Download What is the internet

What is the internet
a network of networks based on the
TCP/IP protocols,
 * a community of people who use and
develop those networks,
 * a collection of resources that can be
reached from those networks.

The internet began as an experiment 20
years ago by the U.S. Department of
Defense.
 The ARPAnet was an experimental
network designed to support military
research--in particular, research about
how to build networks that could
withstand partial outages (like bomb
attacks) and still function.

The network was designed for a
computer to put its data in an envelope,
called an Internet Protocol (IP) packet,
and "address" the packets correctly.
 The communicating computers--not the
network itself--were also given the
responsibility to ensure that the
communication was accomplished.

Ethernet local area networks ("LANs")
were developed around 1983.
 These workstations came with Berkeley
UNIX, which included IP networking
software creating a demand for the
network.

Central Hubs
NSF built its own network, based on the ARPAnet's IP
technology.
 5 super computer centers connected with 56,000 bit per
second (56k bps) telephone lines. (This is roughly the
ability to transfer two full typewritten pages per second.
 Because you pay telephone lines by the mile each
university was connected to a regional network with a
supercomputer, and each super computer connected
together.
 With this configuration, any computer could
communicate with any other by forwarding the
conversation through its neighbors.

Who Governs the Internet?
The ultimate authority is the Internet
Society, or ISOC.
 ISOC is a voluntary membership
organization whose purpose is to promote
global information exchange through
Internet technology.

Who Pays for It?
No one pays for "it"; there is no Internet,
Inc. that collects fees from all Internet
networks or users.
 Everyone pays for their part.
 The NSF pays for NSFNET.
 NASA pays for the NASA Science Internet.
 Networks get together and decide how to
connect themselves together and fund
these interconnections.

A college or corporation pays for their
connection to some regional network,
which in turn pays a national provider for
its access.
 NMSU and service providers have DSO
lines to the internet
 DS0 - 64 kilobits per second is a phone
company fiber optic line that caries data
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The local area network using radio link run as 48
mpbs at 32 bits
672 local area lines per DS0 line.
Current servers can run 64 bit packets but
windows xp is a 32 bit machine.
Phone companies would like to charge by
bitts transmitted instead of a fixed cost.
This is being resisted by the scientific and
private users.
Source of information

http://www.nmia.com/docs/what_is_the_i
nternet.txt
Internet Speed for your site

http://us.mcafee.com/root/speedometer/t
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