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Internet - Meaning and Definition

Meaning and Definition
Internet is "Networks of Networks". It is an information superhighway and electronic web that connect people and business that have accessibility to networks. 

It is a huge repository (collection) of information on every possible & imaginable topic. It is fully scalable and doesn't determined user profile. 

Internet is a large system of interconnected computer networks that spans the globe. Using internet one can communicate with other people throughout the world by means of electronic mail; read online versions of newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and books; join discussion groups on almost any conceivable topic; participate in games and simulations; and obtain free computer software.

The Internet is revolutionizing e-commerce. It provides the first affordable and secure way to link people and computers spontaneously across organizational boundaries. This is spawning numerous innovative enterprises - virtual organizations, markets and trading communities.

According to Federal Networking Council, "Internet refers to global information system that: 
i) Logically linked together by globally unique address space based on Internet Protocol(IP) or its subsequent extensions/follow-ons;
 
ii) Able to support communications using Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol(TCP/IP) suite or its subsequent extensions/follow-ons, and/or other IP- compatible protocols" and
 
iii) Provides, uses or makes accessible, either publicly or privately, high level services layered on communications and related infrastructure.

Characteristics of Internet 

1) Complex Network: With the simplified definition as a "etwork of networks" that comprises of over 150 million computers. 

2) Disorganized: The internet can be cumbersome and confusing, even for experience users. 

3) Decentralized System: Millions of individual networks and over 150 million individual computers connected throughout the world.

4) Composed of Billions of Files: Files pertaining to thousands of subjects, disciplines, and professions are available in a numerous forms of file formats. 

5) Wide Usage: More than 147 million people use the Internet, over 40 million of whom use it every day. 

6) International Scope: This global network is accessed by people in approximately 140 countries; people in over 155 countries use Internet e- mail, a facility for immediate messaging. 

7) Dynamic: Changing every minute of every day. On average, a new network is connected to the Internet every 30 minutes, presently. 

8) Exponential Expansion: The Internet is growing at a rate of 12% per month; it doubles in size every 18 months. This is enormous growth of a facility available almost free.

Components of Internet 

A simplified hierarchical model of the Internet includes following components: 

1) Clients PCs: These are the computers that request for information from servers connected on the Internet. Client computers typically maintain intermittent (part-time) connections. If user PC has access to the Internet, it is categorized as a client computer. 

2) Server Computer: These are powerful computers workstations with a persistent (full-time) Internet connection and can provide data to many client PCs simultaneously. 

3) Networks: These are composed of one or more server computers and multiple client PCs (sometimes numbering in the hundreds of thousands or millions). 

4) Nodes: "Node" is a generic term used to describe a client, server, or network (composed of clients and servers). Their main function it to control the flow of information from one place to other. 

5) Transferring Data: The basis of the working of the Internet is the transfer of data and information from one computer to another.

6) TCP/IP: Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is a protocol or rules that allow all computers on the Internet (regardless of type, speed, or location) to connect to the Internet and communicate with each other to transfer data. A computer without TCP/IP program cannot connect to the Internet. 

7) Bandwidth: Bandwidth of a communication channel refers to the data- handling capacity of an Internet connection. Greater the bandwidth of the connection, the more data that can be transferred during a given period of time. In other words, bandwidth defines the speed of an Internet connection.

Bandwidth is a term used synonymously with "connection speed". The greater the bandwidth of a connection, the faster its speed of transfer of data. 

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