Introduction to Information Technology 2 nd Edition Turban, Rainer & Potter © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

1. Introductionto Information Technology2nd EditionTurban, Rainer & Potter© 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Chapter 7: The Internet, Intranets, and Extranets Prepared by: Roberta M. Roth, Ph.D. University of Northern Iowa

2. Lecture Preview • In this lecture, we will study: • The evolution, operations, and services of the Internet • The segment of the Internet called the World Wide Web • Organizational applications of Internet technology (intranets and extranets) • Specialized Internet applications

3. What is the Internet? • The largest computer network in the world (a network of networks) • Information exchange is seamless using open, non-proprietary standards and protocols, within interconnected networks • A true democratic communications forum producing a democratization of information • Spirit of information sharing and open access underlies the Internet.

4. The Internet Today • The Internet is international, with users on all continents • The cost of personal computers and Internet connections are prohibitively high for most of the world’s population • Political, cultural, and regulatory barriers have slowed the rate of Internet adoption internationally • The vast majority of sites are in English • The vast majority of content is generated in the United States

5. The Infrastructure of the Internet • Commercial communications companies are primary providers of the physical network backbone of the Internet • The U.S. government contributes some funds to essential administrative processes • The Internet infrastructure is supplied by network service providers • Connections between and flow of information between backbone providers has been open and free of charge

6. Future Internet Initiatives • Internet2 • A collaboration among more than 180 U.S. universities to develop leading-edge networking and advanced applications for learning and research. • A group of very high bandwidth networks on the Internet. • Partnership between universities, industry, and government. • Next Generation Internet (NGI) • Federal government led initiative to advance Internet technology and applications.

7. The Operation of the Internet • Packets of information flow between machines governed by common rules (protocols): • Internet protocol (IP) • Transport control protocol (TCP) • Internet is a packet-switching network • Messages are decomposed into packets, containing part of the message, plus information on the sending and receiving machines and how the packet relates to the other packets • Packets travel independently and possibly on different routes through the Internet • Packets are reassembled into the message at the receiving machine.

8. The Operation of the Internet (continued) • Each computer on the Internet is identified by an IP address • Most computers also have domain names • Network Solutions, Inc. had a monopoly on domain name registration until 1999. • Today, some 82 companies can register domain names. • Cybersquatting – purchase of domain name with intent to resell it. Legislative action resulted in Nov. 2000

9. The Operation of the Internet (continued) • New top-level domain zones: In November 2000, the first addition of a global top-level domains to the Internet since the 1980s occurred. • .aero (for the air-transport industry) • .biz (for businesses) • .coop (for cooperatives) • .museum (for museums) • .name (for individuals) • .pro (for professions).

10. The Operation of the Internet (continued) • Accessing the Internet • Connect via LAN Server • Connect via Serial Line Internet Protocol/Point Protocol (SLIP/PPP) • Connect via an Online Service (AOL, MSN)

11. E-mail – electronic messaging USENET newsgroups – forums that collect groups of messages from users based on common themes LISTSERV – distributes email messages to all subscribers Chatting – live, interactive, written conversations based on topic groups Instant messaging – instant text messaging between Internet users Telnet – user on one computer doing work on another computer Internet telephony – conducting voice conversations over the Internet Internet fax – real time document transmittal Streaming audio and video Internet Services - Communications

12. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) – electronic transfer of files from one computer to another Archie – tools to enable searching for files at FTP sites Gophers – menu-driven information search tool Veronica – text search through Gopher sites Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS) – database search tool Internet Services – Information Retrieval

13. Delivery of software components via a web site rather than through traditional means (disks, CDs) .NET – Microsoft’s new platform for XML Web services. Integrates web sites and programs to deliver applications. Internet Services – Web Services

14. Internet Services – World Wide Web • An application that uses the Internet transport functions • A system with universally accepted standards for storing, retrieving, formatting, and displaying information via a client/server architecture • Based on HTML -standard hypertext language used in Web • Handles text, hypermedia, graphics, and sound

