“The Evolution of Internet”

Introduction:
The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The
invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and computer set the stage for this unprecedented
integration of capabilities. The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a
mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between
individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location. The Internet represents
one of the most successful examples of the benefits of sustained investment and commitment to
research and development of information infrastructure. Beginning with the early research in
packet switching, the government, industry and academia have been partners in evolving and
deploying this exciting new technology.

What is Internet?
This question may seem easy to answer to the young generations, who have grown under its
influence, but defining it isn’t really as easy. Internet, also known as the World Wide Web (www),
is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use a protocol called the Internet
Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to link to billions of devices all around the world. The impact of this has
been so enormous that it has been referred to as the 8th continent of the world. This carries a vast
range of information, from the top-secret military and research files to the most trending and viral
video of the week. This massive storage is shared by everyone, with everyone’s computer
contributing to the ever-expanding treasure trove of knowledge.

Origin of Internet:
The internet originated in the 1960s with ARPANET, a project initiated by the U.S. Department of
Defense to create a resilient communication network. It evolved through the development of
TCP/IP protocols, the invention of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee, and its
commercialization in the 1990s. The internet has since become a global phenomenon,
revolutionizing how people communicate, access information, and conduct business worldwide.
Who invented the internet?
No one person invented the internet. When networking technology was first developed, a number
of scientists and engineers brought their research together to create the ARPANET. Later, other
inventors’ creations paved the way for the web as we know it today.

• PAUL BARAN (1926–2011)

An engineer whose work overlapped with ARPA’s research. In 1959 he joined an American think
tank, the RAND Corporation, and was asked to research how the US Air Force could keep control of
its fleet if a nuclear attack ever happened. In 1964 Baran proposed a communication network with
no central command point. If one point was destroyed, all surviving points would still be able to
communicate with each other. He called this a distributed network.

• LAWRENCE ROBERTS (1937–2018)

Chief scientist at ARPA, responsible for developing computer networks. Paul Baran’s idea appealed
to Roberts, and he began to work on the creation of a distributed network.

• LEONARD KLEINROCK (1934–)

An American scientist who worked towards the creation of a distributed network alongside
Lawrence Roberts.

• DONALD DAVIES (1924–2000)

A British scientist who, at the same time as Roberts and Kleinrock, was developing similar
technology at the National Physical Laboratory in Middlesex.

• BOB KAHN (1938–) AND VINT CERF (1943–)

American computer scientists who developed TCP/IP, the set of protocols that governs how data
moves through a network. This helped the ARPANET evolve into the internet we use today.

Vint Cerf is credited with the first written use of the word ‘internet’.
When asked to explain my role in the creation of the internet, I generally use the example of a city. I
helped to build the roads—the infrastructure that gets things from point A to point B.

—Vint Cerf, 2007

• PAUL MOCKAPETRIS (1948–) AND JON POSTEL (1943–98)

Inventors of DNS, the ‘phone book of the internet’.

• TIM BERNERS-LEE (1955–)

Creator of the World Wide Web who developed many of the principles we still use today, such as
HTML, HTTP, URLs and web browsers.

There was no “Eureka!” moment. It was not like the legendary apple falling on Newton’s head to
demonstrate the concept of gravity. Inventing the World Wide Web involved my growing
realisation that there was a power in arranging ideas in an unconstrained, weblike way. And that
awareness came to me through precisely that kind of process. The Web arose as the answer to an
open challenge, through the swirling together of influences, ideas, and realisations from many sides.

—Tim Berners-Lee, Weaving the Web, 1999

• MARC ANDREESSEN (1971–)

Inventor of Mosaic, the first widely-used web browser.

THE FIRST USE OF A COMPUTER NETWORK

In 1965, Lawrence Roberts made two separate computers in different places ‘talk’ to each other
for the first time. This experimental link used a telephone line with an acoustically coupled modem,
and transferred digital data using packets.

When the first packet-switching network was developed, Leonard Kleinrock was the first person
to use it to send a message. He used a computer at UCLA to send a message to a computer at
Stanford. Kleinrock tried to type ‘login’ but the system crashed after the letters ‘L’ and ‘O’ had
appeared on the Stanford monitor.

A second attempt proved successful and more messages were exchanged between the two sites.
The ARPANET was born
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF THE ARPANET
President Dwight D. Eisenhower formed the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) in 1958,
bringing together some of the best scientific minds in the country. Their aim was to help American
military technology stay ahead of its enemies and prevent surprises, such as the launch of the
satellite Sputnik 1, happening again. Among ARPA’s projects was a remit to test the feasibility of a
large-scale computer network.

Lawrence Roberts was responsible for developing computer networks at ARPA, working with
scientist Leonard Kleinrock. Roberts was the first person to connect two computers. When the
first packet-switching network was developed in 1969, Kleinrock successfully used it to send
messages to another site, and the ARPA Network—or ARPANET—was born.

Once ARPANET was up and running, it quickly expanded. By 1973, 30 academic, military and
research institutions had joined the network, connecting locations including Hawaii, Norway and
the UK.

