WEB ESSENTIALS NOTES
Unit I Fundamentals of Internet and Web
Internet Overview – Fundamental computer network
concepts – Web Protocols – URL – Domain Name- Web
Browsers and Web Servers- Web Development Tools -
Working principle of a Website – Web Hosting - Web
Security
1.Internet Overview
Web Technology
Web technology that acts as an interface between web client and
web server. It includes markup languages, programming
interfaces, online presentation tools, Java applets, video editing
tools and so on. The commonly used to client side scripting
languages are HTML JavaScript CSS XML and so on. The
commonly used server side technologys are ASP JSP Java servlets
PHP and so on.
Concept of Internet
Definition: Internet is global system in which millions of computers are
connected together it is basically and network of networks
Using internet many people can share resources and can communicate with
each other. To have internet service one must go to the service providers. That
means you are computer must be connected to the Internet service providers
ISP through phone line modem or DSL. There are some privately won't internet
service providers from which we can higher the Internet services.
Concept of World Wide Web
Definition: World Wide Web (WWW) is a collection of software and
corresponding protocols used to access the resources over the network.
The world wide web is an information system in which various documents
containing information are interlinked together. User can access this
information or write the information via computers. This information is
typically stored on the web pages and through web browsers we can access
these web pages.The web pages may contain file information in the form of
text, audio, video, images and graphics. We can navigate between the web pages
using hyperlinks.The concept of WWW was introduced by Sir Tim Berners-Lee
the contractor at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN),
Switzerland in 1989. He built a personal database of people and software
models and used hypertext so that each new page of information was linked to
an existing page.
Internet or WWW
The term internet and WWW is often used interchangeably, but these are two
different terms.The internet is a collection of computers and other devices (such
as printers, scanners etc.) connected together whereas World Wide Web
(WWW) is a collection of software and corresponding protocols used to access
the resources over the network.The world wide web contains huge amount of
documents, images and other resources which can be accessed using the
hyperlinks.Thus people use internet through the Web.
Fundamental Computer Network Concepts
Definition of Computer Network
The computer network can be defined as a group of computers and other devices
(such as printers, scanners, routers) connected together in order to send or
receive data.
Each of these devices in the computer network is called node. In computer
network each node is connected by a wire through which the data can be moved
in the form of electromagnetic waves. However there is another terminology
which is commonly used in computer network and i.e. host. The host is
synonym to the computer node, however, there is one clear difference between
node and host. Node refers to any device on the computer network and host
refers to the fully functional general-purpose computer.
A computer network comprises the following components:
• A minimum of at least 2 computers.
• Cables that connect the computers to each other, although wireless
communication is becoming more common.
• A network interface device on each computer. This is called a network
interface card or NIC.
• A switch used to switch the data from one point to another.
• Network operating system software.
You can create a computer network by hooking all the computers in your college
together with cables and installing a special network interface card (an
electronic circuit card that resides inside your computer popularly called as
NIC) in each computer so you have a place to plug in the cable. Then you set
up your computer’s operating-system software to establish networking. Each
node in the network has some unique address. These addresses help to identify
the computer quickly. Addresses are assigned differently on different kinds of
networks.
Switch
A Switch is a device used to connect the PC to the network.The switch is
responsible for managing bandwidth on the network.Switches are capable of
switching the data from one port directly to the other without wasting the
bandwidth of the entire network attached to that switch.
Router
A Router is an electronic device used to connect two or more computers or other
electronic devices to each other, and usually to the Internet, by wire or radio
signals.This allows several computers to communicate with each other and with
the Internet at the same time.Router is an intelligent device used to connect
heterogeneous networking.
Hub
A network hub or repeater hub is a device for connecting multiple twisted pair
or Ethernet devices together and making them act as a single network segment.
A hub simply receives incoming packets, regenerates the electrical signal and
broadcasts these packets out to all other devices on the network.
Computer Network Types
LAN
Local-Area Networks (LANs) allows multiple users in a relatively small
geographical area to exchange files and messages and to access shared
resources such as file servers.
PAN
Personal-Area Networks (PANs) is used for connecting the computer devices
of personal use. It covers the area of 30 feet. The PANs are used to develop
network of laptops, mobile phones, media player and play stations. Small office
network can be built with PANs.
WAN
Wide-Area Networks (WANs) interconnect LANs across normal telephone
lines (and other media), thereby interconnecting geographically dispersed users.
MAN
Metropolitan area network (MANs) is a network that covers larger geographical
area by connecting different LANs interconnected using telephone exchange
line. Generally, Government agencies use MAN.
IP Address
Each host on a TCP/IP network is assigned a unique 32-bit logical address that
is divided into two main parts: the network number and the host number. This
address is called IP address.The IP address is grouped four into 8-bits separated
by dots. Each bit in the octet has binary weight.
As we know the IP address is divided in two categories: network number and
host number.
2⁷ 2⁶ 2⁵ 2⁴ 2³ 2² 2¹ 2⁰
128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
Network number | Host number
There are 5 classes based on two categories viz. A, B, C, D and E.
