A Web Design and Hosting Company. Internet 101 The basics of how the technology works

A Web Design and Hosting Company

Internet 101

The basics of how the technology works

Internet Terms Access provider Anonymous FTP server AS (Autonomous system) ASN (asynchronous system number ATM (asynchronous transfer mode Backbone provider Bong Broadband Busy signal analysis ccTLD (country code top level domain Client Copper line Country code top level domain Cracker Crosstalk DCC (data collection Center) Denial of Service Destination Dialup account Digital subscriber line (DSL) E-commerce

DNS (Domain Name System) Domain name DoS DSL Event File transfer protocol FTP Server FTP Generic top level domain gTLD Hacker Host HTML Hypertext Markup Language IAP IETF (Internet engineering task force) ISDN (integrated services digital network) Ping Traceroute Whois Gopher

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Internet Terms TCP/IP

(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)

HTTP(Hyper Text Transmission Protocol) The World Wide Web protocol

DNS(Domain name Service) The process of converting a domain name to an IP address

HTML(Hyper Text Markup Language) The World Wide Web page description language

Cookies Web/Application

ServerASP(Active Server Pages) Server side programming scripting language – Microsoft

Cold FusionServer Side Scripting language – Macromedia/Allaire

TCP/IP – The Transport Layer! Stands for:

Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol

TCP/IP is the common method that allows two computers to talk to each other

Every other protocol rides on top of TCP/IP

TCP/IP

TCP/IP – We Number Everything!

The InternetThe Internet192.168.0.125

192.168.0.205

192.168.0.15

192.168.0.35

Every Computerhas an IP number

NNN.NNN.NNN.NNN

DNS – What we call things! Stands for:

Domain Name Service

English language names for computers

Hierarchical grouping of computers

Read from left to right

.com

uxbinternet.com

mail.uxbinternet.com

reports.uxbinternet.com

www.uxbinternet.com

yahoo.com

maps.yahoo.com

DNS – We Name Everything!

The InternetThe InternetStudent.yale.edu192.168.0.125

yahoo.com192.168.0.205

ns.uxb.net192.168.0.15

Almost Every Computerhas a Domain name

uxbinfo.comuxbinternet.com

192.168.0.35

DNS – Domain Name Servers


yahoo.com192.168.0.205

ns.uxb.net192.168.0.15


192.168.0.35

Domain servers contain a database of what IP is associated with each domain name

Domain Name Server

DNS/HTTP - The World Wide Web


ns.uxb.net192.168.0.15

Client program (web browser) asks the DNS server what the IP is for uxbinternet.com

Domain Name Server


192.168.0.35

Web Server

www.uxinternet.com

DNS/HTTP - The World Wide Web


ns.uxb.net192.168.0.15

The DNS responds with the IP address and uses the HTTP protocol to request a web page

Domain Name Server


192.168.0.35

<html><head>

<title>UXB Internet - A web design and hosting company</title><link href="mystyle.css" rel="stylesheet" rev="stylesheet" type="text/css">

</head><body bgcolor="#7B3A5B" ><table width="732" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">

<tr> <td width="160" align="left" valign="top" bgcolor="#E4DDD3"> <img src="images/cor_top_lft.gif" width=12 height=12 border=0 alt=""> </td>

<td width="560" bgcolor="#E4DDD3"></td> <td width="12" valign="top" bgcolor="#E4DDD3"> <img src="images/cor_top_rt.gif" width=12 height=12 border=0 alt=""> </td> </tr></table></body></html>

HTML – Hyper Text Markup Language

Web Server – Sends HTML files

Web server

Web Server

- index.html- menu.html- directions.htmlHard drive

Application Server – Server side logic

Web server

ApplicationServer Database

Application files - index.asp - index.cfm

Web Server

* Cold Fusion* ASP (Active Server pages)

Web server

ApplicationServer

Cold Fusion & ASP - Differences

Web server

ApplicationServer

Cold Fusion runs as a separate process

ASP runs within the web server process

Cookies, Privacy & Tracking

The Web is StatelessThe Web is Stateless

The Web is StatelessWith a State Machine (like your PC) a program keeps track of every process at all times

The PC can always know what is and has happened at all times.

The Web is StatelessThe Web Server is optimized for speed so it can send multiple objects simultaneously to multiple users

After it sends an object or page it promptly forgets about it and concentrates on sending the next object.

