Basic Internet

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, or TCP/IP, is the basic communications protocol required for computers that use the Internet.

The OpenURL standard is a syntax to create Web-transportable packages of metadata and/or identifiers about an information object

A protocol that allows single users to read mail from a server.

A Web server is a server on the Internet that holds Web documents and makes them available for viewing by remote browsers.

A method of identifying the user to make sure the user is who he says he is.

A transfer mode that designates bandwidth using a fixed-size packet or cell. Also called a "fast packet".

A computer which provides file archives, email, and announcements of interest. Users usually dial in with a terminal program to access these.

The CGI is a communications protocol that Web servers use to communicate with other applications. Common Gateway Interface scripts allow Web servers to access database (among other things); CGI applications, on the other hand, receive data from servers and return data through the CGI.

The DSL offers high-band width connections to small businesses and homes via regular telephone lines

E-mail stands for electronic mail. Most networks support some form of email. The most popular, of course, is Internet email. E-mail allows you to send text (such as a letter) to another person on another computer. In order to send an email, you have to know the email address of the recipient. Internet email addresses always start with the user's account name, then the at sign (@), then the name of the computer where the user gets his or her email. You can never have spaces in email or Web addresses. For example, my email address is: w@wdell.com

A firewall is a hardware and/or software boundary that prevents unauthorized users from accessing restricted files on a network.

FTP’s are the most widely used format to uploading and downloading files on an Internet connection. FTP’s are used so computers can share files between each other.

HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. This is the standard method of publishing web documents onto the World Wide Web (WWW). HTML consists of tags surrounded by brackets.

Each computer is assigned an IP address. These are similar to phone numbers. When you attempt to connect to an IP address, you will connect to the computer with that IP address.

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) combines digital network services and voice into one. Users can access digital services at 115,200 bps.

An intranet is a local area network(LAN), which may not be connected to the Internet but which has similar functions.

An automated mailing list distribution system.

Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, or MIME, is the standard way to organize different file formats. For example, if you receive an e-mail, which is in a different format than yours, the file will be decoded so you can read it using MIME.

A Network File System allows a computer to access and use files over a network, just as if it were a local network.

A standard industry protocol for the inquiry, distribution, retrieval, and posting of news articles.