The keyboard

INDEPENDENT WORK-3
Subject of: THE INTERNET
Subject : The Internet
Plan
1.The technical nature of the Internet.
2.Internet Addresses.
3.Internet-wide services.
THE TECHNICAL NATURE OF THE
INTERNETT
his section provides a general overview of Internet technology as a necessary background for understanding key points in the rest of the paper. It is intentionally high level, aiming to underscore key aspects of technology rather than attempt a complete exposition. Readers who are familiar with Internet technology may prefer to skim the section for key points of focus.
INTERNET ADDRESSES
While the protocols define the rules of the road for communications on the Internet, the hosts are identified by addresses. Every host (machine, phone or component of a car) that is on the Internet is assigned a unique address when it connects to the Internet — a unique IP address. One host connecting to another on the Internet uses the IP standard to create packets, including its own IP address and the address of the destination host within each packet. As such, IP addresses are critical to maintaining a global, growing Internet. The version of the IP standard that is most commonly in use today is IPv4. Twenty years ago, it was apparent that the growth of the Internet beyond the
Internet-wide Services
As part of the original Internet set up, several information services were maintained and operated on behalf of the entire network. Network Time Protocol (NTP) is one such service, providing clock synchronization for all interested hosts on the network. The service is a relatively lightweight task and today almost 4,000 NTP servers are available and accessible publicly.10
As noted above, the DNS was established as another such infrastructure system. Apart from the 13 independent root servers, which provide up-to-date information on finding the
so-called top-level domain (TLD) name servers, the initial TLD services were originally defined in memo RFC0920 (Postel and Reynolds 1984), and operated by (or for) the United States Defense Advance Research Agency. DNS is critical to virtually every Internet transaction.Openness and uniformity of the Internet are based on the expectation that every host is equally accessible — domain names are just strings of characters to the Internet’s technology, and anything that made one preferential over another, or impeded access to them, would be harmful to that openness.
And yet, providing domain name service at the TLD level cannot be called a “lightweight” task. Generic TLD registry receives a fixed fee for every domain name registered in the TLD, whether it is for an obscure site or one that is used by millions of people every day. Registries are obliged to scale their services based on resolution demand, which may or may not grow sympathetically with the number of domain names registered in the registry (revenue). In the old telephony model, companies billed a miniscule charge “per dip” into their number database to look up a phone number.
Domain name registries familiar with this
model might expect compensation for each DNS lookup, whether from the entity looking up the domain name or the registrant of the popular domain name. However, this is exactly the kind of preferential treatment/impediment to access thagt is antithetical to the Internet’s success. The fact that no such “per dip” charge has been implemented by TLD operators is key to the Internet’s continued success.

INTERNET USE POLICY

Cork County Library and Arts Service is a division of Cork County Council and in so far as this document makes reference to the term "Cork County Library and Arts Service", that term shall, except where the context indicates otherwise, mean Cork County Council.Each user is responsible for use of this electronic resource in an ethical and lawful manner. Users of the Internet Service, via either Library Internet PCs or Wi-Fi, must hold a current membership, in their own name, of Cork County Library & Arts Service. Users must have their library membership card with them when using the Internet. Users are entitled to one session per day, subject to availability. Users are expected to finish their computer sessions immediately, when their time slot expires or on request by a staff member.
Parents/Guardians of children under 18 years and/or vulnerable adults must sign the Parental Permission portion of the registration card. Where permission is given a parent or guardian must be present and have read, and accepted, the Internet Use Policy. Only a person who is over the age of 18 years is qualified to act as a guarantor in authorising a child/ vulnerable adult to use the Public Internet Service.Children under the age of 12 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian when using the Public Internet Service.Use of the Public Internet Service by children/vulnerable adults is the responsibility of their parent/guardian.
Cork County Library & Arts Service bears no responsibility for the deliberate or unintentional exposure of children/vulnerable adults to disturbing or inappropriate content or images.All printouts must be paid for. Charges for Black & White pages are 15c per sheet. Colour pages cost 60c per sheet. Charges may increase without notice.Not all information found on the Internet is accurate, complete, up to date or otherwise acceptable to all individuals. Cork County Library & Arts Service is not responsible for the accuracy, quality or content of the information retrieved from the Internet.Cork County Library and Arts Service cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss, costs or expenses arising from usage of the library Internet service. By accepting this policy, a user of the library Internet service agrees to indemnify Cork County Council in respect of any damage, loss, costs or expenses whatsoever either to the user or any third party that arise from the user's Internet usage, which indemnity includes any legal proceedings whatsoever (including any and all costs thereof) that arise from the user's Internet usage.