Difference between revisions of "Internet"
From Internet User Guide
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| − | The Internet is a planetary [[ | + | The Internet is a planetary [[computer network]]. It is a "network of networks" consisting of millions of smaller networks connected together as an "inter-network", hence the name "Inter-net." |
| − | A [[ | + | A [[computer]] connected to the Internet, called a [[host]], can access information from a vast array of other computers and [[server]]s, and can send information back to them. This information travels across the Internet in the form of individual [[data packet]]s, which may take any number of different routes to get from their source to their destination. |
The complex communications infrastructure of the Internet consists of hardware components and a system of software protocols. | The complex communications infrastructure of the Internet consists of hardware components and a system of software protocols. | ||
==Internet Hardware Components== | ==Internet Hardware Components== | ||
| − | The hardware components of the Internet include a wide range of electronic devices, linked together in various ways. Hardware devices such as [[ | + | The hardware components of the Internet include a wide range of electronic devices, linked together in various ways. Hardware devices such as [[switch]]es and [[router]]s serve as individual network [[node]]s, receiving and transmitting [[data packet]]s. The [[data packet]]s are relayed across the [[network]] from one [[node]] to the next. |
The hardware devices are linked together by copper wires, fiber-optic cables, wireless connections, and other linkage technologies. | The hardware devices are linked together by copper wires, fiber-optic cables, wireless connections, and other linkage technologies. | ||