IP address class Range
Class A 1 to 126
Class B 127 to 191
Class C 192 to 221
Class D 224 to 239
Class E 240 to 254
Here N stands for network number and H stands for host number.
For instance in class C, first three octets are reserved for network address and
last 8-bits denote host address.IP address is assigned to the devices participating
in computer network.The IP protocol makes use of this address for
communication between two computers.Using IP address, a particular node can
be identified in the network.
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2. Web Protocols
Web protocols are rules and standards that govern how data is transmitted and
exchanged over the World Wide Web. These protocols enable communication
between web browsers, servers, and other internet-connected devices.
Various protocols used in internetworking are –
(1) File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
FTP is a standard communication protocol. There are various other
protocols like HTTP which are used to transfer files between computers, but
they lack clarity and focus as compared to FTP. Moreover, the systems involved
in connection are heterogeneous, i.e. they differ in operating systems,
directories, structures, character sets, etc the FTP shields the user from these
differences and transfers data efficiently and reliably. FTP can transfer ASCII,
EBCDIC, or image files. The ASCII is the default file share format, in this, each
character is encoded by NVT ASCII. In ASCII or EBCDIC the destination must
be ready to accept files in this mode. The image file format is the default format
for transforming binary files.
• Transferring Large Files: FTP can transfer large files in one shot; thus
applicable when hosting websites, backing up servers, or sharing files in
large quantities.
• Remote File Management: Files on a remote server can be uploaded,
downloaded, deleted, renamed, and copied according to the users’ choices.
• Automating File Transfers: FTP is a great protocol for the execution of
file transfers on predefined scripts and employments.
• Accessing Public Files: Anonymous FTP means that everybody
irrespective of the identity is allowed to download some files with no
permissions needed.
2.HTTP
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, and it’s the system that allows
communication between web browsers (like Google Chrome or Firefox) and
websites. When you visit a website, your browser uses HTTP to send a request
to the server hosting that site, and the server sends back the data needed to
display the page.
HyperText is a way of structuring text so that it can contain links (called
"hyperlinks") to other documents or resources. When you click on a link in a
webpage, you are typically directed to another page or resource on the
internet. HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is used to create and format this
type of text for web pages.
HTTP is the protocol used to transfer this hypertext between the web browser
and the server, allowing you to click links and move around the web.
Advantages of HTTP
• Memory usage and CPU usage are low because of fewer simultaneous
connections.
• Since there are few TCP connections, network congestion is less.
• Since handshaking is done at the initial connection stage, latency is
reduced because there is no further need for handshaking for subsequent
requests.
• The error can be reported without closing the connection.
• HTTP allows HTTP pipe-lining of requests or responses.
Disadvantages of HTTP
• HTTP requires high power to establish communication and transfer data.
• HTTP is less secure because it does not use any encryption method like
HTTPS and uses TLS to encrypt regular HTTP requests and responses.
• HTTP is not optimized for cellular phones, and it is too gabby.
• HTTP does not offer a genuine exchange of data because it is less secure.
• The client does not close the connection until it receives complete data
from the server; hence, the server needs to wait for data completion and
cannot be available for other clients during this time.
3. SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an Internet Standard
protocol used for managing and monitoring network-connected devices in IP
networks. SNMP is an application layer protocol that uses UDP port number
161/162. SNMP is used to monitor the network, detect network faults, and
sometimes even to configure remote devices.
Advantages of SNMP
• It is easy to implement.
• Agents are widely implemented.
• Agent level overhead is minimal.
• It is robust and extensible.
• Polling approach is good forLAN based managed object.
• It offers the best direct manager agent interface.
Limitation of SNMP
• It does not scale well.
• There is no object orietned data view.
• It has no standard control definition.
• It has many implementation specific (private MIB) extensions.
• It has high communication overhead due to polling
4. SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is an application layer protocol used for
exchanging email messages between servers. It is essential in the email
communication process and operates at the application layer of the TCP/IP
stack.To send an email, the client opens a TCP connection to the SMTP server.
The server, which is always listening on port 25, initiates the connection as soon
as it detects a client. Once the TCP connection is established, the client sends
the email across the connection.
Advantages of SMTP
• If necessary, the users can have a dedicated server.
• It allows for bulk mailing.
• Low cost and wide coverage area.
• Offer choices for email tracking.
• Reliable and prompt email delivery.
Disadvantages of SMTP
• SMTP's common port can be blocked by several firewalls.
• SMTP security is a bigger problem.
• Its simplicity restricts how useful it can be.
• Just 7-bit ASCII characters can be used.
• If a message is longer than a certain length, SMTP servers may reject the
entire message.
• Delivering your message will typically involve additional back-and-forth
processing between servers, which will delay sending and raise the
likelihood that it won't be sent.
