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The Internet is a worldwide system of computer networks linked so as to be able to send and receive information. Any computer system connected to the Internet may contact any other computer system to ask for permission in such a transfer of data. It is estimated that the number of devices connected to the Internet at any given time is in the hundreds of millions. The computer systems that are connected to the Net are comprised of private computers and electronic devices and systems in the following sectors: public, business, academic, and government. The media used to connect the systems includes wired, optical, and wireless networks. The most-used services provided by the Internet are the World Wide Web, electronic mail, and raw data transfer.
Terminology
Just as the Net is short for the Internet, internet is short for internetwork. The Internet is capitalized to distinguish it from various other smaller internets. In common usage, the Internet and the World Wide Web, or simply the Web, are interchangeable terms, but the Web and the Net are not the same. The Web is a collection of text, images, and files that are made available in the form of web pages sent through Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to web browser software requesting the transfer. The World Wide Web uses the Internet to send and receive the information, but it is not the limit of the extent of the Internet as a whole. The Internet is a complex system of hardware, software, and globally connected data systems much greater than the World Wide Web, which is simply one of the services available through the Internet.
Protocols
The Internet operates on a layered system of communications protocols called the Internet Protocol Suite. The top layer is called the Application Layer. This is where the end software utilizes the data. A web browser is an example. Below this is the Transport Layer, connecting the data between hosts. Next is the Internet Layer, which allows computers to find and recognize each other from Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. Finally, the Link Layer allows computers to connect on a local network. The most important part of this layered system, also known as TCP/IP, is IP addresses. The current version, IPv4, was put into place in 1981, but available addresses are quickly running short. A new version, IPv6, is just beginning deployment as of 2010. The IPv6 protocol will support 2128 (340 undecillion or 3.4 x 1038) versus the 232 (4.29 billion) maximum IP addresses of IPv4.
Oversight
The Internet is a highly complex and highly organized system. The only reason it works is because all computer administrators connecting to it agree to use a standardized protocol. Each computer system that is connected is a completely autonomous unit, but must conform to the specifications to be recognized on the Internet. Because the Internet has no boundaries and is considered a free use system, no single official governing body presides over the Internet. However, all technical policies and lots of IP addresses are managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, operating out of Marina del Rey, California. ICANN is headed by a board of directors representing a number of countries and fields, including technology, communications, academia, and business. ICANN coordinates all major changes and divvies out ranges of IP addresses to various countries, organizations, and Internet Service Providers.
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