Chapter 2
Introduction to TCP/IP and the Internet
In This Chapter
Introducing the Internet
Familiarizing yourself with TCP/IP standards
Figuring out how TCP/IP lines up with the OSI reference model
Discovering important TCP/IP applications
Many years ago, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) was known primarily as the protocol of the Internet. The biggest challenge of getting a local area network (LAN) connected to the Internet was figuring out how to mesh TCP/IP with the proprietary protocols that were the basis of the LANs — most notably Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange (IPX/SPX) and NetBIOS Extended User Interface (NetBEUI).
But then, some years ago, network administrators realized that they could save the trouble of combining TCP/IP with IPX/SPX and NetBEUI by eliminating IPX/SPX and NetBEUI from the equation altogether. As a result, TCP/IP is not just the protocol of the Internet now, but it’s also the protocol on which most LANs are based.
This chapter is a gentle introduction to the Internet in general and the TCP/IP suite of protocols ...
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