Introduction to Computer Networks

Key definitions:

• A network is a set of devices/computers connected via links (such as wires, optical fibers, or radio channels) and switches (devices connecting links and forwarding data over to specific devices, e.g., routers.)
• An internet is a network of networks.
  • Q: How do we distinguish between a network and an internet?
    A: Data that are sent over a network are addressed to "device X", while data sent over an internet are addressed to "device X on network Y".
• An intranet is a private network to which only users within an organization can access.
• The Internet (note the capital letter 'I') is the largest internet in the World.
• The World Wide Web (WWW) is the collection of all the pages and data that can be publically accessed via and over the Internet.