The internet and how it works

 Internet 

Internet refers to worldwide network of computers(Rao, 2018). Each device connected to the internet is identified by TCP/IP protocols and every device on the internet has its own IP address. Computers on the internet can be given domain name. The IP is the centre of communication on internet. The internet started in the 1960s in an effort to connect computers that were remotely located.

There are three different types of network namely centralized, decentralized and distributed networks.

1. Centralized network: computers are connected through a single router.
2. Decentralized network: Many routers connects to many clients.
3. Distributed network: Here all nodes are non- hierarchically connect to each other, they can communicate directly to each other

Independent networks are interconnected by the Internet Protocol(IP) addresses. IP addresses are saved or stored as four bytes.  The presence of IP on the internet allow devices on the internet to send a message to the desired destination. Without IP, messages would get lost.

Router

Different parts of the internet are connected by routers and job is to route masses to their intended destination. Routers forward messages to their place of destination.

Router

Messages from sender to receiver.

Messages or information send on internet are broken down into packets When a student send their assignment to their lecturer, that assignment is broken down into smaller pieces which are known as packets. When those packets reach the router, the router dispatches packets to their way. IP address is added to each packet and that IP addresses identify the destination for that packet. Each Packet has an address and content. The transported over the internet using the Transport Control Protocol (TCP). The  TCP offers guarantee of messages that are free of errors. When the packets reach their destination they are reassembled into one message which the receiver will be able to read.The messages are broken down for the security purposes and for faster transmission.

Message packets

Devices on networks that send and receive information are called nodes. Examples of nodes can be desktops, laptops, servers and phones. Every node has a unique IP address that they use to find one another.Moreover, nodes can be described as networked hardware with a network IP address.

Evaluate online resource

A lot of information is available on internet. Everyone can upload information and the uploaded information might be inaccurate as there are no regulations on internet.Before using information from the internet and making it available to the users of digital library or when building a digital collection, one needs to evaluate the web resources.

Things to check when evaluating internet resources 

1. Author: Check if the creator or author of the resource is qualified to give information on that particular top.
2. Purpose: Who does the resource written for?The target audience.
3. Objective: Does the resource provide facts or the opinions of the author?
4. Accuracy: Can the information provided be verified?
5. Currency: How current is the information?Is it up-to-date?
6. Links: Is the resource linked to other resources ?

Summary of web resource evaluation