As ARPANET grew, a set of rules for handling data packets needed to be put in place. In 1974,
computer scientists Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf invented a new method called transmission-control
protocol, popularly known as TCP/IP, which essentially allowed computers to speak the same
language.

After the introduction of TCP/IP, ARPANET quickly grew to become a global interconnected
network of networks, or ‘Internet’.

The ARPANET was decommissioned in 1990.

WHAT IS PACKET SWITCHING?

‘Packet switching’ is a method of splitting and sending data. A computer file is effectively broken up
into thousands of small segments called ‘packets’—each typically around 1500 bytes—distributed
across a network, and then reordered back into a single file at their destination. The packet
switching method is very reliable and allows data to be sent securely, even over damaged
networks; it also uses bandwidth very efficiently and doesn’t need a single dedicated link, like a
telephone call does.

The world’s first packet-switching computer network was produced in 1969. Computers at four
American universities were connected using separate minicomputers known as ‘Interface Message
Processors’ or ‘IMPs’. The IMPs acted as gateways for the packets and have since evolved into what
we now call ‘routers’.

Packet switching is the basis on which the internet still works today.
WHAT IS TCP/IP?
TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The term is used to describe a
set of protocols that govern how data moves through a network.

After the creation of ARPANET, more networks of computers began to join the network, and the
need arose for an agreed set of rules for handling data. In 1974 two American computer scientists,
Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf, proposed a new method that involved sending data packets in a digital
envelope or ‘datagram’. The address on the datagram can be read by any computer, but only the
final host machine can open the envelope and read the message inside.

Kahn and Cerf called this method transmission-control protocol (TCP). TCP allowed computers to
speak the same language, and it helped the ARPANET to grow into a global interconnected network
of networks, an example of ‘internetworking’—internet for short.

IP stands for Internet Protocol and, when combined with TCP, helps internet traffic find its
destination. Every device connected to the internet is given a unique IP number. Known as an IP
address, the number can be used to find the location of any internet-connected device in the world.

WHAT IS DNS?
DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is the internet’s equivalent of a phone book, and converts
hard-to-remember IP addresses into simple names.

In the early 1980s, cheaper technology and the appearance of desktop computers allowed the rapid
development of local area networks (LANs). An increase in the amount of computers on the
network made it difficult to keep track of all the different IP addresses.

This problem was solved by the introduction of the Domain Name System (DNS) in 1983. DNS was
invented by Paul Mockapetris and Jon Postel at the University of Southern California. It was one
of the innovations that paved the way for the World Wide Web.

The Emergence of the World Wide Web

The transformation of ARPANET into the modern internet was accelerated by the groundbreaking
work of Tim Berners-Lee. Berners-Lee, a visionary computer scientist, developed essential
technologies that revolutionized the way we access information and communicate online. His
contributions include:

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): Berners-Lee introduced HTML, a language that allowed users
to create and structure web documents with links, images, and multimedia content.
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol): HTTP was designed to facilitate the exchange of data between
a user's browser and web servers, enabling the retrieval of web pages.

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators): Berners-Lee devised the URL system, providing a standardized
way to identify and access web resources.

The advent of the World Wide Web (WWW) heralded a new era in internet usage, making
information accessible to a global audience. HTML, HTTP, URLs, and web browsers collectively
transformed the internet into a user-friendly platform for sharing knowledge and conducting
business.

THE BEGINNINGS OF EMAIL

Email was a rapid—but unintended—consequence of the growth of ARPANET. As the network
increased in popularity and scope, users quickly realised the potential of the network as a tool for
sending messages between different ARPANET computers.

Ray Tomlinson, an American computer programmer, is responsible for electronic mail as we know
it today. He introduced the idea that the destination of a message should be indicated using the @
symbol, which was first used to distinguish between the individual user’s name and that of their
computer (i.e. user@computer). When DNS was introduced, this was extended to
user@host.domain.

Early email users sent personal messages and began mailing lists on specific topics. One of the first
big mailing lists was ‘SF-LOVERS’ for science fiction fans.

The development of email showed how the network had transformed. Rather than a way of
accessing expensive computing power, it had started to become a place to communicate, gossip and
make friends.
 “E-MAIL PROTOCOLS”
Email protocol is a set of rules defined to ensure that emails can be exchanged between various
servers and email clients in a standard manner. This ensures that the email is universal and works
for all users. e.g., A sender using an Apple email client with a Gmail server can send an email to
another user using a Zoho mail server on an Outlook email client. This is possible because the
servers and the email clients follow the rules and standards defined by the email protocols.

Why do we need email protocols?

Consider the difference between sending a message via a messaging platform like WhatsApp and
sending an email. When you send a message using WhatsApp, the recipient will also use WhatsApp
to read the messages. The server which processes the message is also the WhatsApp server. The
same platform is used in the server and the client, and hence the entire flow of data is handled by
the serving platform in a custom manner.

What are the different email protocols?