The Web is Stateless

Therefore at any given time the web server can not determine the “state” of the program.

At any given time, the web server can never be sure what object was sent, what order it was received processed or who requested it…?

??

The Web is StatelessTo determine the state of the program the client (web

browser) MUST constantly remind the web server where it is.

There are two ways to for the client to return information:

• CookiesCookies• URL VariablesURL Variables

COOKIE:CUSTID=12345ShoppingCart=On

The Web is StatelessA Cookie is a small bit of text the server asks to be held by the browser

On each request for a page, the browser returns the cookies (text) to the server

Page Request

Send Cookie

Return Cookie

Serve Page

URL Variables

URL Variables are included with the page request

On each request for a page, the server is told where in the program it is

Page Request

Serve Page

http://www.uxbinternet.com/index.cfm?Level=4&itemno=AMA-234&CFID=10&CFTOKEN=10405114

Design Issues - The Web is Stateless

CookiesCookies Server level

can be used regardless of the pages being served (HTML, TXT, CFM…etc)

Users can (and do) turn off cookies in the browser

With Cookies off you can’t track the user

URL VariablesURL Variables Application Level

Variables only used by application programs (Cold Fusion, ASP, CGI) and not HTML pages

Special Coding required Security issues

Users can change the URL variable in their browser

Cookies & Security Are used to track

movement though the web site

The web site determines what information is in the cookie

Can only be read by web site (domain) that sent them

Flaws: A web page can have

embedded information from several web sites. Each web site can set a cookie

Users can turn off accepting cookies and the web site may become unusable.

A Database Driven Web Site

Why a Database? Structured Data

All data about a product is in a structured format

Easier to manage and organizeRelational data structures clearly defines the products and all associated information

Decisions can be made based on user input

Content can be changed without the need to know HTML or page layout

Interacting with a database

Web server

ApplicationServer Database

Application files - index.asp - index.cfm

Web Server

* Cold Fusion* ASP (Active Server pages)

InteractivityExample: The Company Directory

1,000 employees, List by First letter of last name, display Detail page for each employee.

Using HTML: 26 pages for the list + 1,000 pages for the

details= 1,026 pagesUsing Cold Fusion: 1 template for the list + 1 template for the

details = 2 pages

The Company Directory

{Last name}, {First name}

Company List for {letter}

Enter First letter of last name: GO

Find all records where the first letter of the last name equals {input}

Display using the format

Create link to detail page

Output as html to web server

Using Cold Fusion Template

Maintenance Using HTML: Edit two pages for

each employee change

Must know HTML More difficult to

search Cannot use data

for other functions

Using Cold Fusion: Maintain the data

in the database – Automatically updates the web pages – no html

Easy to do searches

Can use the data for other functions

Uses & Marketing

Should you have a web site?

Common Misconceptions

1. If you build it they will come!(apologies to: Field of Dreams screenwriter/director Phil Alden Robinson and Author William P. Kinsella)

2. You need to use the latest and greatest technology!

3. Selling on the web will make you rich!

Common Misconceptions - 1

If you build it they will come!

WRONG!

Common Misconceptions - 1 You need to market your web site

In Print/Radio/TV or other advertising On all business correspondence and cards Targeted Internet ads or sponsorships (industry

centric sites) Do not rely on search engines

Most now charge for listings Yahoo=$299.00 a year Lycos=$18.00 a year for 1 page InfoSeek= $99.00 Plus $0.05 per click-thru Google = $0.00 4 to 8 weeks for inclusion no

guarantee


You need to use the latest and greatest technology!

WRONG!

Common Misconceptions - 2 Know the browser technology level

of your target market. High Tech Products – Latest & greatest Commercial Market – AOL (America On-

Line), No Microsoft specific HTML formatting Government – No Java, No JavaScript, No

Flash, No HTML email Academia / Education – No HTML email,

limited Java and Flash


Selling on the web will make you rich!

WRONG!

Common Misconceptions - 3 Evaluate the investment and return.

Know your market. What is the market potential? What will it cost to get/keep customers?

Know your customers. What percentage will/can use the web?

Know your business process. What is saved by the customer using the web? What is the cost to do business on the web?

(development, infrastructure, personnel)

Common Misconceptions - 3 What is the ROI (Return on Investment) ?

Is the business model sound?

Why do youyou want a

web site?

Documents

A Web Design and Hosting Company. Internet 101 The basics of how the technology works