Well the Internet is the world's largest computer network in other words it is a "Network of Networks". The Internet ( Computers Networked i.e. connected together ) is made up of thousands of networks worldwide. No one knows exactly how many computers are connected to the Internet, although estimates are ongoing. It is certain, however, the number or computers are in millions and are increasing at a rapid rate. No one is in charge of the Internet. There are organizations which develop technical aspects of this network, but no governing body is in control. The Internet backbone, through which Internet traffic flows, is owned by private companies. The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and computer set the stage for this unprecedented integration of capabilities. The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location. The Internet represents one of the most successful examples of the benefits of sustained investment and commitment to research and development of information infrastructure. Beginning with the early research in packet switching, the government, industry and academia have been partners in evolving and deploying this exciting new technology. Today, terms like E-mail (e.g. :- username@hotmail.com ) and Website (e.g. :- http://www.yahoo.com ) can be heard from people in the towns.
The Internet is an outgrowth of a network (ARPANET). It started in about 1968 when the government needed to link universities, military contractors and defense contractors together so that they could cooperate on advanced research projects together. The federal government formed an agency called Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPANET). One of the key projects they were assigned to look at was if all of our defense information was stored in just one computer, it would be an easy target for a nuclear attack What was to be done about that threat? One way to survive that threat was to replicate and distribute the information between many computers all over the country using a network It’s like the old expression of not keeping all of your eggs in the same basket. If one basket falls, not all the eggs break. The ARPANET grew slowly, from a handful of computers in 1971 to more than thousand in 1984. Working with the ARPANET researchers came to regard high-speed computer networks as an indispensable tool for academic research in all fields, and in the 1986 the US National Science Foundation established NSFNET to provide network connections to more research institutions and improve international network cooperation. By 1987, the internet served more than 10,000 computers. By 1989 the network had grown to more than 100,000. In 1990, The ARPANET ceased to exit, but the Internet continued to Grow. 1 million computers in 1992, 2 million in 1993. the Internet has now spilled out of the academic world to offer both information access and a fast, inexpensive means of communication to the general public.
In 1975, some of the languages, or protocols, that computers would use to talk to each other were agreed upon. Several major universities and defense contractors were linked together on a network called DARPANET all using the same protocol which now known as TCP/IP or Internet Protocol. This network has long since been dismantled and replaced by several networks that now span the globe. The largest one is run by MCI and IBM in a joint venture called Merit Networks, Inc. Sprint and AT&T also run large backbone networks.
Nowadays many colleges and universities are connected to the Internet. This allows the universities to share research information, programs and recent news. Now they even provide Online Education. In the nineties, the Internet was opened up for commercial use as the cold war ended. Soon more and more ways of communicating information across this new "Information Super Highway" were being developed. Now it is possible to use the Internet to send letters electronically (e-mail) across the globe or to your neighbor within minutes. You can look up information about just about any topic you want to know about. The World Wide Web is a collection of documents that spreads across 5 Million computers. You can receive news from all over the globe, stock quotes, information about what to do in a certain area, pictures of homes for sale, even the latest gardening tips… Major libraries have their card catalogs, abstracts of documents and sometimes even full text of books, magazines and other information online. There are news groups where you can get information about one of about 15,000 specialized subjects. You can even make a voice call to your cousin on another continent all for free once you have your computer hooked up to the Internet.
All computers on the Internet communicate with one another using the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol suite, abbreviated to TCP/IP. Computers on the Internet use a client/server architecture. This means that the remote server machine provides files and services to the user's local client machine. Software can be installed on a client computer to take advantage of the latest access technology. An Internet user has access to a wide variety of services: electronic mail, file transfer, vast information resources, interest group membership, interactive collaboration, multimedia displays, real-time broadcasting, shopping opportunities, and much more. The Internet consists primarily of a variety of access protocols. Many of these protocols feature programs that allow users to search for and retrieve material made available by the protocol.
Computers on the Internet use a client/server architecture. This means that the remote server machine provides files and services to the user's local client machine. Software can be installed on a client computer to take advantage of the latest access technology. The Client/server architecture works on the basis of Request response system. To see An animation of request response system click here.
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