Chapter One. Introduction to the Internet

The Internet Protocol (IP) has changed the networking landscape in the last few years and is being adopted as the de facto networking protocol. The success and explosive growth of the Internet in the last few years have led engineers and designers of networking protocols to embrace IP. The fact that IP is an open source protocol and is easily available in all the major operating systems has ensured its success among a very large community of developers, designers, and testers. A large knowledge base and strong development skills make IP a viable networking protocol.

What is it about IP that makes it such a powerful force? There is no single answer or explanation. Economics are obviously a strong force, and the fact that IP reduces the cost of building networks is a clear advantage. The multitude of applications and services that have been developed over IP is another.

Email, the Internet, and numerous applications based on Web technology have become an integral aspect of business and everyday life. The Internet has spawned an entire industry commonly referred to as e-commerce. Use of the Internet, as well as applications and services that run over it, is constantly growing.

What constitutes an IP network? In short, networks that are built using the Internet Protocol as the network layer protocol can be loosely defined as IP networks. However, a network that operates using the Internet Protocol does not necessarily become a part of the Internet. There are many private networks, such as networks that run in enterprises , that operate on IP but may not be a part of the Internet. This chapter discusses primarily the Internet, which can be considered the largest IP network in existence.