Okay, you've got a computer--either at school, at work, or at home. The next question is "How do I get access to the Internet?" Other ways of asking the same question are "How to I get my computer connected to the Internet?" or "How do I get an Internet connection?"

This in this lesson, you will explore the answer to this question. And in the process, you'll also learn a little about how Internet connections work.

• 5 Types of Internet Access
  1. A local area network (LAN) that is already connected to the Internet
     • This is what we find here at school in our computer labs.
     • Many businesses also use this type of connection.
     • This type of connection is provided for you. You don't have to set it up yourself. You can just use it (which is what you're doing now if you're sitting in my computer class).
  2. A SLIP or PPP connection
     • SLIP stands for Serial Line IP or Serial Line Interface Protocol
       • provides TCP/IP connection using the serial port on the back of your computer (to which an external modem is connected)
       • is harder to install on Windows 98 than PPP
       • is slower than PPP
     • PPP  or P2P stands for Point-to-Point Protocol
       • like SLIP, provides TCP/IP connection using a modem
       • more common than SLIP
       • is easier to install on Windows 98 than SLIP (because it's automatically installed when you install Dial-Up Networking)
         • To install Dial-Up Networking on your home computer under Windows 98, open the Control Panel, select Network, select Add..., select Protocol, select Dial-Up Networking.
       • is faster than SLIP
     • Both of these connections are called a serial connection.
       • In simple terms, serial connection means that information can be sent back and forth through only one wire--such as the phone line to which the modem is connected.
     • This type of service connects you directly to the Internet.
     • It is usually the fastest (because it is direct).
     • It allows all types of services
       • email, news groups, WWW, FTP, gopher, telnet
     • It allows multi-media
       • text, graphics, sound, animation, movies
     • To get a SLIP or PPP connection
       • Make sure your computer has the proper hardware--usually a modem.
       • Contact a company called an Internet Service Provider (ISP)--either by phone or by using another computer already connected to the Internet.
       • Purchase a service from the ISP.
         • you can buy directly over the phone, or online, or by making a personal visit to one of their offices
  3. A remote terminal on a host computer connected to the Internet.
     • Before SLIP or PPP connections were available, this kind of connection was used for many home and office computers that didn't have a LAN connection.
     • To connect, you use a modem and a communications program such as Procomm or CrossTalk.
     • This connection is character-based (also called text-based). It doesn't provide graphics or multi-media.
     • It is sometimes called a shell account because it uses a set of commands on the host computer called a shell.
     • Many Bulletin Board Services (BBSs) operate this way.
     • It is not a direct connection to the Internet. The BBS controls what you see and what you don't.
  4. An online information service
     • Examples are CompuServe, American Online, or Microsoft Network.
     • To connect, you need a modem and special communications software provided by the service.
     • It is not a direct connection to the Internet. The online information service controls what you see and what you don't.
     • These services are popular because
       • They are easy to use.
       • They provided additional features other than Internet connection, such as news, weather, almanacs, encyclopedias, chat, travel reservations, financial and stock market reports, parental control, and games.
         • All of these features, except perhaps the games, are duplicated on the Internet anyway, but the online service makes them easier to use and handier to access.
     • Many online information services distribute their special communications on diskettes through the mail.
       • Usually, all someone has to do to get started is insert the diskette into a computer with a modem and type "install" or "setup". The software does all the connecting and guides the user through the steps to open and purchase an account.
       • Warning: If you already have any other kind of Internet connection installed on your computer, these special diskette programs can disable the previous connection or change other settings on your computer of which you are not aware. Restoring previous connections or previous computer settings can be a difficult task. This is only one of the reasons that it is forbidden to install online information service software on any computer at the High School!
     • Some online information services are beginning to provide TCP/IP connections which allow you to use other software besides their own special software
  5. A UUCP connection
     • UUCP stands for Unix to Unix Copy.
     • It is used by some businesses.
     • This type of connection only provides email and Usenet news.
     • To connect, you need a modem and a Unix computer. (Almost NOBODY has a Unix computer at home! They're very expensive and hard to use.)
     • With this type of connection, you never actually dial up your host computer. It dials YOU and sends and receives the email messages at regularly scheduled intervals.
     • The advantage of this type of connection is that it is cheaper.
• Things to Consider Before Choosing a Type of Internet Access
  • Is the computer you want to connect at home, at school, or at work?
  • It is already connected to the Internet?
  • What kind of services do you want?
    • email, new groups, WWW, FTP, gopher, or telnet
  • What quality of service to you want?
    • text only or multi-media
  • How much do you want to spend?
    • Some services charge by the hour.
    • Others provide unlimited time usage at a flat monthly charge.
    • Others provide a combination of both--up to a certain number of hours for a fixed cost, and an additional charge per hour after that.
  • Is there a local POP?
    • POP stands for Point of Presence. It is the location of your Internet service's modems, but not necessarily the location of its one or more Internet computers.
    • If a POP is local, that means you can dial in to it with a local phone number, not a long distance number.
  • Are there POPs in cities I will visit?
    • If you visit another city and want to use your computer (or someone else's computer) to dial up your ISP, you'll have to pay long distance phone charges unless your ISP has a POP in that city's local calling area.
    • Some large providers have POPs located in many large cities.
    • Smaller providers may have only one POP. Is it in your local calling area?
    • People who travel a lot might prefer purchasing service from a provider with POPs in the cities to which they travel.
    • The advantage of a smaller Internet provider that has only one POP in your city is that its main Internet computer and the people who service it when it malfunctions are nearby. Things broken get fixed more quickly. Also, it's usually easier to get technical help if you have to make a phone call when things don't work right.
  • Do you want a small ISP or a large ISP?
    • Here's a summary of the advantages of each

• -------------- Advantage Disadvantage

  Small ISP Better service Only one local POP

  Large ISP Many POPs in many cities Service may be slower

  • The Winsock standard
  • Winsock stands for Windows Socket.
  • Once connected to the Internet, you can run many different programs that make communicating withe the Internet easier. Each of these programs is called a client. One such client is Netscape. Other examples of clients are Internet Explorer (another WWW browser like Netscape) and Eudora (for email).
  • In order for any client (we'll use Netscape in our example) to communicate with any type of internet access, there is yet another program that must be present and running on your computer.
    • Under Windows 95, it is hidden from view, but it is loaded and running when you select a connection under Dial-Up Networking.
    • Under Windows 3.1, you have to manually run it BEFORE using Netscape.
  • The order of connection looks like this:
    • Internet (TCP/IP) LAN ??? Netscape
    • Internet (TCP/IP) ISP (PPP) modem ??? Netscape
    • Internet(TCP/IP) online service provider TCP/IP modem ??? Netscape
  • See the ??? just before each Netscape above? That's where this special program goes.
  • The standard method of communicating between any client and the Internet is called Winsock.
  • The program that provides this standard is called a Winsock stack.
    • Under Windows 98, the Winsock stack is stored in a file named WINSOCK.DLL and is loaded whenever you (1) connect to a LAN, or (2) dial up your ISP using the Dial-Up Networking feature of Windows 98.
    • Under Windows 3.1, the Winsock stack is also stored in a file named WINSOCK.DLL. It is loaded whever you (1) connect to a LAN, or (2) dial up your ISP using a special program called Trumpet Winsock. (Trumpet Winsock isn't part of Windows 3.1. You either have to get a copy from your ISP, or download it off the Internet.)