Chapter 16

Question 1

ISP

Answer 1

Internet service provider (ISP)

An organization or firm that provides access to the Internet.

Question 2

protocol

Answer 2

protocol

Enables communication by defining the format of data and rules for exchange.

Question 3

IP address

Answer 3

IP address

A value used to identify a device that is connected to the Internet. IP addresses are usually expressed as four numbers (from 0 to 255), separated by periods.

Question 4

bandwidth

Answer 4

bandwidth

Network transmission speeds, typically expressed in some form of bits per second (bps).

Question 5

Amdahl’s Law

Answer 5

Amdahl’s Law

A system’s speed is determined by its slowest component.

Question 6

ICANN

Answer 6

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigning Names and Numbers)

Nonprofit organization responsible for managing the Internet’s domain and numbering systems.

Question 7

packet (or datagram)

Answer 7

packet (or datagram)

A unit of data forwarded by a network. All Internet transmissions—URLs, Web pages, e-mails—are divided into one or more packets.

Question 8

fault tolerance

Answer 8

fault tolerance

The ability of a system to continue operation even if a component fails.

Question 9

load balancing

Answer 9

load balancing

Distributing a computing or networking workload across multiple systems to avoid congestion and slow performance.

Question 10

Web hosting services

Answer 10

Web hosting services

A firm that provides hardware and services to run the Web sites of others.

Question 11

broadband

Answer 11

broadband

Broadly refers to high-speed Internet connections and is often applied to “last-mile” technologies.

Question 12

HTML

Answer 12

hypertext markup language (HTML)

Language used to compose Web pages.

Question 13

NAT

Answer 13

NAT (network address translation)

A technique often used to conserve IP addresses by maps devices on a private network to single Internet-connected device that acts on their behalf.

Question 14

last mile

Answer 14

last mile

Technologies that connect end users to the Internet. The last-mile problem refers to the fact that these connections are usually the slowest part of the network.

Question 15

VoIP

Answer 15

voice over Internet protocol (VoIP)

Transmission technologies that enable voice communications (phone calls) to take place over the Internet as well as private packet-switched networks.

Question 16

UDP

Answer 16

UDP (user datagram protocol)

Protocol that operates instead of TCP in applications where delivery speed is important and quality can be sacrificed.

Question 17

coaxial cable

Answer 17

coaxial cable

Insulated copper cable commonly used by cable television providers.

Question 18

URL

Answer 18

URL (uniform resource locator)

Often used interchangeably with “Web address,” URLs identify resources on the Internet along with the application protocol need to retrieve it.

Question 19

cybersquatting

Answer 19

cybersquatting

Acquiring a domain name that refers to a firm, individual, product, or trademark, with the goal of exploiting it for financial gain. The practice is illegal in many nations, and ICANN has a dispute resolution mechanism that in some circumstances can strip cybersquatters of registered domains.

Question 20

DNS

Answer 20

domain name service (DNS)

Internet directory service that allows devices and services to be named and discoverable. The DNS, for example, helps your browser locate the appropriate computers when entering an address like http://finance.google.com.

Question 21

wireless spectrum

Answer 21

wireless spectrum

Frequencies used for wireless communication. Most mobile cell phone services have to license spectrum. Some technologies (such as Wi-Fi) use unlicensed public spectrum.

Question 22

peering

Answer 22

peering

When separate ISPs link their networks to swap traffic on the Internet.

Question 23

IP

Answer 23

IP (Internet protocol)

Routing protocol that is in charge of forwarding packets on the Internet.

Question 24

Wi-Fi

Answer 24

Wi-Fi

A term used to brand wireless local-area networking devices. Devices typically connect to an antenna-equipped base station or hotspot, which is then connected to the Internet. Wi-Fi devices use standards known as IEEE 802.11, and various versions of this standard (e.g., b, g, n) may operate in different frequency bands and have access ranges.

Question 25

FTP

Answer 25

file transfer protocol (FTP)

Application transfer protocol that is used to copy files from one computer to another.

Question 26

DSL

Answer 26

digital subscriber line (DSL)

Broadband technology that uses the wires of a local telephone network.

Question 27

colocation facility

Answer 27

colocation facility

Sometimes called a “colo,” or carrier hotel; provides a place where the gear from multiple firms can come together and where the peering of Internet traffic can take place. Equipment connecting in colos could be high-speed lines from ISPs, telecom lines from large private data centers, or even servers hosted in a colo to be closer to high-speed Internet connections.

Question 28

Internet backbone

Answer 28

Internet backbone

High-speed data lines provided by many firms all across the world that interconnect and collectively form the core of the Internet.

Question 29

TCP

Answer 29

TCP (transmission control protocol)

Works at both ends of most Internet communication to ensure a perfect copy of a message is sent.

Question 30

Bluetooth

Answer 30

Bluetooth

A standard for short-range (around 30 feet or less) wireless connectivity, typically meant to eliminate cabling used for things like speakers, printers, cameras, and other devices.

Question 31

FTTH

Answer 31

fiber to the home (FTTH)

Broadband service provided via light-transmitting fiber-optic cables.

Question 32

cache

Answer 32

cache

A temporary storage space used to speed computing tasks.

Question 33

http

Answer 33

hypertext transfer protocol (http)

Application transfer protocol that allows Web browsers and Web servers to communicate with each other.

Question 34

router

Answer 34

router

A computing device that connects networks and exchanges data between them.

Question 35

Why is the Internet called a network of networks?

Answer 35

The Internet is a network of networks. Internet service providers connect with one another to share traffic, enabling any Internet-connected device to communicate with any other.

Question 36

Describe the parts of a URL. What parts are case sensitive?

Answer 36

URLs may list the application protocol, host name, domain name, path name, and file name, in that order. Path and file names are case sensitive.

