Internet Overview

Tags:

• Network
• Internet

What Is the Internet?

The Internet is a compound of Interconnect Network and means interconnected networks. It refers to a collection of networks in which countless computers around the world are connected. Computers connected to the Internet are linked using a communication protocol called TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). Each computer that makes up the Internet has a unique computer address called an IP address, and they are connected to one another through communication methods such as cables or satellites.

Because of this, computer users around the world can easily obtain the information they need anytime and anywhere through the Internet.

History of the Internet

The beginning of the Internet goes back to 1969, when ARPANet (Advanced Research Project Agency Network) from the U.S. Department of Defense first appeared. Early ARPANet began as a network that connected the computer systems of four U.S. universities (Stanford, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and Utah State University), designed so that even if one system was destroyed during a nuclear war, the remaining systems could still connect and compensate perfectly. After that, it gradually expanded by connecting major U.S. government and educational institutions. In 1983, ARPANet was divided into MILNet, the part used for military purposes, and the Internet, the part used for civilian purposes.

Internet Addressing System

To exchange information on the Internet, each computer needs to be distinguished by assigning an address or name. The addressing systems provided by the Internet include IP addresses and domain names.

To maintain the Internet, Internet addresses must be managed, and an organization responsible for new Internet technologies and standardization is needed. NIC (Network Information Center) is an international organization that registers and manages network and computer addresses such as IP addresses and domain names. In Korea, KRNIC, an affiliated organization of NIC, is responsible for Internet address management.

IP Address

An IP address is a method of representing a computer’s address with numbers. It is structured by listing four areas in order, separated by dots (.), from the highest-level address. For example, Google’s IP address is represented as 172.217.174.100. However, this method is inconvenient to memorize or use, so domain names are commonly used.

Understanding URLs

All web documents on the Internet have a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), which is their own address and unique storage method. Just as each person has a unique fingerprint, every homepage has a unique URL. In other words, to retrieve data on the Internet, there must be a way to indicate where certain data is located. Therefore, a URL is a method for representing the location of information on the Internet. It has been used since 1990 and has now become the standard.

URLs are written using characters to identify items and specify addresses within a computer network. In other words, a URL provides location information for a document, and an Internet web browser opens the URL at that location and displays the document. Because most location information is written in highlighted links, users do not need to remember the URLs of each document or homepage.