What is the Internet?

If you are a tech-nerd, you may probably know what the "Inter-NET" is. But then I know there are many people out there who don't know what the thing is and are just curious to know about it. Now if you don't belong to any of this category, then probably this post may be not for you. But if you are curious about what the Internet is, then carry on...

A peek in the past...

Many years ago when there was no Internet, people used to share data with what we call disk (floppy disk etc.). Now how that thing worked  is that you have to plug the disk in a computer from where you want your desired information, copy that information from the computer to the disk, plug the disk out from that computer, go to another computer where you want that information to be available, plug the disk in that computer, and copy the information there. Believe me, it was a total torture! Then there were some people who thought of connecting two computers together with a connecting medium (mainly with wire) so that data can be sent from one computer to another through the connecting medium (wire in this case). After this thing worked, some other people (or maybe the same people, who knows?!) connected multiple computers to each other so that any computer can communicate to any other computer on that Network. Wait! Did I say "Network"? But then you may ask me, "Well, I don't know what the NET-thing is!".

Actually, the "NET-thing" is quite simple. If you connect any number of computers to each other so that any computer can communicate with any other computer, then that thing is called a "Network". Congratulations! You've just created your very own Network.

Living the present

Now if you open any of your favorite browser and type in "www.google.com" (without quotes) or any of your favorite website's web address in the address bar, then you may notice that it doesn't take you to that website but instead gives you an error. So what's the solution? Simple! Just connect your Network to the Internet and repeat the whole process again. BAM! You are connected to your favorite website. But then you may ask me now, "What is the Internet?", and I will say...

See, Internet is a word that is the integrated result of two other words, "Interconnection" and "Network". So "Inter-NET" means Interconnected Network. So Internet simply means that there are many networks (just like the ones we've created earlier) all around the world and these networks are connected to each other such that any computer on any network can communicate with any other computer on any other network. And the phrase "Connected to the Internet" means that your network is connected with all the other networks around the globe in such a manner that any computer on your network can communicate with any other computer on any other network. Now the website which you are searching is sitting on some computer and that computer is located on some network. So when you type in the web address of the website which you are searching in your favorite browser, what's happening is that your computer is searching for the website from network to network till it finds the computer (which is located on some network) where the website is. And after locating that computer, it displays the website in the browser. And in today's world, this just happens in a split second. Amazing! Isn't it?

Amazing Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Google

1. You can use the search bar as a timer by entering the time you wan to set. Example: set 20 minutes times.
2. You can use Google for calculating the tip of your dinner. Search for 'tip calculator'.
3. You can use Google to find out when any holiday is.
4. You can look up for movie release dates just by typing the name of the movie followed by the word 'release'.
5. Trying to be healthy? Google will help you decide what to eat. For example: Cupcake vs Pizza
6. Google can check flights for you instantly by just typing the flight details in the search bar.
7. Google can tell you the exact timing of a sunrise and a sunset. Just type in the search bar 'sunset' or 'sunrise' and there you go.
8. You can tell Google to roll over, and it'll roll over for you. Just type in 'do a barrel roll'. 
9. You can make Google just to lean a bit by typing in 'tilt' in the search bar.
10. Search for 'recursion' and you will get stuck in a loop.
11. If you will enter 'anagram' with your search, Google will create anagrams of the words you enter.
12. Searching for 'festivus' brings up a sacred aluminium pole.
13. Google really geeks out on you, if you search for 'binary' or 'hexadecimal'.
14. Play a hidden game built in the search bar. Search for 'Zerg Rush'.
15. Look up for the meaning and etymology of any word.
16. Lastly type in 'Google 1998' for the retro version of Google search engine.

Have fun!

Networking Basics

After posting about the Internet, my plan was to post about "Networking Devices" (those devices which make up the Internet). But then I thought of firstly giving you the idea of basics of networking. So here we are, with the next topic of "Networking Basics". Now if you don't know what a Network is, then you may have a look at this.

IP Addresses are Important!

