Internet Basics & Web Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing essential terms and definitions from the lecture on Internet basics, WWW, servers, and related web concepts.

Network

Two or more entities connected together to enhance reach and share resources.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A network that spans large geographical areas; the Internet is an example.

Internet

A global, computer-based network formed by many smaller interconnected networks.

Traditional Broadcasting Media

Centralized systems such as radio and television that deliver one-way communication.

Internet Architecture

Decentralized; every connected user can communicate with any other.

World Wide Web (WWW)

A set of standards, programs and protocols (1989) for creating, displaying and linking hypertext & multimedia on the Internet.

Tim Berners-Lee

Inventor of the World Wide Web, HTML and the first web browser (1990).

HTML (HyperText Markup Language)

Standard markup language used to create web pages.

Hyperlink

A special link that connects one web document to another on the WWW.

Client (Networking)

Any computer that requests services or resources from another computer.

Server

A computer that receives client requests, processes them and returns results.

Web Server

A server that stores web documents and handles HTTP requests, delivering web pages.

Server vs. Web Server

Servers manage general network resources; web servers specifically handle HTTP and serve web pages.

Equipment / Resource Sharing

Server feature allowing multiple users to share printers, copiers, etc.

Centralized File Saving

Server feature letting users store files in home directories on the server.

Centralized Virus Scanning

Server-side scanning of stored files to detect malware.

Centralized Backups

Server-managed backups to high-capacity devices for data safety.

Web Page

A single digital document hosted on the Internet.

Website

A collection of interconnected web pages designed with a common goal.

Web Portal

A website/service offering a broad collection of resources (email, news, search, etc.); e.g., Yahoo.

Web Browser

Client-side software that retrieves and displays information from the Web (e.g., Chrome, Firefox).

Web Client

Program on the client side (often the browser) that requests and uses services from a web server.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

The unique address of a web resource on the Internet.

Blog

Frequently updated, publicly accessible online journal (weblog).

Blogger

The author who writes and maintains a blog.

Blogging

The act of writing or updating blog posts.

News Group

Internet discussion forum where users with common interests exchange messages.

Email

Electronic mail messages transmitted between users over networks.

Email Address

Unique electronic post-office box in the form username@domain.

CGI (Common Gateway Interface)

Standard for web servers to execute external programs and return dynamic content.

ASP (Active Server Pages)

Microsoft server-side scripting environment for dynamic web pages.

PHP

Open-source server-side scripting language embedded in HTML for dynamic sites.

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)

Protocol used by web servers and browsers to transfer web pages.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

Protocol for transferring text and binary files arranged hierarchically.

TCP/IP

Core Internet protocol suite enabling communication between networked devices.

Gopher

TCP/IP-based protocol presenting text files in menu format (pre-web era).

POP3 (Post Office Protocol v3)

Protocol for retrieving email from a server.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

Protocol used to send email between servers.

NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol)

Protocol used for distributing, querying and posting Usenet news articles.

Serving Web Pages

Primary web-server service: delivering HTML documents via HTTP on client request.

Running Gateway Programs

Web-server capability to execute CGI programs and return generated output.

Access Control

Web-server function that restricts or permits user access to resources.

Monitoring & Logging

Recording and analyzing server access and activity for security and performance.

Server-Side Scripting

Generating dynamic web content on the server using scripts like ASP or PHP.

Apache Web Server

Popular open-source web-server software.

Apache Tomcat

Web server and servlet container for Java applications.

Microsoft IIS

Microsoft’s Internet Information Services web-server software.

Lighttpd

Lightweight, high-performance open-source web server.

Jigsaw

Java-based experimental web server from W3C.

Home Page

First page a visitor sees on a website; entry point for navigation.

Navigation Structure

Ordered collection of links guiding users through a website.