Connecting to the Internet:

* Internet communication protocols:

Computers connected to the internet communicate by using Internet Protocol (IP). IP slices information into packets and routes them to their destination. IP uses dynamic routing, so that even if one part of the network is knocked out, packets can be rerouted. Along with IP, most computers on the internet communicate with TCP.

* Internet host :

Each computer on the internet is called a host computer or host. Computers on the internet are connected by cables, phone lines and satellite connections. They include large mainframe, smaller mini computers and PCs.

* IP Address:

Each host computer on the internet has a unique number called its IP address.IP addresses identify the host computers, so that packets reach the correct computer. If we use dial-up account, ISP assigns your computer an IP address each time you connect. Computers on LAN usually have IP addresses that are reserved for use on LAN. The most common IP assignment server is called DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol).

* Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

It is an organization that provides Internet accounts. The other features provided by the Internet account are Email mailboxes, Web server
space and Domain hosting.

* Types of Internet Connection:

So To connect to the internet we have different types of connections. They are:

Dial-Up connections:

This works over an ordinary phone line. It uses the point-to-point protocol. A modem is needed.DSL connections- Digital Subscriber Line is a digital, high-speed line that uses the normal phone wires with special modems on either end. The line is asymmetric, because it has more capacity for data received by the computer than for data sent from the computer. With DSL line we can connect the computer to the internet and talk on the phone at the same time on the same phone line.

DSL modems connect to the computer through an Ethernet or other network card in the
computer.

ISDN Connections:

Integrated Services Digital Network is an upgraded phone line that can be used for faster internet access and for regular voice calls. Using one line, we can talk on the phone and surf the web.o For residential use ISDN provides BRI. On one line, BRI provides two 64-Kbps channels, or B channels, and one 16-Kbps channel, or D channel. D channel is used for signaling. The two B channels are combined for to use the internet. An ISDN adapter is needed to connect the computer to an ISDN line.

Leased Lines:

If large amount of data is to be transferred we can go for leased line.o Leased lines come in various speeds including T1 and T3.

Cable TV internet connections:

Cable modem service brings dozens of TV channels as well as web sites. The cable network was designed to move information in one direction, from broadcaster to the user. Downstream speeds are much faster than the upstream speed.

Satellite Internet Connections:

Digital satellite Systems or direct broadcast satellite lets to get internet information by
satellite.· With early satellite systems, we can receive data from the internet at a high speed through the satellite, but to send data we need a dial-up connection and an ISP. Later the companies StarBand and DirecPC offered two-way system connection that doesn’t use a phone line at all, with uploads and downloads by satellite.

Wireless Internet Connections:

In a few urban areas wireless internet access can be used. To set it up, a radio modem is attached to the laptop. Another way to connect to the internet via wireless is by using a digital cell phone.Some ISPs offer wireless connections to Personal Data Assistants (PDA) such as Blackberry, Compaq ipaq, or Palm. These small devices have tiny screens which can be used to read e-mail and browse the web.

* Domain Name System·:

The name of each host computer consists of a series of words separated by dots. The last part of the domain name is called the top-level domain (TLD). The last two parts of a host computer name constitute the domain.· The second to last part of the name (second-level-domain) is chosen by the organization that owns the computer. Eg:yahoo.com· Because most organizations own more than on computer on the internet, most host computer names have at least one more part, preceding the domain name called third-level-domain. Eg: www.yahoo.com, mail.yahoo.com.

A domain name system (DNS) server translates between the numeric IP addresses that
identify each host computer on the internet and the corresponding domain names.

E-Mail Concepts:

E-mail messages are passed through the internet by using a protocol called simple mail
transfer protocol. The incoming messages are received in an e-mail mailbox that resides on a mail server.Mail servers receive and store e-mail messages in mailboxes by using a protocol called Post office Protocol or IMAP.

- To read e-mail, a mail client is needed.

- We can write e-mail messages by using e-mail application,

- The messages are transferred to an SMTP server

- a mail server that accepts e-mail.

* Ways Of accessing E-mail:

We may use a mail client. Eg: Eudora, Outlook, Outlook express, Netscape Messenger etc.· We may use a web-based e-mail service. We may use an online service, such as America online, which has its own mail program. We may get e-mail through a LAN, a common system at large organizations. The e-mail arrives in the company’s POP or IMAP server.

* E-mail Addressing:

Internet e-mail addresses consists of two parts joined by @ sign.

· User name – It contains characters other than letters-they can contain numbers,
underscores, periods, and some other special characters. They can’t contain commas or
parantheses.

