12.1 INTRODUCTION
Sun Microsystems launched a major advertising campaign in the 1980s with the catchy slogan that opens this chapter. A couple decades ago, its pitch was surely more sizzle than steak, but it was like a voice in the wilderness, heralding today’s wired world with the Web at the heart of global commerce. Standalone business computers are now obsolete and irrelevant.
This chapter will introduce you to the vast and complex arena of data communications with a particular focus on the Internet. We will look at architectural models (network protocols) from a historical point of view, a theoretical point of view, and a practical point of view. Once you have an understanding of how a network operates, you will learn about many of the components ...
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.
Read now
Unlock full access