Vocabulary

Networking

• Bandwidth - the maximum amount of data that can be sent in a fixed amount of time, usually measured in bits per second

• Computing Device - a machine that can run a program, including computers, tablets, servers, routers, and smart sensors

• Computing Network - a group of interconnected computing devices capable of sending or receiving data.

• Computing System - a group of computing devices and programs working together for a common purpose

• Path - the series of connections between computing devices on a network starting with a sender and ending with a receiver

Addressing

• IP Address - The unique number assigned to each device on the Internet

• Internet Protocol (IP) - a protocol for sending data across the Internet that assigns unique numbers (IP addresses) to each connected device

• Open Protocol - a nonproprietary protocol that standardizes data transmission between different devices from different manufacturers

• Protocol - An agreed-upon set of rules that specify the behavior of some system

Routing

• Fault Tolerant - Can continue to function even in the event of individual component failures. This is important because elements of complex systems like a computer network fail at unexpected times, often in groups.

• Redundancy - The inclusion of extra components so that a system can continue to work even if individual components fail, for example by having more than one path between any two connected devices in a network

• Router - A type of computer that forwards data across a network

Packets

• Packet - A chunk of data sent over a network. Larger messages are divided into packets that may arrive at the destination in order, out-of-order, or not at all

World Wide Web

• Domain Name System (DNS) - the system responsible for translating domain names like example.com into IP addresses

• HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) - the protocol used for transmitting web pages over the Internet

• World Wide Web - a system of linked pages, programs, and files

• Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) - an organization that develops and oversees internet protocols such as HTTP, and IP

Digital Divide

• Digital Divide - differing access to computing devices and the Internet, based on socioeconomic, geographic, or demographic characteristics

Important Information

• Messages are broken into packets that can be reassembled by the device

• Every new device connected to the Internet is assigned an IP address

• The internet was designed to be scalable

• The internet is nonproprietary (it is fully open)