The common protocols for email delivery are Post Office Protocol (POP), Internet Message Access
Protocol (IMAP), and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). Each of these protocols has a standard
methodology to deal with the emails and also has defined functions.

POP Protocol:

POP stands for Post Office Protocol. Email clients use the POP protocol support in the server to
download the emails. This is primarily a one-way protocol and does not sync back the emails to the
server.

IMAP Protocol:
IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. IMAP Protocol is used to sync the emails in the
server with the email clients. It allows two-way sync of emails between the server and the email
client, while the emails are stored on the server.

SMTP Protocol:

SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. SMTP is the principal email protocol that is
responsible for the transfer of emails between email clients and email servers.

Email clients and email protocols

Email clients use Mail Access protocols like the POP/ IMAP protocols to retrieve/ sync emails from
the server. Basically, mail access protocols are used to download or sync emails from the server.

Email clients use transfer protocol - the SMTP protocol to transfer/ send emails through the server.
These protocols are quintessential to ensure that users have the independence to use the email
application of their choice, on their own devices. Email clients depend on these protocols to send/
receive emails using a user account that is created in an email server.

1. Which Protocol is used for spam E-mail?

Spam emails can be sent using various email protocols, but the most common one is the Simple
Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). SMTP is the standard protocol used for sending emails over the
internet. It allows email clients or servers to send messages to each other, and unfortunately, it can
be exploited by spammers to send unsolicited and often unwanted emails to a large number of
recipients.

Spammers often use SMTP to distribute spam because it is relatively easy to set up and can handle
bulk email sending. They may also use other protocols, such as POP3 or IMAP, to retrieve and
manage email lists or accounts for their spamming operations.

To combat spam, various techniques and technologies have been developed, including spam filters,
blacklists, and email authentication methods like SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM
(DomainKeys Identified Mail). These measures aim to identify and block spam emails before they
reach the recipient's inbox.
 2. How to handle spam emails?

Handling spam emails effectively involves a combination of prevention, identification, and

management. Here are some brief steps to handle spam emails:

Prevention:

 Use a reputable email provider with built-in spam filters.

 Avoid sharing your email address publicly on websites and forums.
 Be cautious when giving out your email address to unknown sources.
 Use disposable or secondary email addresses for online sign-ups or less-trusted websites.
 Enable email authentication mechanisms like SPF and DKIM if you have control over your
domain.

Identification:

 Check your email provider's spam folder regularly. Legitimate emails may end up there by
mistake.
 Look for common signs of spam, such as unfamiliar senders, suspicious subject lines, or
poorly formatted content.
 Be cautious of emails asking for personal information, money, or sensitive data.

Management:

 Do not open or click on any links or attachments in suspicious emails.

 Use the "Report Spam" or "Mark as Spam" feature in your email client to help improve the
spam filter's accuracy.
 Unsubscribe from legitimate marketing emails using the provided unsubscribe links.
 Block or filter email addresses or domains that consistently send spam.
 Consider using third-party anti-spam software for additional protection if needed.
Security Measures:

 Ensure your email account has a strong, unique password.

 Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for your email account.
 Regularly update your email client and operating system to patch security vulnerabilities.

Legal Action:

 If you receive spam that violates the law (e.g., phishing attempts, fraudulent schemes),
report it to relevant authorities or your email provider.
 Familiarize yourself with your country's anti-spam laws and consider legal action if
necessary.

Which protocol is used for sending Emails?

SMTP, which stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, is the standard communication protocol
used for sending email messages over the Internet. When you compose and send an email, your
email client or server utilizes SMTP to initiate the sending process.

SMTP is responsible for routing the email from the sender's email system to the recipient's email
server. It ensures that the email is delivered to the intended destination, potentially passing
through intermediary servers along the way.

Authentication mechanisms, like usernames and passwords, can be used with SMTP to verify the
sender's identity. Encryption, such as TLS (Transport Layer Security), can also be employed to
secure the communication between SMTP servers.

Additionally, SMTP includes error codes and responses to handle situations where emails cannot be
delivered, providing valuable feedback to the sender about the status of their email transmissions.
This protocol is essential for the global operation of email communication.
Which protocol is used for receiving emails?
The protocol used for receiving emails is the Post Office Protocol (POP) and the Internet Message
Access Protocol (IMAP). Both of these protocols enable email clients to retrieve messages from an
email server, but they work slightly differently:

POP3 (Post Office Protocol, version 3): POP is an older email retrieval protocol that works by
downloading emails from the server to the email client. When you check your email using POP, the
messages are typically removed from the server and stored on your local device. This means that
once you download an email using POP, it's no longer available on the server. POP is suitable if you
primarily access your emails from a single device and want to keep your mailbox uncluttered.

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol): IMAP is a more modern and versatile email retrieval
protocol. With IMAP, emails are stored on the email server, and your email client synchronizes with
the server. This means that when you read, delete, or move an email on your email client, those
actions are mirrored on the server and across all your devices. IMAP is ideal if you access your
email from multiple devices (e.g., computer, smartphone, tablet) and want your emails to stay
synchronized.