5.POP3
POP 3 stands for Post Office Protocol Version 3. POP3 protocol is used
to provide access to the mail inbox that is stored in the email server. POP3
protocol can download and delete messages. Once the POP3 client has
established a connection with the mail server it can easily retrieve all the
messages from the server. The user can access the messages locally even if the
user is offline. The protocol does not inherently support real-time
synchronization or automatic checking for new messages, users can configure
their email clients to check for new messages at intervals or manually. Many
email programs, including Apple Mail, Gmail, and Microsoft Outlook, support
the POP3 protocol, although IMAP is often preferred for its synchronization
features.When a message is sent, SMPT is used to transfer it from the client to
the server and ultimately to the server of the recipient. However, the Message
Access Agent facilitates the transmission of the message from the receiving
server to the host server. POP3 and IMAP are the two types of protocols that
are included in the Message Access Agent.
Advantages of POP3
• The message can be read offline also.
• POP3 requires less storage space.
• POP3 is easy to use and configure.
• POP3 is supported by many email applications.
• Since our PC already has the emails stored there, accessing them is quick
and simple.
• The size of emails we send and receive is unrestricted.
• Since all emails are kept locally, less server storage space is needed.
Disadvantages of POP3
• POP3 does not provide the feature of real-time synchronization.
• If an email consists of virus attachments it can affect the system easily.
• POP3 does not support accessing the same email at the same time on
different systems.
• At a time entire email folder can be discarded.
• It is also possible for the email folder that is downloaded from the mail
server to get corrupted.
• Since the emails are kept locally, anyone using your computer can access
the email folder.
6. TCP
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is a connection-oriented protocol
for communications that helps in the exchange of messages between different
devices over a network. It is one of the main protocols of the TCP/IP suite.
In OSI model, it operates at the transport layer(Layer 4). It lies between
the Application and Network Layers which are used in providing reliable
delivery services. The Internet Protocol (IP), which establishes the technique
for sending data packets between computers, works with TCP.
Advantages of TCP
• It is a reliable protocol.
• It provides an error-checking mechanism as well as one for recovery.
• It gives flow control.
• It makes sure that the data reaches the proper destination in the exact
order that it was sent.
• It is a well-documented and widely implemented protocol, maintained by
standards organizations like the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force).
• It works in conjunction with IP (Internet Protocol) to establish
connections between devices on a network.
Disadvantages of TCP
• TCP is made for Wide Area Networks, thus its size can become an issue
for small networks with low resources.
• TCP runs several layers so it can slow down the speed of the network.
• It is not generic in nature. It cannot represent any protocol stack other
than the TCP/IP suite. E.g., it cannot work with a Bluetooth connection.
• No modifications since their development around 30 years ago.
7.UDP
User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is one of the core protocols of the Internet
Protocol (IP) suite. It is a communication protocol used across the internet for time-
sensitive transmissions such as video playback or DNS lookups . Unlike Transmission
Control Protocol (TCP), UDP is connectionless and does not guarantee delivery, order,
or error checking, making it a lightweight and efficient option for certain types of data
transmission.
Advantages of UDP
• Speed: UDP is faster than TCP because it does not have the overhead of
establishing a connection and ensuring reliable data delivery.
• Lower latency: Since there is no connection establishment, there is lower
latency and faster response time.
• Simplicity: UDP has a simpler protocol design than TCP, making it
easier to implement and manage.
• Broadcast support: UDP supports broadcasting to multiple recipients,
making it useful for applications such as video streaming and online
gaming.
• Smaller packet size: UDP uses smaller packet sizes than TCP, which can
reduce network congestion and improve overall network performance.
• User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is more efficient in terms of both latency
and bandwidth.
Disadvantages of UDP
• No reliability: UDP does not guarantee delivery of packets or order of
delivery, which can lead to missing or duplicate data.
• No congestion control: UDP does not have congestion control, which
means that it can send packets at a rate that can cause network
congestion.
• Vulnerable to attacks: UDP is vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks ,
where an attacker can flood a network with UDP packets, overwhelming
the network and causing it to crash.
• Limited use cases: UDP is not suitable for applications that require
reliable data delivery, such as email or file transfers, and is better suited
for applications that can tolerate some data loss, such as video streaming
or online gaming.
8.IP
The Internet Protocol (IP) is a set of rules that allows computers and
other devices to communicate over the Internet. It ensures that information
sent from one device reaches the correct destination by using a unique set of
numbers known as IP addresses.
Why is Internet Protocol Important?
The Internet Protocol is a fundamental component of the Internet and
computer networks, responsible for delivering packets of data from the source
host to the destination host based on their IP addresses. It ensures that packets
of data get to the right destination from the source device.Each device
connected to a network is assigned an IP address, which serves as a "home
address" for the device, enabling other devices to locate and send messages to
it and providing the addressing and routing mechanisms the devices require
for their communications.IP works in conjunction with the Internet Control
Message Protocol (ICMP) to send error messages and operational information
(e.g., destination unreachable, echo requests), which inform senders about
issues in packet delivery. Unlike some protocols, IP does not establish a
connection before transmitting data, making it a connectionless protocol that
allows for more flexible and efficient data transmission
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