Gilbert. Holland 20 Apr 2012 Mr.

Linfoot/English

How Information Travels through the Internet The process of sending documents involves approximately ninety percent of all information being given in order to travel over the Internet. The most puzzling thing about the internet is how information travels through it. How does information, such as your papers, words, and email messages leave your work place or home and arrive in some place totally different? Quite similar to time travel or like something from Star Trek; information is broken down into packets. Packets are groups of information put together by a three part functioning process. The first being the header that tells the direction the packet should travel in and the network where it should be delivered to. The second part of the packet holds the payload, the data, and the body of the information. The third part of the packet accounts for the information and assures that everything arrives together and on time. To identify how or which way information travels over the internet your, laptop or desktop must have an Internet protocol address. This address must be identified to a particular network. This is similar to a postal route that is capable of taking information across the internet. To send this information, it is done with the help of electricity that sends the flow of information through a wire or over a wireless signal. To do this we use electricity and, by turning the power on or off, where on represents one and zero represents off. This produces an algorithm to code the information in the packets with a mathematical numbering system called binary. The packets continually go through a metamorphosis. Once it gets to the physical layer the information is ready to leave your computer. This is called the point of embarkation. One of the ports used to identify how information leaves your computer is known as the Ethernet port, which is a physical connection. To make a direct physical or logical connection we use transmission control protocol. This particular protocol acts like a

hand shake forming a direct connection from one IP address to another. Another protocol that is very important is called User Datagram Protocol. This protocol is not connection oriented but is similar to putting an address on a letter without

a street address. It knows the city and person but not exactly what house it must go to. All information must be coded. This allows for the creation of many different formulas at every level. One formula called the hexadecimal system is an extension of the binary system. Each letter of the alphabet is changed into a number that is then recognized by either on or off. This only explains the data portion; not how pictures, graphics, and colors all cross into the digital field. Software programmers code information to make graphics and data transitions as seamless as possible. Some of the programming languages include C++, java script, to mention just a couple of familiar names. After all of this information is put together, it is ready to leave through a port. The term port has several different meanings. It specifies the physical location where information is sent or arrives. Even though you may have one physical port connection, that port could be identified with several different numbers to allow more access; this is called throughput. When this data leaves your home or business it leaves by a router or modem. The router guides the IP address and gives it direction on. The modem directs the frequency and the data, and also from which port it will be leaving from and going to. From any computer that you are working on, all of your data sent or received must go through a collection point of servers or computers gathered together by an Internet Service Provider. The internet service providers allow these systems to collect and expel information. Some of us are still using a dial up modem connection. This type of service is used in places that are hard to reach, but modems are much slower than broadband services. Broadband now has more access than ever before; it is used in conjunction with a wireless infrastructure.

Internet service providers must limit the amount of access you have. We can only get a certain amount of access because bandwidth is divided up like a pie. We must contend with many users, therefore a formula contention ratio is used. After all of this you must still configure your personal computer to recognize an up to date operating system to drive all of this information. You must also use a browser, such as Internet Explorer or Fire Fox, which allows this information to be typed directly into the address line or it can be automatically put next to the address line, sometimes seen as http: // when typed out. Information must be packaged and presented in an away that the user will not feel the burden of overwhelming configurations and problematic system changes. Users want to be able to make one click with a button and away their email goes to an internet service provider, like commercial companies such

as Comcast, Knology, and Dish network. With the help of multitudes of people, organizations and technical experts in this field your information can travel through the network as safe as can be.