#6unit 1introduction to e commerce

Internet

The global network that carries e-commerce.

Learning Objectives

  • Define the Internet using the Laudon and Traver definition.
  • Identify the three key technology concepts behind the Internet.
  • Describe packet switching, TCP/IP, and client/server computing at a basic level.
  • Explain how the Internet supports e-commerce.

Explanation

In simple terms

The Internet is a worldwide network of computer networks built on common standards. It carries e-commerce through three core ideas: packet switching, TCP/IP, and client/server computing.

The Internet is a worldwide network of computer networks built on common standards. Created in the late 1960s to connect a small number of mainframe computers and their users, it has grown into the world's largest network. In 2016, there were more than 1 billion Internet hosts in over 245 countries, up from just 70 million in 2000.

Behind this growth are three extremely important concepts that are the basis for understanding the Internet: packet switching, the TCP/IP communications protocol, and client/server computing. Packet switching is a method of slicing digital messages into discrete units called packets, sending the packets along different communication paths as they become available, and reassembling the packets once they arrive at their destination.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the core communications protocol for the Internet. TCP establishes connections among sending and receiving computers and ensures packets arrive in sequence; IP provides the Internet's addressing scheme and is responsible for the actual delivery of packets. TCP/IP is divided into four layers: Network Interface, Internet, Transport, and Application.

Client/server computing is a model in which client computers are connected in a network with one or more servers — computers dedicated to common functions such as file storage, applications, and Internet access. The Internet is a giant example of client/server computing, in which millions of web servers worldwide can be easily accessed by millions of client computers. Together, these three concepts make the Internet the platform for e-commerce.

Key Points & Important Terms

Key Points

  • •The Internet is a worldwide network of computer networks built on common standards.
  • •Three key concepts: packet switching, TCP/IP, client/server computing.
  • •Packet switching slices messages into packets that travel along different paths.
  • •TCP/IP is the core communications protocol with four layers.
  • •Client/server computing lets millions of clients access millions of servers.
  • •Internet hosts grew from 70 million (2000) to over 1 billion (2016).

Important Terms

Internet
A worldwide network of computer networks built on common standards.
Packet switching
A method of slicing digital messages into packets, sending them along available paths, and reassembling them at the destination.
TCP/IP
The core communications protocol for the Internet; TCP handles connections, IP handles addressing and delivery.
Client/server computing
A model in which client computers are connected with servers that provide common functions.
Router
A special-purpose computer that interconnects networks and routes packets to their destination.