Chapter 24: The Wired Internet

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OVERVIEW

The Internet is the network of computer networks spread across the globe. An outcome of the research funded by Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense, the Internet now interconnects networks in almost every country with millions of hosts providing information. Internet access is now a daily activity for most of us. In this chapter, we will study in detail the services offered by the Internet and the architecture of the Internet.

Many organizations with multiple offices are no longer building their own dedicated corporate networks. Instead, they are using the Internet infrastructure to create networks known as virtual private networks (VPNs). We will discuss the architecture of VPNs and the security issues involved in VPNs in particular and the Internet in general.

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