IP Addresses are the core of networking. Without IP Addresses we can't even think of sending information from one device to another. Now, I am gonna explain this topic by keeping thing to their simplest level. We'll talk about some advanced stuff later.

If a device is connected to a Network, then this device will have an IP Address assigned to it. Think of IP Addresses as house addresses. If you want to send a letter to your friend, you write the receiver's address on it so that it can reach where it has to. And remember, every house address is unique (at least in a locality or in a society). Same is the case with IP Address. Each device on any Network has a unique IP Address, so that it knows how to communicate with other devices within the network. Also keep in mind that if any two devices on the same network has same IP Address, then this leads to what we call "IP Address Conflict". Both the device will lose their networking capabilities until this problem is solved.

An IP Address consists of 4 numbers separated by 3 decimals. But the beauty of IP Address is that it is separated into a Network Address and a Host Address. Means that one part of the IP Address identifies the network ID and the other part identifies the host ID. Let's take an example. Suppose an IP Address of 192.168.1.7, it is a class C IP Address (we'll talk about IP Address Classes in next section). What class C means is that the first three numbers identifies the network ID and the last one number identifies the host ID. So the network ID would be 192.168.1 and the host ID would be 7. A very important point to note is that devices can only talk to other devices if they are on the same network (i.e The network ID should be the same). So for example, a device with IP Address 192.168.3.32 can talk to a device with IP Address 192.168.3.44 but neither of them can talk to a device with IP Address 192.168.5.65.

IP Address Classes

There are five categories in which IP Addresses are classified and we call those categories as classes. But here we will only discuss about first 3 classes because that's what are important.

Class A IP Addresses

If an IP Address is of Class A type, then the first number identifies the network ID and the last remaining three identifies the host ID. A Class A IP Address consist of the first number ranging from 0-127 (including both). So an IP Address of 126.15.7.2 can communicate with an IP Address of 126.18.4.9 but either of them will not be able to communicate with 125.23.6.6.

Class B IP Address

If an IP Address belongs to the Class B, then first two numbers identifies the network ID and the remaining two identifies the host ID. A Class B IP Address consist of the first number ranging from 128-191 (including both). So an IP Address of 129.66.42.3 can communicate with an IP Address of 129.66.54.9 but neither of them can communicate with an IP Address of 129.34.56.7.

Class C IP Address

The Class C address is familiar to us. If an IP Address is of Class C type then it means that the first three numbers identifies the network ID and the last number identifies the host ID. In Class C IP Addresses, the first number ranges from 192-223 (including both). Once again as an example, the IP Address of 192.168.0.1 can communicate with an IP Address of 192.168.0.6 but either of these cannot communicate with an IP Address of 192.168.1.3.

Replacement for Classes: Subnet Mask

Subnet = "Sub-NETWORK". So subnet means a part of a Large Network (maybe the Internet). So it is legal to use the work "network" instead of "subnet".

IP Addresses changed after the introduction of Subnet Mask. IP Addresses became classless. So it means that you can make a Class B IP Address turn into a Class A IP Address just by altering the subnet. But wait! "What does Subnet Mask means and how does it work?". Well, Subnet Mask is actually a rule. And the rule says that wherever there is 255 in the Subnet Mask, then the corresponding number of the IP Address is part of the network ID and where there is a 0 in the Subnet Mask, then the corresponding number of the IP Address is the host ID. But as always examples are easier to understand, so here is one. Suppose there is an IP Address 192.168.1.2 with Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0, then the first three numbers (of the IP Address and not of the Subnet Mask) is the network ID and the last remaining number is the host ID. So any other device can communicate with the above IP Address as long as the other computer has the IP Address starting with 192.168.1 and have the same Subnet Mask.

Routers

As I told you that for two devices to be able to communicate with each other, they have to be on the same network. Two devices each on different networks cannot communicate with each other. But then there is a 'device' which breaks the above said rule and allow your device to communicate with a device than is not on your network. And that device is known as a "Router". So you can only communicate between networks as long as there is a Router between them. Without a Router you cannot communicate with a device which is not on your network instead you can only communicate with those devices which are on your network and that does not require a Router. Now I am stressing on this point because this is very very useful if you want to understand Routers.