15. The World Wide Web(continued) • Home Page - a text and graphical screen display; first, introductory page in a web site • Web Site - all the pages of a company or individual • Hyperlinks - ways to link and navigate around the pages on a web site • Webmaster - the person in charge of a Web site • Uniform Resource Locator (URL) - points to the address of a specific resource on the Web • Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) - communications standard used to transfer pages across the WWW portion of the Internet

16. The World Wide Web (continued) • Browsers – graphicalsoftware that enables WWW users to request and view web documents • Offline Browsers – software that retrieves pages from Web sites automatically at predetermined times • Search Engines - programs that return a list of Web sites or pages that match some user-selected criteria • Metasearch Engines - automatically enter search queries into a number of other search engines and return the results • To be included in a search engine’s database • Web Crawlers • Registration

17. The World Wide Web (continued) • Pull Technology - requires web user to actively request information; traditional web mechanism • Push Technology - automatically supplies desirable information to users • provides timely, prioritized distribution of information over a corporate network in the workplace • enhances traditional Web advertising in the consumer market • used for software delivery and updates

18. The World Wide Web (continued) • Information Filters – automated methods of sorting/screening WWW content • Clipping Services – automated retrieval of articles and news items from publications • Personalized Web Services – ability to generate personalized Web content • Web Authoring(for page and site design) • Standard HTML is the common denominator • CompuServe Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) and Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) is the common format of graphics files • Browsers can be extended through software plug-ins

19. Internet Challenges • New Technologies • Adopted by vendors more rapidly than users and customers can implement them • Web developers cannot assume that users can run their innovations successfully • Internet Regulation • Technical organizations (e.g., World Wide Web Consortium) develop standards governing the Internet’s functionality • These organizations are not formally charged in any legal or operational sense with responsibility for the Internet • How to control controversial content on the Web?

20. Internet Challenges (continued) • Internet Expansion • Tremendous Internet traffic growth has strained some elements of the network • Slower retrieval times • Unreliable data transmission • Denial of service by overloaded servers • Approaches to overcoming this congestion include • Improved hardware technology • Improved Web management software

21. Internet Challenges(continued) • Internet Privacy - Web sites collect information with and without consumers’ knowledge • Cookie - small data file placed on users’ hard drives when a site is first visited. Collects data on pages visited and content viewed. • Three potential approaches to the privacy issue • Government lets groups develop voluntary privacy standards; does not take any action now unless real problems arise • Government recommends privacy standards for the Internet; does not pass laws at this time • Government passes laws now for how personal information can be collected and used on the Internet • Financial transaction security also a concern

22. Intranets • A private network that uses Internet software and TCP/IP protocols • Provide employees with easy access to corporate information • Used to deploy corporate applications • Examples – policies and procedures manuals; human resource forms; product catalogs • Security is a concern • Security measures include – public key security, encryption, digital certificates, firewalls

23. Extranets • An extension of an intranet to selected outside business partners, such as suppliers, distributors, and key customers • Provide business partners with easy access to corporate information and easy collaboration • Security • Critical to prevent unwanted entry into internal systems • Virtual private networks (VPNs) are often used to add security to Internet communication

24. Extranets (continued) • Extranet configurations • One company sets up a Extranet for its dealers, customers, or suppliers • Companies within an industry set up a collaborative Extranet for mutual benefit • Several companies collaborate over an Extranet for joint venture • Benefits include – • Lower communication costs; better communication; improved order entry and customer service; improvement in business effectiveness

25. Other Web-based Applications • Enterprise Information Portals • Users have single point of access to internal and external stored information • Mobile Internet • Use of wireless communication telecommunication devices to access Web-based applications

26. Lecture Summary • Internet is a network of network • Internet provides communication and information retrieval services, as well as the World Wide Web • The World Wide Web enables a huge variety of applications for businesses, including intranets and extranets • Many challenges exist when using the WWW, including congestion, privacy, and security