Internet Environment: Characteristics Features, Uses

Today, we will be discussing the internet environment.

INTERNET ENVIRONMENT

An internet is a logical collection of networks supported by gateways, routers, bridges, hosts, and various layers of protocols. An internet permits different physical networks to function as a single, large, virtual network, and permits dissimilar computers to communicate with each other, regardless of their physical connections.

Characteristic Features

1. Client:

A client is a computer or process that requests services on the network. A server is a computer or process that responds to a request for service from a client. A user accesses a service, which allows the use of data or some other resource.

2. Host:

A host is a computer, connected to a network, that provides an access point to that network. A host can be a client, a server, or a client and server simultaneously.

In a communication network, computers are both the sources and destinations of the packets. The local host is the computer to which a user’s terminal is directly connected without the use of an internet.

A foreign host is any machine on a network that can be interconnected. A remote host is any machine on a network that requires a physical link to interconnect with the network.

3. Network:

A network is the combination of two or more nodes and the connecting branches among them. A physical network is the hardware that makes up a network.

A logical network is the abstract organization overlaid on one or more physical networks. An internet is an example of a logical network.

4. Packet:

Packet refers to the unit or block of data of one transaction between a host and its network. A packet usually contains a network header, at least one high-level protocol header, and data blocks.

Generally, the format of the data blocks does not affect how packets are handled. Packets are the exchange medium used at the internetwork layer to send and receive data through the network.

5. Port:

A port is an end point for communication between applications, generally referring to a logical connection. A port provides queues for sending and receiving data. Each port has a port number for identification. When the port number is combined with an internet address, a socket address results.

6. Protocol:

Protocol refers to a set of rules for achieving communication on a network.

Uses of the Internet
  1. Communication
  2. Shopping
  3. E-learning
  4. Research
  5. Entertainment

 

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