Telecommunications, the Internet, and Wireless Technology Notes

Learning Objectives and Video Case Studies

• Learning Objectives:     * 7.1: Define the principal components of telecommunications networks and identify key networking technologies.     * 7.2: Distinguish between various types of networks.     * 7.3: Explain the functioning of the Internet and Internet technology, and how they facilitate communication and e-business.     * 7.4: Identify the principal technologies and standards for wireless networking, communication, and Internet access.     * 7.5: Evaluate how Management Information Systems ($\text{M I S}$) support career development.
• Video Cases:     * Case 1: "Telepresence Moves out of the Boardroom and into the Field."     * Case 2: "Virtual Collaboration with I B M Sametime."

Case Study: Tour de France and Wireless Technology

• Problem Identification:     * The implementation of an omnichannel retail strategy.     * Issues related to inventory inaccuracy.
• Proposed Solutions:     * Revising the race tracking processes.     * Incorporating external data sources.     * Deploying tracking sensors and a dedicated mobile application.     * Utilizing cloud computing services and advanced data analytics.     * Engaging via social media platforms.
• Outcome and Demonstration:     * The Wireless Race Tracking System illustrates the powerful capabilities and opportunities provided by contemporary networking technology.     * The system demonstrates how $I T$ systems enhance service delivery for both customers and participants.

Networking and Communication Trends

• Convergence: Telephone networks and computer networks are converging into a single digital network based on Internet standards.
• Broadband Growth: Currently, more than $76\,\%$ of $U.S.$ Internet users have access to broadband connections.
• Broadband Wireless: Voice and data communications are increasingly occurring over broadband wireless platforms.

Fundamentals of Computer Networks

• Definition: A computer network consists of two or more connected computers.
• Major Components of a Simple Network:     * Client and Server computers.     * Network Interfaces ($\text{N I C s}$).     * Connection medium.     * Network Operating System ($\text{N O S}$).     * Hardware: Hubs, switches, and routers.
• Software-defined Networking ($\text{S D N}$): This approach allows the functions of switches and routers to be managed by a centralized program.
• Simple Network Infrastructure:     * Includes a server, $P C s$, and switches ($\text{00000}$).     * Connects to a Router, which interfaces with other networks and the Internet.

Networks in Large Companies

• Architecture: Composed of hundreds of local area networks ($\text{L A N s}$) linked to a firm-wide corporate network.
• Server Ecosystem: Various powerful servers support corporate websites, corporate intranets, extranets, and backend systems.
• Infrastructure Components:     * Mobile wireless $\text{L A N s}$ ($\text{Wi-Fi}$ networks).     * Videoconferencing systems.     * Telephone networks and wireless cell phones.     * Internet Service Providers ($\text{I S P s}$) and Telephone Service Providers.

Key Digital Networking Technologies

• Client/Server Computing:     * A distributed computing model where clients are linked through a network controlled by a network server computer.     * The server establishes communication rules and provides each client with an address to ensure findability on the network.     * It has largely replaced centralized mainframe computing.     * The Internet represents the largest implementation of client/server computing.
• Packet Switching:     * A method where digital messages are sliced into parcels called packets.     * Packets are sent along various communication paths as they become available and are reassembled at the destination.     * This is more efficient than previous circuit-switched networks, which required a complete point-to-point circuit to be assembled before transmission.
• TCP/IP and Connectivity:     * Protocols: Rules governing the transmission of information between two points.     * Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol ($\text{T C P / I P}$): The common worldwide standard serving as the basis for the Internet.     * Department of Defense Reference Model for T C P / I P (Four Layers):         1. Application layer.         2. Transport layer.         3. Internet layer.         4. Network interface layer.

Network Signals and Types

• Signals:     * Digital vs. Analog: A Modem ($\text{modulator-demodulator}$) translates digital signals into analog form and vice versa to allow computer communication over telephone lines, cable systems, or wireless media.
• Network Categories:     * Local Area Networks ($\text{L A N s}$): Includes Ethernet and can be organized as client/server or peer-to-peer.     * Campus Area Networks ($\text{C A N s}$).     * Metropolitan Area Networks ($\text{M A N s}$).     * Wide Area Networks ($\text{W A N s}$).

Transmission Media and Speed

• Physical Media:     * Twisted pair wire ($\text{C A T 5}$).     * Coaxial cable.     * Fiber optics cable.
• Wireless Media:     * Satellites.     * Cellular systems.
• Performance Metrics:     * Speed: Measured in bits per second ($\text{b p s}$).     * Hertz: The number of cycles per second.     * Bandwidth: The difference between the highest and lowest frequencies that can be accommodated on a single channel.

The Internet: Access and Addressing

• Definition: The world’s most extensive network.
• Internet Service Providers ($\text{I S P s}$): Entities that provide Internet connections.
• Connection Types and Speeds:     * Dial-up: $56.6\,\text{K b p s}$.     * Digital Subscriber Line ($\text{D S L / F I O S}$): Range from $385\,\text{K b p s}$ to $40\,\text{M b p s}$.     * Cable Internet: Range from $1$ to $50\,\text{M b p s}$.     * Satellite.     * T1 lines: $1.54\,\text{M b p s}$.     * T3 lines: $45\,\text{M b p s}$.
• Internet Protocol ($\text{I P}$) Addressing:     * Every device is assigned a $32\text{-bit}$ number (e.g., $207.46.250.119$).
• Domain Name System ($\text{D N S}$):     * Converts $I P$ addresses into human-readable domain names.     * Hierarchical Structure:         * Internet Root Domain.         * Top-level domains: $\text{.edu}$, $\text{.com}$, $\text{.gov}$, $\text{.org}$, $\text{.net}$, etc.         * Second-level domains: Examples include $\text{expedia}$, $\text{google}$, $\text{congress}$.         * Third-level domains/Hosts: Examples like $\text{sales.google.com}$ or $\text{computer1.sales.google.com}$.