Question 37

What does a domain name represent? What about a host?

Answer 37

A domain name represents an organization. Hosts are public services offered by that organization. Hosts are often thought of as a single computer, although many computers can operate under a single host name and many hosts can also be run off a single computer.

Question 38

Describe how a domain name is acquired.

Answer 38

You don’t buy a domain name but can register it, paying for a renewable right to use that domain name. Domains need to be registered within a generic top-level domain such as “.com” or “.org” or within a two-character country code top-level domain such as “.uk,” “.ly,” or “.md.” ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has allowed the expansion of gTLDs to new names and even trademarks.

Question 39

Describe cybersquatting and how it is being how it is being dealt with.

Answer 39

Registering a domain that uses someone else’s trademark in an attempt to extract financial gain is considered cybersquatting. The United States and other nations have anticybersquatting laws, and ICANN has a dispute resolution system that can overturn domain name claims if a registrant is considered to be cybersquatting.

Question 40

Describe an IP address.

Answer 40

Every device connected to the Internet has an IP address. These addresses are assigned by the organization that connects the user to the Internet. An IP address may be assigned temporarily, for use only during that online session.

Question 41

What is happening that is causing a problem for IP addresses?

Answer 41

We’re running out of IP addresses. The current scheme (IPv4) is being replaced by IPv6, a scheme that will give us many more addresses and additional feature benefits but is not backward compatible with the IPv4 standard. Transitioning to IPv6 will be costly, take time, and introduce delay when traffic transfers between IPv4 and IPv6 networks.

Question 42

What is the domain name system?

Answer 42

The domain name system is a distributed, fault-tolerant system that uses nameservers to map host/domain name combinations to IP addresses.

Question 43

Describe how TCP/IP works.

Answer 43

TCP/IP, or the Internet protocol suite, helps get perfect copies of Internet transmissions from one location to another. TCP works on the ends of transmission, breaking up transmissions up into manageable packets at the start and putting them back together while checking quality at the end. IP works in the middle, routing packets to their destination.

Question 44

What is a router and how does it work?

Answer 44

Routers are special computing devices that forward packets from one location to the next. Routers are typically connected with more than one outbound path, so in case one path becomes unavailable, an alternate path can be used.

Question 45

When would you use UDP?

Answer 45

UDP is a replacement for TCP, used when it makes sense to sacrifice packet quality for delivery speed. It’s often used for media streaming.

Question 46

Does TCP/IP care about the transition media?

Answer 46

TCP/IP doesn’t care about the transition media. This allows networks of different types—copper, fiber, and wireless—to connect to and participate in the Internet.

Question 47

Name a way in which the network is very flexible.

Answer 47

The ability to swap in new applications, protocols, and media files gives the network tremendous flexibility.

Question 48

Name 3 reasons the network is open and reliable.

Answer 48

Decentralization, fault tolerance, and redundancy help keep the network open and reliable.

Question 49

Describe VoIP and how it is helping firms.

Answer 49

VoIP allows voice and phone systems to become an application traveling over the Internet. This is allowing many firms to save money on phone calls and through the elimination of old, inefficient circuit-switched networks. As Internet applications, VoIP phone systems can also have additional features that circuit-switched networks lack. The primary limitation of many VoIP systems is quality of service.

Question 50

Describe a way in which the finance industry is using the internet.

Answer 50

Many firms in the finance industry have developed automated trading models that analyze data and execute trades without human intervention. Speeds substantially less than one second may be vital to capitalizing on market opportunities, so firms are increasingly moving equipment into collocation facilities that provide high-speed connectivity to other trading systems.

Question 51

What is peering and are there costs associated?

Answer 51

The Internet is a network of networks, and these networks swap traffic by peering—that is, connecting their networks together. Most peering between commercial networks (e.g., between firms like AT&T and Verizon) is done without exchanging fees. However, some ISPs are demanding payment (paid peering) for access to faster, private peering points.

Question 52

Describe the slowest part of the network?

Answer 52

The slowest part of the Internet is typically the last mile, not the backbone. While several technologies can offer broadband service over the last mile, the United States continues to rank below many other nations in terms of access speed, availability, and price.

Question 53

How are cable firms and phone companies leveraging existing wiring? What is the primary limitation of DSL?

Answer 53

Cable firms and phone companies can leverage existing wiring for cable broadband and DSL service, respectively. Cable services are often criticized for shared bandwidth. DSL’s primary limitation is that it only works within a short distance of telephone office equipment.

Question 54

What is a pro and con of fiber?

Answer 54

Fiber to the home can be very fast but very expensive to build.

Question 55

What has caused a strain on the network and it what is being done about it?

Answer 55

An explosion of high-bandwidth mobile applications has strained wireless networks. The transition from 3G to 4G is increasing bandwidth and capacity, but usage continues to skyrocket as smartphone and tablet users stream increasing amounts of video and audio.

Question 56

What is a femtocell?

Answer 56

Femtocells are a technology that can improve wireless service by providing a personal mobile phone hotspot that can plug into in-home broadband access.

Question 57

What are the two major 3G standards?

Answer 57

The two major 3G standards (the more popular GSM and the less widely adopted CDMA) are being replaced by a single, dominant, higher-capacity 4G standard (LTE).

Question 58

How are satellite systems helping the spread of the Internet?

Answer 58

Satellite systems show promise in providing high-speed access to underserved parts of the world, but few satellite broadband providers have been successful so far.

Question 59

Describe net neutrality.

Answer 59

Net neutrality is the principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally. Google, Netflix, and other firms say it is vital to maintain the openness of the Internet. Telecommunications firms say they should be able to limit access to services that overtax their networks, and some have suggested charging content providers for providing access to their customers.