· Host or domain name – It provides the internet location of the mailbox, usually the name of
a company or internet service.

* Formatted E-mail:

HTML – This is formatted with HTML tags, just like web pages. It includes text formatting, numbering, bullets, alignment, horizontal lines, backgrounds, hyperlinks. It is actually sent using the MIME protocol.

Rich Text Format – This format can be read by most word processing applications. Documents in this format are also called RTF files.

MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) – It is used for attachments. Formatting includes text formatting, pictures, video and sound.Web-Based E-mail· Using web based email we can access the web as well as read our mail.· Most web-based e-mail is free.

· We can read two kinds of messages on the web : Messages sent to a web-only accounto Messages stored in the POP mail box

Sending and Receiving Files by E-mail:

Attachments· An attachment is a file that has been encoded as text so that it can be included in an e-mail message.

The three common ways to encode e-mail attachments are :

MIME - Multi purpose Internet Mail Extension is the standard method.

Uencoding – This method is supported by some older e-mail applications.

BinHex- Used by some Mac e-mail programs.

* Sending Attachments: To send a file by e-mail, create a message to which the file is to be attached. Address the mail as usual and type the subject. If needed type the text in the body of the message.

· Now attach the file by choosing a menu command or by clicking a toolbar button.· Large files can be compressed, so that the sending and downloading time can be minimized.

* Receiving Attachments:

Most e-mail applications store the attachments in the mail message. First, open the message and then open or save the attachment. When the message with an attachment is deleted, the attachment is also deleted. To use the attachment later, it has to be saved.

* Attaching files to a Microsoft Outlook e-mail:

To attach files to a Microsoft Outlook, follow the below steps.

1. Open Microsoft Outlook.

2. Reply to an existing e-mail, or compose a new e-mail by clicking on the New icon in the top left portion of the window.

3. In the e-mail, click on the 'Insert file' icon that looks like a small paperclip, or click on Insert at the top of the window and choose file.

4. Browse to the location that contains your file and double-click it insert it.If successfully attached you should see an icon of the attachment in your e-mail.

Below is an alternative method of attaching a file into an e-mail.

1. Open My computer or Windows explorer and browse to the location of where your pictures are located.

2. Highlight and copy the picture you wish to send in an e-mail.

3. Open a new e-mail or the e-mail you're replying to that you wish to attach the file into, right-click in the message portion of the e-mail and click paste.Fighting Spam, Sorting Mail, and Avoiding Email Viruses

* Reducing Spam:

The term "spam" is Internet slang that refers to unsolicited commercial email (UCE) or unsolicited bulk email (UBE).Some people refer to this kind of communication as junk email to equate it with the paper junk mail that comes through the US Mail. Unsolicited email most often contains advertisements for services or products, but very few reputable marketers use UCE to advertise.

The most commonly seen spam includes the following: Foreign bank scams or advance fee fraud schemeso Phishing scams, a very popular and dangerous form of email fraudo Pyramid schemes, including multilevel marketing (MLM) Other "Get Rich Quick" or "Make Money Fast" (MMF) schemeso Quack health products and remedieso Ads for pornographic web siteso Offers of software for collecting email addresses and sending UCE Offers of bulk emailing services for sending UCE Chain letters (for more information, see About chain mail) Illegally pirated software

* Avoid receiving spam email: Spam has increasingly become a problem on the Internet. While every Internet user receives some spam email, certain behaviors on the Internet will cause you to receive even more than average.

· In fact, the Federal Trade Commission and the Center for Democracy and Technology have performed studies to determine how spammers can obtain your email address.

· They found that email addresses posted to web sites or in newsgroups attract the most spam.· Chat rooms are also fertile places for spammers to obtain email addresses.

· Some tips on Internet behavior that will help reduce the amount of spam you receive: On October 17, 2006, UITS implemented enhanced email filtering services at Indiana University. The spam quarantine service now analyzes all mail delivered to IU Cyrus/Webmail and Exchange accounts. Any spam messages you receive are quarantined for five days in a Spam (Cyrus/Webmail) or Junk E-mail (Exchange) folder in your account. After five days, the spam service deletes these messages automatically. Every time you communicate on the Internet or browse a web site, there are opportunities for spammers to intercept your communications to obtain your email address. In particular, if you post to a Usenet newsgroup, list your email address on a web site, or fill out insecure forms on the web, your address can be collected by spammers. They collect lists of email addresses and even share or sell these lists to other spammers. Even otherwise reputable companies may sell or exchange your email address with other companies, and this information may inadvertently find its way to a spammer. At worst, spammers will use automated programs to bombard these lists of email addresses with spam.