Internet Architecture and Governance

• Network Service Providers ($\text{N S P s}$): These own the high-speed backbone trunk lines.
• Regional Networks: Regional telephone and cable $T V$ companies provide local access.
• Governance Bodies: Professional organizations and government bodies that establish standards:     * I A B (Internet Architecture Board).     * I C A N N (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).     * W 3 C (World Wide Web Consortium).
• Future Internet Technologies:     * I P v 6: A new addressing scheme providing more than a quadrillion addresses. It is notably not compatible with the current $\text{I P v 5}$.     * Internet 2: An advanced networking consortium (universities, businesses, government) that developed a high-capacity $100\,\text{G b p s}$ testing network.

Internet Services and Communication Tools

• Primary Internet Services:     * E-mail.     * Chatting and Instant Messaging.     * Newsgroups.     * Telnet.     * File Transfer Protocol ($\text{F T P}$).     * World Wide Web.
• Voice over I P ($\text{V o I P}$):     * A method for digital voice communication using $I P$ and packet switching.     * Requires Gateways to move signals between the Internet and users.
• Unified Communications: Systems that integrate voice, data, e-mail, and conferencing into a single experience.
• Virtual Private Network ($\text{V P N}$):     * A secure, encrypted, private network operated over the public Internet.     * Uses Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol ($\text{P P T P}$) and the process of Tunneling.

The World Wide Web and Search Technology

• Core Concepts:     * Hypertext Markup Language ($\text{H T M L}$).     * Hypertext Transfer Protocol ($\text{H T T P}$).     * Uniform Resource Locator ($\text{U R L}$): Example $\text{http://www.megacorp.com/content/features/082602.html}$.     * Web Servers: Software utilized for locating and managing web pages.
• Search Engine Landscape:     * Market Share (Desktop/Laptop): Google ($72.9\,\%$), Baidu ($12.8\,\%$), Bing ($7.7\,\%$), Yahoo ($4.9\,\%$), Others ($1.7\,\%$).     * Types of Search: Mobile, Semantic, Social, Visual, Intelligent agent shopping bots.     * Marketing Strategy: Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization ($\text{S E O}$).
• How Google Search Works:     1. The user enters a query.     2. Google's web servers (millions of linked $P C s$) receive the request.     3. The request is sent to index servers describing which pages match the keywords and where they are stored.     4. PageRank software measures the "importance" or popularity of each page by solving an equation with more than $500\,\text{million}$ variables and $2\,\text{billion}$ terms.     5. Small text summaries are prepared for each web page.     6. Results are delivered to the user at $10$ results per page.

The Future Web and Wireless Technologies

• The Future Web: Characterized by the Pervasive Web, Internet of Things ($\text{I o T}$), Internet of People, App Internet, Cloud/SaaS dominance, and ubiquitous connectivity.
• Cellular System Standards:     * C D M A: Primarily used in the United States.     * G S M: Rest of the world (used by $A T \& T$ and $T\text{-Mobile}$ in the $U.S.$).
• Cellular Generations:     * 3G: $144\,\text{K b p s}$; suitable for e-mail and web browsing.     * 4G: Up to $100\,\text{M b p s}$; suitable for Internet video ($\text{L T E}$ and $\text{Wi Max}$).     * 5G: Gigabit capacity; currently in development and early testing.
• Wireless Computer Networks:     * Bluetooth ($802.15$): Links up to $8$ devices in a $10\text{-meter}$ area; used for Personal Area Networks ($\text{P A N s}$).     * Wi-Fi ($802.11$): Used for wireless $L A N$ and Internet access via Access Points and Hotspots.     * Wi Max ($802.16$): Offers a wireless access range of $31\,\text{miles}$ via specialized antennas.

Specialized Wireless Technologies

• Radio Frequency Identification ($\text{R F I D}$):     * Uses tiny tags with microchips containing data about items and locations.     * Tag antennas transmit radio signals over short distances to R F I D readers.     * The reader interrogates the tag, decodes the data, and transmits it to a host computer.     * Applications: Automated toll-collection, supply chain tracking.
• Wireless Sensor Networks ($\text{W S N s}$):     * Networks consisting of hundreds or thousands of interconnected wireless devices with built-in processing, storage, and radio frequency sensors.     * Used for monitoring building security, hazardous substances, environmental changes, traffic, or military activity.     * Devices require low-power, long-lasting batteries and are major sources of "Big Data" fueling the Internet of Things.

Questions & Discussion

• Interactive Session: Net Neutrality:     * Questions addressed: What is net neutrality? Who supports it and who opposes it? What are the implications of a tiered service model for users, businesses, and government? Discuss the claim that net neutrality is the most important issue since the advent of the Internet. Are you in favor of legislation enforcing it?
• Interactive Session: Monitoring Employees:     * Questions addressed: Should managers monitor employee e-mail and Internet usage? What constitutes an effective e-mail and web use policy? Should monitoring be transparent or secret?

Career and Professional MIS Applications

• Example Position:     * Company: $A1$ Western Car Dealers.     * Position: Automotive digital advisor.     * Components: Includes job requirements, interview questions, and specific author tips for career preparation in this field.