Download Internet Business Foundations

Internet Business
Foundations
© 2004 ProsoftTraining
All rights reserved
Lesson 2:
Web Browsing
Objectives













Identify the basic functions of Web browsers
Install a Web browser
Identify the components of Web addresses
Use browsers to authenticate and encrypt
Identify considerations in selecting a browser
Identify and locate resources for technical data
Identify how businesses use browsers
Use various browsing techniques
Configure Web browser preferences
Define and use cookies
Configure browser security settings
Identify the function of proxy servers
Troubleshoot common Internet client problems
Basic Functions of Web
Browsers





Provide a way for users to access and navigate
Web pages
Display Web pages properly
Provide technology to enable multimedia features
Provide access to Internet services (such as FTP,
Telnet, news servers and e-mail)
Perform authentication and encryption functions
Installing a Web Browser





Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 is packaged with
Windows XP Professional
Most browser software is available on the Web or
through a vendor CD
ISPs provide browser software on installation CDROMs
You should install the latest version of a browser
because it will have the most recent security
features
Look for and install browser updates as they
become available
Web Addresses




Every Web page has a unique address called a
URL
URLs typically include the protocol, the Internet
resource (server or host name) and the domain
name
You enter absolute URLs into your browser’s
Address or Location box
Relative URLs can be used for coding Web sites
How Browsers Work
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
You enter a URL into the browser
Browser breaks the URL into three parts:
protocol, server and domain name, and file
name
Browser contacts a domain name server to
translate server name into an IP address
Browser uses IP address to connect to
server
Browser uses HTTP to request a page from
the server
Some level of authentication takes place
Server sends the requested page (coded in
HTML) to the browser
Browser reads and interprets the HTML
and displays the Web page
Authentication


Authentication – the process of verifying the
identity of a user who logs on to a system, or
the integrity of transmitted data
General authentication types:
• Anonymous logon – no user name or
password is required and authentication is
handled transparently by the browser and
server
• Basic authentication – a user name and
password are required, and that information
is sent as plain text
• Secure authentication – a user name and
password are required, and they are
encrypted before being sent across the
Internet
• Digital certificates – you must have the
proper digital certificate to gain access
Encryption





Encryption – the process of converting data into
an unreadable form of text
Decryption – the process of converting the
encrypted data back to its original form
Encryption and decryption are performed using
keys
Key – a mathematical algorithm
The more complex the encryption algorithm, the
harder it is to decipher the encrypted message
without access to the key
Authentication protocols



Password Authentication Protocol (PAP) – used to
authenticate dial-up sessions for remote users
Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol
(CHAP) – authenticates through a server sending
a challenge phrase to a client and comparing the
client response (generated through a one-way
hash function) with its own calculation of the
expected hash value
Microsoft Challenge Handshake Authentication
Protocol (MS-CHAP) – a proprietary version of
CHAP used by servers running IIS
SSL and TLS


Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) – a protocol for
secure exchanges
• authenticates using digital certificates
• provides for data encryption
Transport Layer Security (TLS) – successor to
SSL
• becoming more common
• based on SSL 3.0
• provides for encryption and authentication
Secure Protocols
Various protocols in the TCP/IP suite can be made
secure by running them over SSL/TLS, including:
• HTTPS
• S/FTP
• IMAP/S
• POP3S
Browser Choices


Most popular browsers in use today are Microsoft
Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator
Alternative browsers include:
• Mozilla
• Opera
• Konqueror
• Lynx
• Arachne
Resources for Technical Data
The following Web sites are among the many you
can visit for technical data:
• www.netcraft.com
• www.whatis.com
• www.howstuffworks.com
• www.learnthenet.com
• www.microsoft.com/technet
Business Uses of Browsers



intranet – an internal or in-house Web site used
only by employees within a company
extranet – an internal network designed to
provide access to selected external users; is not
available to the Internet public
Webinars and Web conferences – online training
or conference sessions that utilize Internet
technology to provide interactive and
presentation elements to users
Browsing Techniques
Techniques available to make your browsing
sessions more efficient:
• Using Bookmarks and Favorites
• Using multiple windows
• Following links
Configuring Browser
Preferences
Browser preferences you can configure to suit
your working style include:
• Browser fonts
• Home page
• History folder
• Controlling pop-up and pop-under windows
• Browser cache settings
• Image loading
• Cookie handling
• Cookie warnings
Configuring Browser Security


You can configure your browser’s security
settings to accept, reject or prompt before
accepting:
• ActiveX controls
• Java applets
To restrict these items in Internet Explorer, set
safety levels accordingly
Proxy Servers





Proxy servers come between corporate networks
and the Internet
Proxy servers can provide the following services:
• Web document caching
• Corporate firewall access
Browsers must be properly configured to work with
proxy servers
Netscape Navigator can be manually configured to
work with a proxy server, or can use a proxy
server’s URL to automatically configure itself
Internet Explorer can automatically scan the
network for a proxy server; it can also use a
configuration script; or you can configure it
manually
Troubleshooting Internet
Client Problems
By adjusting browser functions and settings, you
can troubleshoot the following client problems:
• Poor rendering
• Slow connection
• No connection
• Inability to render images
• Slow browser and other system functions