What Routers are is basically just a box generally with two network interfaces (NIC's). The Router will be on a separate network ID on each NIC. So if you have two networks 192.168.1.x and 192.168.2.x and if they are connected to the Router, then the router will have different IP Address on each NIC depending on which network the NIC's are connected to. So in this case on one NIC the Router will have an IP Address 192.168.1.1 and on the other NIC it will have an IP Address of 192.168.2.1. So now devices on the 192.168.1.x network can communicate with those devices on the 192.168.2.x network via the Router (more on Routers in the "Networking Devices Post").

Default Gateways

The Default Gateway is where your device sends the information if it doesn't know where to send it. The Default Gateways can be Routers, Other Devices or Servers etc.

When a device tries to communicate with a device on the same network, then it sends the data directly to it since it knows where to send the data. But when a device tries to communicate with a device which is not on the same network, then it sends the data to the default gateway which is a Router in this case. It is because the device doesn't know where the other device is because they both are not on the same network. But since Router knows where both the devices are, so the device sends the data to the Router, the Router then forwards the data to it's destination. That's why you need a Router if you want to communicate between networks! Remember that you always put the IP Address of the Router in the Default Gateway field. "But what if the Router doesn't know where the destination device is?". Well then, it sends the data to it's Default Gateway. Yes! Routers also have a Default Gateway. So suppose the destination device is somewhere far from you (far from your closest networks), then the Data makes it by jumping from Routers to Routers until it finally reaches it's destination. Routers do their job! You enjoy!

DHCP

As mentioned earlier, every device has to have an IP Address, Subnet Mask and a Default Gateway. "But who does this job of assigning all these things to these devices?". It is actually the job of something called "DHCP" which stands for Dynamic Host Control Protocol. When any device on a network boots by a process called DHCP, then the device automatically gets an IP Address, a Subnet Mask and a Default Gateway. Imagine doing this on your own? Headache?

Anonymous Web Search and Proxy Servers

In this current century, Internet is the most popular thing. We open facebook or twitter somewhat forty times a day just to check for any new notifications or messages from our dear ones. In today's world, Internet is the thing which makes life more simpler by giving you the right information when you need it. But as every film is incomplete without a Villain, the Internet world is incomplete without those who use the Internet to do things which can cause a lot of problem in the virtual world as well as in the real world. They try to steal information of other people, or try to shut down systems. But the most common is to steal somebody's information (now please don't try to do this yourself! you may land into some serious problem!). The common way to access somebody's information is to access their computer and Hackers do this by accessing the computer's IP Address. Okay, I know what your next question is and I'm gonna answer that. IP Address is a number which is assigned to a device once it joins any network. Now if you don't know what network is, you may take a look at this. IP Addresses are like any house address which are used to make communication. The only difference is that IP Address keeps on changing, house addresses do not. But, "When do IP Addresses changes? And if it changes, will the connection not break?". Your device gets a new address every time you connect to any network. So you don't have to worry about breaking connection because your IP Address will not change while you are reading this or while you are online. It only changes next time you connect to any network.

"But why do IP Address keeps changing?". As I told you there are people on the Internet who are always ready to attack on any device. It can also be your's! So that's why IP Address keeps on changing so that it will be difficult for Hackers to track any device on the Internet. So you should be thankful for this system of changing IP's.

Someone might be tracking you!

When you send a request for any information on the Internet, your device's IP Address is sent to the web server where the information is located. The reason why your IP is sent to the web server is because it has to respond to that request by sending the information back from where it was requested and how will the web server know where to send the information if it does not know the IP Address of your device? Now sometimes there are these websites which tracks down IP Addresses of whoever visits them and then they use it for bad purposes. So wouldn't it be better if your IP Address remains private to you and is not sent to any other device on the Internet but still allowing you to connect to that web server? That' where the concept of Anonymous Web Search comes in. It is a concept where your IP Address is kept private to you such that no one can see it but still making you connect to a web server. And "How do you do it?".

