Overview

Various information about the Internet and TCP/IP was presented in Chapters 1 and 2. We examined the general concept of an internet, contrasted it with the Internet, and introduced Internet-related terms such as intranet and extranet. We also introduced several TCP/IP-based application protocols such as the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and the Post Office Protocol (POP) for e-mail, the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) for file transfers, and the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) for web applications. In this chapter, we expand our discussion of the Internet and TCP/IP from a networking perspective.

1. Could you start things off by defining the Internet?

   Certainly. Defining the Internet today is a bit more problematic than it was several years ago. Its definition varies from person to person. For example, in Chapter 1, we defined the Internet as a collection of computer networks based on a specific set of network standards TCP/IP. Other users, whose focus might be on the information they have acquired or the people with whom they have communicated, might define the Internet as a global collection of diverse resources, or as an electronic community of people. Still others, whose only experience with the Internet is using the World Wide Web, might say the Internet and World Wide Web are synonymous and hence the Internet is the World Wide Web.

   Consequently, defining the Internet is a function of perspective. Regardless of the definition or perspective, the Internet interconnects individual, autonomous computer networks and enables them to function and appear as a...