Information Flow over the Internet

Sending and receiving devices follow a set of communication rules for the exchange of information. These rules for exchanging data between computers are known as “protocols”.

The Internet uses some rules or standard set of protocols for communication between computers. This ensures uniformity among users using various types of computer systems. Protocols are used to create an Internet connection for your computer and they handle the data transfer over network lines.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the name of the core protocol used on the Internet. Using this protocol, the information to be transmitted is broken down in the form of small packets. Each packet contains the address of its destination computer as well as the computer of its origin.

The other protocols are Point to Point Protocol (PPP) and Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP).

A network also has components called “Routers” that help choose the best path for an individual packet to travel and reach its destination. The packets are reassembled at the destination to get the original information.

The essential features of this protocol involve:

1) Identifying sending and receiving devices AND

2) Reformatting information for transmission across the Internet.

Identification: Every computer on the Internet has a unique numeric address called an “IP address (internet protocol address)”. These addresses are used to deliver e-mail and to locate web sites. Because these numeric addresses are difficult to remember, a system was developed to automatically convert text-based addresses to numeric IP addresses. This system uses a “domain name server (DNS)” that converts text-based addresses to IP addresses. For example, if you enter a URL, say “www.example.com”, a DNS might translate it to an IP address say, “198.103.132.4” before a connection can be made.

Reformatting: Information transmitted across the Internet travels through various interconnected networks. Before a message is sent, it is reformatted or broken down into small parts called packets which travel separately on different routes towards a common destination. They are reassembled into the correct order at the receiving end.