
* BGP
* ICMP
* IGMP
* IP
* OSPF
* RIP
* EIGRP
* IS-IS
5. On channel layer
* Ethernet
* Frame relay
* HDLC
* PPP
* SLIP
Varied types of protocols, which are yet to be standardized but already are very popular in the internet also exist. In many cases, these protocols are required for exchanging files and text messages and the entire file-exchange networks are built on several of these protocols. The following are such protocols:
* OSCAR;
* CDDB;
* eDonkey2000 (Name of the network; Protocol is called MFTP);
* BitTorrent;
* Gnutella;
* Skype
Internet services
At present, the most popular internet services are:
* World Wide Web
o Web forum;
o Blogs;
o Wiki-projects (particularly Wikipedia);
o Internet-shops;
o Internet – auctions;
o Social networks
* Email and mailing lists;
* News Groups (mainly, Usenet);
* File exchange networks;
* Electronic payment systems;
* Internet Radio;
* Internet Television;
* IP-Telephony;
* Messengers;
* FTP-Servers;
* IRC (implemented also as web chats);
* Search engines;
* Internet- Advertisements;
* Remote terminals.
In 1998, Pope John Paul II constituted World Internet Day (September 30).
Presently, the Internet is accessible not only through computer networks but also through communication satellites, radio signals, cable television, telephones, cellular communication, special optic fiber lines and electricity cables. The global network became an integral part of life in developed and developing countries.
The Internet quickly reached audiences of over 50 million users. Time period, required for attaining 50 million users:
Radio - 38 years,
Television - 13 years,
Cable television - 10 years,
Internet - 5 years.
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Today is One Web Day - a day to celebrate online life and demonstrate how the Internet affects our everyday lives.