· Consider the following to reduce the amount of spam you receive:

Subscribe only to essential discussion lists, and ensure that they are moderated.If you are thinking of filling out a form on a web site, check the site's privacy policy first to be sure it uses secure technology and the company does not share your email address with others. If the site doesn't have a privacy policy that describes this to your satisfaction, consider not using that service.If you post to Usenet newsgroups or bulletin boards, or if you spend time in chat rooms or use an online service that displays your address, you may wish to consider opening an email account on a free service and using that address when performing these potentially spam-inducing activities. Then your primary account would not be as affected by spam.If the email address is listed on a web page, you should also consider opening a free account. If the web site listing your contact information is for Indiana University business, you could also get a departmental account and list that address rather than your personal address.If you reply to spam, the spammer or the automated program on the other end will then know that your address is connected to a live person, and the spammer will then bombard you with even more spam, and circulate your address to other spammers. Thus, it is imperative that you pause and think before replying to any spam.

* How to avoid viruses:

Do NOT open or view any attachment or file in email that you are not expecting. Even if you know the person sending you a file, it does not mean that the file is safe.· Newer email viruses can make it look as if your friends/colleagues are sending you the file. In short, whenever you receive a file by email, CHECK with the sender directly that the file is legitimate and if it is not, contact your IT support area. Following this rule will keep you safe from the vast majority of viruses going around the internet.

* General guidelines for avoiding computer viruses:Do not run, download or forward any unsolicited executables, documents, spreadsheets, etc. Anything that runs on your PC should be virus checked and approved first.Any email you weren't expecting should be treated with suspicion, even if it comes from someone you know. It is worth calling whoever sent it to you to check that they intended to send you the email.NEVER open any files with a double file extension, (e.g. iamavirus.txt.vbs). Under normal circumstances you should never need to receive or use these.Avoid downloading executables or documents from the internet. These are often used to spread computer viruses.Although JPG, GIF and MP3 files are not normally infected with viruses, some viruses can be disguised as these file types, also some recent software problems with image viewers and/or mp3 players have allowed them to contain viruses. Some caution is recommended when opening these file types. Jokes, pictures, graphics, screensavers and movie files should be treated with the same amount of suspicion as other file types.If in doubt, contact the ITS Service Desk for advice, do not open the file or email.If you think you have been infected with a virus inform the ITS Service Desk immediately. Do not panic or interrupt other users.Any virus warnings or hoaxes should be sent to the ITS Service Desk who can help confirm whether or not it is genuine. Do not forward these warnings to anyone else; unless you are signed up to an official virus alert service it is unlikely to be a genuine warning.Ensure that you follow the same procedures at home and elsewhere. Viruses can easily be spread from one location to another.Bank Scams: Ignore emails from banks, unless you have explicitly asked the bank to communicate with you via e-mail.Even if you have explicitly asked a bank to communicate with you via e-mail, be cautious if you choose to enter your account details such as your account number or pin into a website supplied via e-mail, as it may be forged.Online chatting, Messaging, and Conferencing Concepts· Online Chatting or online conferencing enables Internet users to exchange text or to have discussions with groups of people in real time.· The groups of people involved may be anywhere in the world.· This group communication can take the form of text, voice, or video, and messages and responses can be exchanged.

* Forms of Chat, Messaging and Conferencing· Real –time chatEach participant sees each message with seconds of when it is sent, and the reply is given quickly. However, all the participants need to be online at the same time.· Asynchronous chatMessages are stored so that participants can read them when they have a chance, which allow participants to consider their responses, gather information, and formulate a response carefully. It also allows people from different time zones or with different schedules to participate.

* Types of online chat and conferencing· E-mail Mailing Lists - E-mail messages are sent to one or more people who are selected by the sender. An e-mail mailing list allows messages to be distributed to a list of preselected people, called subscribers.· Usenet Newsgroups - Usenet is a system that allows messages to be distributed throughout the Internet. Due to the volume of messages, the messages are divided into newsgroups, or topics.· Internet Relay Chat (IRC) - It allows thousands of internet users to participate in real-time text-based chat.· Web-Based Chat - Many people are daunted by the programs and commands required by IRC. Hence, many web sites now provide a web-based way to participate in real-time text-based chat.· AOL and Compuserve Chat Rooms - AOL services allow real-time chat on a wide variety of subjects.· Instant Messaging - Instant messaging (IM) is a form of online communication that allows real-time interaction through computers or mobile devices.· Online conferencing - An online conference uses the Internet as a conference venue. This means that participants can access the conference from anywhere in the world and can do this at any time, using standard browser software.