Proxy Servers

There are many web servers which help you anonymously search the web, and these kind of servers are called Proxy Servers. The concept of Proxy Servers is simple. Instead of making request to the web server directly where your website is located, you make a request to a Proxy Server. The Proxy Server then forwards the request to the web server which you actually requested. Now since the Proxy Server has requested to the web server which you were looking for, the particular web server gets the IP Address of the Proxy Server and not of your device. So the web server sends the information to the Proxy Server because the Proxy Server is the one who requested the web server and not you (remember you requested the proxy server and not directly to the web server), and then finally the Proxy Server forwards the information to you. Simple as that! By the way, "Proxy" means "Substitute". Hope you understood.

Setting up Proxy Servers

• Find the IP Address of any Proxy Server using your favorite search engine (I recommend choosing the one Proxy Server that is close to you).
• You will get a number which looks something like xxx.xxx.xx.xx:xxxx where each "x" represents a number (Note that the no of x's doesn't matter. There can be three x's instead of two and so on. What is matters is just the pattern.).
• If you are still confused, don't worry, just copy the whole number including the dot's (.) and the colon (:) and paste it in a notepad file or note the number somewhere. Just remember that whatever is before the colon is the IP Address and whatever is after the colon is the Port Number.

• If you want to set up Proxy Server in Google Chrome then follow this: Click on the icon which looks like three lines stacked on one another (I'm not sure what it's called). Then click on "Settings". Scroll down and click on "Show Advanced Settings...". Scroll down and locate the "Network" section and click on "Change Proxy Settings...". A new window will show up titled "Internet Properties". Click on the "Connections" tab. Click on "LAN settings". A new window will show titled "Local Area Network (LAN) Settings". Under the "Proxy server" category. Choose "Use a proxy server for your LAN (These settings will not apply to dial-up or VPN connections).". Enter the "IP Address" (the number before the colon) in the "Address" box and "Port Number" (the number after the colon) in the "Port" box. Then click "OK". Then click "OK" again.

• If you want to set up Proxy Server in Mozilla Firefox then follow this: Click on the "Firefox" menu. Hover over Options, then select Options from the sub menu. Open the "Advanced" category. Click on the "Network" tab. Click on "Settings". This will open a window named "Connection Settings". Choose "Manual proxy configuration". Enter the "IP Address" (the number before the colon) in the "HTTP Proxy" box and enter the "Port Number" (the number after the colon) in the "Port" box. Then click "OK". Then click "OK" again.

• If you want to set up Proxy Server in Internet Explorer then follow this: Click on the "Settings" icon which looks like the Gear icon. Then click on "Internet options". A new window will show up titled "Internet Options". Click on the "Connections" tab. Click on "LAN settings". A new window will show titled "Local Area Network (LAN) Settings". Under the "Proxy server" category. Choose "Use a proxy server for your LAN (These settings will not apply to dial-up or VPN connections).". Enter the "IP Address" (the number before the colon) in the "Address" box and "Port Number" (the number after the colon) in the "Port" box. Then click "OK". Then click "OK" again.

Okay! Now if you want to test this thing then open the browser and then go to www.google.com. In the Google's search bar type "what is my ip" (without quotes). Now Google will show you your IP address at the top. If Google didn't show you your IP, then you may visit www.speedtest.net or www.whatismyipaddress.com where you can find your IP Address. Now here's the magic! If you carefully observe, then you will see that any of the above websites will not show your computer's IP Address. Instead they will show you the IP Address of the Proxy Server (the one which you copied and pasted in the Address box in your browser). Now how this is working is that you requested for any of the above websites. But instead of requesting the website directly, the request goes to the Proxy Server which you set up, the Proxy Server forwarded this request to the required website. Now the required website is actually locating the IP Address of the Proxy Server and not of your device because the Proxy Server is the one who contacted the website and not you! So now the Proxy Server sends the required information (IP Address of the Proxy Server) to the Proxy Server. And then the Proxy Server forwards the information to you. And you see the Proxy Server's IP Address instead of yours. Boom! Your IP Address is hidden. Thank You!