Chapter 1: Internet and the World Wide Web

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to the Internet, its history, architecture, governance, services, and access technologies as presented in the chapter.

Internet

A global system of interconnected networks—the largest internetwork—that enables communication and data exchange between disparate networks.

ARPANET

The early packet-switching network created in 1969 by DARPA to connect a few computers; a precursor to the Internet.

DARPA

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; funded early research that led to ARPANET and the later Internet.

TCP/IP

Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol; the foundational protocol suite for networking, adopted by ARPANET and used by the Internet.

IP address

A unique numerical label assigned to each device on a network to identify and locate it for routing.

DNS

Domain Name System; translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses and manages the DNS root system.

IANA

Internet Assigned Numbers Authority; coordinates global IP address allocation and DNS root management.

ARIN

American Registry for Internet Numbers; regional Internet registry for Canada, the United States, and parts of the Caribbean and North Atlantic.

APNIC

Asia-Pacific Network Information Center; regional Internet registry for the Asia-Pacific region.

RIPE NCC

Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Center; regional Internet registry for Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Central Asia.

AFRINIC

African Network Information Center; regional Internet registry for Africa.

ICANN

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers; coordinates IP addressing and domain name systems and manages the root name server.

IETF

Internet Engineering Task Force; open group of engineers developing Internet standards and TCP/IP evolution.

IAB

Internet Activities Board; technical body overseeing Internet protocol suite development.

WWW

World Wide Web; a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet.

Internet vs WWW

The Internet is the global network of networks; the World Wide Web is a service built on top of the Internet for accessing linked documents.

Intranet

A private network using Internet technologies, restricted to an organization and typically behind a firewall.

Extranet

An intranet extended to outside authorized users; accessible to partners or customers under controlled access.

Firewall

A security device or software that controls access between an intranet and the Internet.

PPP

Point-to-Point Protocol; protocol used to establish a direct connection between a user and an ISP, typically via dialing in.

ISP

Internet Service Provider; a company that provides access to the Internet.

IAP

Internet Access Provider; another term for an ISP, sometimes used to distinguish independent providers.

DSL

Digital Subscriber Line; technology using ordinary telephone lines to provide high-speed Internet access.

ADSL

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line; a common DSL variant where downstream speed is higher than upstream.

VDSL

Very High Bitrate DSL; faster DSL variant supporting higher downstream/upstream speeds and multimedia services.

WISP

Wireless Internet Service Provider; provider offering Internet access via wireless technologies.

Wireless Internet Access

Internet access delivered through wireless technologies (Wi-Fi, WiMax, cellular, satellite).

Packet Switching

Data is divided into packets that may take different paths to the destination, using routers to find efficient routes.

Circuit Switching

A direct, dedicated connection is established between sender and receiver for the duration of the communication.

Router

A network device that forwards data packets along paths to their destination and determines the best route.

TELNET

Network protocol/service for remote login to another computer over a network.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol; service used to transfer files between computers on a network.

Email

Electronic mail service for sending and receiving messages over a network.

IRC

Internet Relay Chat; real-time text-based chat service.

Web programming languages

Languages used to build websites and web applications (as referenced in the chapter; e.g., learning objectives mention web languages).