Chapter 13: Behind the Scenes: The Internet: How it Works
Chapter 13: Behind the Scenes: The Internet: How it Works
After reading this chapter, you should be able to answer the following questions:
- Who manages and pays for the Internet?
- How do the Internet’s networking components interact?
- What data transmissions and protocols does the Internet use?
- Why are IP addresses and domain names important for Internet communications?
- What are FTP and Telnet, and how do I use them?
- What are HTML and XML used for?
- How do e-mail and instant messaging work, and how are messages kept secure?
- Explain what happens when you go to http://2820325935/
Discussion Questions
Chapter 13
- Domain names often spark fierce controversy between competing companies. Legal wrangling over the rights to attractive names such as Buynow.com and Lowprices.com can generate large fees for attorneys. Meanwhile, some famous individuals such as Julia Roberts have had to fight for the right to own domains based on their own names.
- Should everyone be entitled to a Web site in a certain domain (say, .com) that contains their own name? How would you handle disputes by people who have the exact same name (say, two people named John Smith)?
- Is it ethical to register a domain name (say, Coke.net) just for the purpose of selling it to the organization that may benefit from it the most (such as the Coca-Cola Company)? Why or why not?
- Aside from the domains currently approved (such as .com and .org), what domain names do you think would have commercial appeal? For which types of Web sites would these domains be used?
- Ensuring that computer-based information is secure is a key objective of many companies today.
- How would you prepare for a job as a network security specialist?
- Aside from computer-based security measures, what physical precautions should be taken to enhance computer data security?
- Encryption programs built on 128-bit encryption algorithms are currently considered unbreakable.
- Because strong encryption programs using 128-bit encryption or better are considered unbreakable, the U.S. government places restrictions on exports of these encryption products. The government is also considering a requirement that all encryption products should have a "back door" code that would enable government agencies (such as the CIA and FBI) to read encrypted messages. Do you think this should be implemented? Why or why not?
- Assuming you figure out how to break 128-bit encryption, should you post that information on the Internet for anyone to use? Why or why not?