What Is the Internet?
The internet is a very large network connecting computers all over the world. Using the internet, you can access information from computers all over the world right at your home. The internet is, in fact, a huge encyclopedia of information. You can find information on any topic of your choice. Today, there are millions of people using the internet.
How the Internet Works
The transfer of data over the internet happens in a similar manner. The data is broken into small pieces of similar size called packets. The address of the source and the destination are then added to each packet. On the way, the packets are received by routers, which act like postal delivery people. A router reads the address on a packet and sends the packet to the destination through the best possible path. The packets may take different paths to reach the destination. The packets are examined at the destination point.
If any packet is missing or damaged, a massage is sent to the sender requesting the packets to be resent. This process continues until the complete data reaches the destination. At the destination, the packets are rearranged in their original form. Each computer connected to the internet has a software called the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol. Internet Protocol). The TCP/IP protocol is responsible for sending, receiving and checking the packets.
Accessing the Internet
If you wish to avail the internet facility, you need to have a telephone line and a modem. Moreover, you have to sign up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). It is the ISP that connects you the internet. An ISP provides two types of services. Dedicated Link Service and Dial-up Account Service.
In a dedicated link service, your computer is connected to the internet all the time. This type of connection involves high cost and mostly large organizations opt for this type of link, which provides an internet connection on all nodes on the network.
In a dial-up account service, you set up an internet account with your ISP or commercial online services. A dial-up account service allows you to reduce your internet cost to a minimum. This is because you connect to the internet only when you need to access it.
What is a Modem?
A modem is a device that connects you to the internet through a telephone line. When you request for an internet connection from you ISP be dialing the number provided by your ISP, the modem transfers your request to the ISP. In turn, the ISP connects you to the internet.
