What is the Internet architecture?

It is by definition a meta-network, a constantly changing collection of thousands of individual networks intercommunicating with a common protocol. The Internet's architecture is described in its name, a short from of the compound word "inter-networking". This architecture is based in the very specification of the standard TCP/IP protocol, designed to connect any two networks which may be very different in internal hardware, software, and technical design. Once two networks are interconnected, communication with TCP/IP is enabled end-to-end, so that any node on the Internet has the near magical ability to communicate with any other no matter where they are. This openness of design has enabled the Internet architecture to grow to a global scale. In practice, the Internet technical architecture looks a bit like a multidimensional river system, with small tributaries feeding medium-sized streams feeding large rivers. For example, an individual's access to the Internet is often from home over a modemto a local Internet service provider who connects to a regional network connected to a national network. At the office, a desktop computer might be connected to a local area network with a company connection to a corporate Intranet connected to several national Internet service providers. In general, small local Internet service providers connect to medium-sized regional networks which connect to large national networks, which then connect to very large bandwidth networks on the Internet backbone. Most Internet service providers have several redundant network cross-connections to other providers in order to ensure continuous availability. The companies running the Internet backbone operate very high bandwidth networks relied on by governments, corporations, large organizations, and other Internet service providers. Their technical infrastructure often includes global connections through underwater cables and satellite links to enable communication between countries and continents. As always, a larger scale introduces new phenomena: the number of packets flowing through the switches on the backbone is so large that it exhibits the kind of complex non-linear patterns usually found in natural, analog systems like the flow of water or development of the rings of Saturn (RFC 3439, S2.2). Each communication packet goes up the hierarchy of Internet networks as far as necessary to get to its destination network where local routing takes over to deliver it to the addressee. In the same way, each level in the hierarchy pays the next level for the bandwidth they use, and then the large backbone companies settle up with each other. Bandwidth is priced by large Internet service providers by several methods, such as at a fixed rate for constant availability of a certain number of megabits per second, or by a variety of use methods that

amount to a cost per gigabyte. Due to economies of scale and efficiencies in management, bandwidth cost drops dramatically at the higher levels of the architecture.

components of Internet Network Architecture: There are lots of

components that are involved in maintaining the architecture of the internet technology. Some important parts that are used to configure the networking of the internet technology are as follows

Satellite: A major part of the internet network architecture is the satellite. Satellite plays a vital role in catching and distributing the signals over the network and the users use the internet network to search different types of information at any time. Network Adapters: There are different types of network adapters that are used to configure or setup the internet technology on your operating system. First install the network adapters in the system then install its software for the sake of its proper working or compatibility. Some common network adapters that are used for access of the internet are LAN cards or modems etc.

Routers: As we know that this technology is also operates wirelessly so some components that are used to configure the internet network technology wireless router plays an important role and it is also the main part of the architecture. It is defined as the device that is used to transmit data from one place to another in the form of packets that are called as data packets is known as router. These data packets are also called data gram. Access Points: A special type of routing device that is used to transmit the data between wired and wireless networking device is called as AP. It is often connected with the help of wired devices such as Ethernet. It only transmits or transfers the data between wireless internet technology and wired internet network technology by using infra structure mode of network. One access point can only support a small group of networks and works more efficiently. It is operated less than hundred feet. It is denoted by AP. Clients: Any kind of device such as personal computers, Note books, or any kind of mobile devices which are inter linked with wireless network area referred as a client of internet network architecture. Bridges:

A special type of connectors which is used to establish connections between wired network devices such as Ethernet and different wireless networks such as wireless LAN. It is called as bridge. It acts as a point of control in internet network architecture. Two components are also some time play an important role in internet network architecture 1. Basic Service Set (BSS) 2. Extended Service Set (ESS)

Internet Architecture
Internet Architecture is organized into several planes. The data plane represents how data is actually forwarded between routers. Topologies based on the data plane reflect physical nodes and connections but these topology graphs are hard to create and harder to validate for correctness or completeness. The control plane represents how ISP's create and configure organizational routing policy. While the data plane is responsible for forwarding data based on policy, the control plane is responsible for configuring policy. As far as topology is concerned, nodes in this plane are autonomous systems, (AS) and links between nodes represent some type of relationship. There are two types of relationships. Customer-Provider links involve one AS providing Internet access to a smaller AS at a monetary cost. Peering links are agreements between two AS networks to exchange certain types of traffic free of charge. These types of Internet topologies have become a hot area of research in academia. There is a third less known plane called the management plane but the topology maps it produces are incredibly inaccurate since its data can be directly modified by network operators with no effects on routing dynamics.