Name: Scott Ernst Date:

2/7/11
Chapter 1
Reading Organizer

1.1 – What is the Internet?

1. Give a brief description of the Internet.
The Internet is a network of networks created in order for individuals,
companies, etc. to transfer data or share information/media over an instant
stream. It is non-governed and the internet can be used for millions of things.

2. What was the Internet originally used for and how has it changed?
It was first used only for education, scientific, and military research. Before
businesses and consumers were able to access the internet, only certain people
or companies had access. The internet is now one of the biggest storages of
individual webpages, information, research, media, and pretty much anything
else you can think of.

3. List and explain the three business uses of the internet:

a. E-commerce: E-commerce is any business activity that can be conducted

over the web. Advertisements, informational brochures,
catalogs, etc. are all parts E-commerce.
b. Communications: E-mail, instant messaging, internet phone calls, and
any other type of communication that can be used on the
web is an example of the internet being used for
communications.
c. Collaboration and Training: Documents, spreadsheets, presentations,
training courses, and military training are all examples of
how the internet is used in training or collaboration.

4. Explain what standards are and what they are used for.
Standards are needed for the internet in order to make sure that it works
correctly and safely. These guidelines are what allow e-mails and other data to
be transferred to the right party. All standards ensure that devices for
networking and internet are all under the same rules and

5. Explain what an RFC document is.

An RFC document is used in order to track the evolution of the standard. With
any new standard that is proposed each stage and approval process must be
recorded in a numbered RFC document.

6. Give a brief description of each of the following services provided by an ISP:

CCNA Discovery 4.1
Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP
 a. Equipment co-location: A business may want to have their internal
network equipment physically stationed on the ISP
premises.

b. Web-hosting: The ISP provides the server and application software to be

used for storing any data like web content/pages for the
business website.

c. FTP: FTP hosting provides the server and application software for a
business FTP site.

d. Applications and media hosting: This is what allows a business to stream

media like music and videos over the internet.

e. Voice-over IP: By using this, businesses can save on long-distance phone

calls.

f. Technical support: Some ISP providers will support consulting services

for companies for an additional fee.

g. POP (Point of Presence): POP is what enables users to connect to an ISP

in order to connect to the internet.

1.2 – Delivering Internet Services to End-Users

7. List the four types of Internet connection and their speeds:

a. Dial-up: 56 kbps

b. DSL 512 kbps

c. Cable modem: 5-10 Mbps

d. Satellite: 128-512 kbps

8. What does ADSL and SDSL stand for and how are they different?
ADSL means asymmetric digital subscriber line where the download speed is faster
than the upload speed, this is used for most individuals because they more than
likely download more than upload.
SDSL is symmetric digital subscriber line which means upload/download speeds
are the same. This is a lot better for companies who upload a lot.

9. How is DSL different from cable connections?

CCNA Discovery 4.1
Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP
Cable connections like a cable modem is a connection that is overall faster than
DSL. This type of internet is used on cables that are used to give people their cable
television. Unlike DSL, the distance from the ISP does not affect the performance of
the cable connection.

10. List and explain the three types of high-bandwidth connection:

a. T1/E1 – These have data rates of up to 1.544 Mbps. They have the same
upload/download speeds and medium-sized businesses may only need
one of these connections.

b. T3/E3 – This allows for speeds up to 45 Mbps. Larger businesses need this
faster connection although it is more expensive than T1.

c. Metro Ethernet - This type of connection offers a wide range of high-

bandwidth connections. Large companies with branches in the same city
may have a combination of T1/T3 connections.

11. Explain the purpose of POPs.

POPs are used in order to connect a type of connection to the ISP to get access
to the Internet. POPs are at the edge of the ISP’s network and they serve a
particular region. With new types of internet there can be numerous users that
use a POP in order to access an internet connection.

12. What does IXP and NAP stand for and what purpose do they serve?
IXP – Internet Exchange Point/ NAP – Network Access Point
These are used so multiple ISPs are joined to gain access to each other’s networks
and exchange information.

13. Briefly explain the purpose of each of the three Tiers:

a. Tier 1: At the top of the hierarchy, these types of ISPs are huge
organizations that connect directly with each other through
private peering. These combine individual network backbones in
order to create the global Internet backbone. Tier 1 ISPs own
routers, high-speed data links, and other pieces of equipment
that join them with other Tier 1 ISP networks, even across
continents.

b. Tier 2: These can also be very large, streaming across several countries.
They can send information over Tier 1 ISPs, but for a price. They
do this in order to provide global access.

CCNA Discovery 4.1

Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP
 c. Tier 3: These are the farthest from the backbone. They are found in major
cities and give customer local access to the internet. They pay
Tier 1 and Tier 2 ISPs to transfer data so it can be globally
accessed.

14. Name the seven major ISPs that make up the global Internet:
Tier 1
a. T1

b. T3

c. Metro Ethernet

Tier 2
d. DSL

e. Dial-up

f. Cable Modem

g. Satellite

1.3 – ISP Requirements

15. From the ISP standpoint, list the required devices to provide each type of
service:

Service Provided Devices Needed

a Dial-up Access: Phone line, modem, ISP access phone number
.
b DSL Access: Phone line, DSL modem, POP
.
c Cable Access: Cable TV service provider, Cable TV cables,
. cable modem

d Global Internet Access: Satellite Modem, connection to satellite, POP

.
e Email, network address
. assignment, web Connection, POP
space, etc.

CCNA Discovery 4.1

Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP
16. Describe scalability and how it is accomplished.
Scalability is the ability of something to allow future change and growth. With a
scalable network it can support new users and change according to growth.
There are open slots that can be used for change/growth.

17. Which network support service team do you think is the most important and
why?
I would say customer service. My guess is that they are one of the busiest
support teams due to the demand of so many people. They probably deal with
the most people and overall help the most people.

CCNA Discovery 4.1

Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP