Internet Connections

Introduction
For you to be here, you must have some access to the internet, but do you know much
about your connection, choosing a connection, or what the difference between your's and
your friend's connection is?
This page attempts to address some of these issues, so you can make an informed choice.

Speeds
Speed is the most important thing right? Well, in an uncontented (below) and unlimited
world, speed is probably all it would come down to, these "limits" will be discussed later
on, but let's discuss what speeds could be achieved by various connections.
Big B or little b?
An area of mass confusion, is what is MB what is mb? Well, the significance is in the
case of the b/B! If the B is uppercase, that means byte, if the b is lowecase, that means
bit, the difference being, their are 8 bits in a byte, so 1MB/sec is the same as 8mb/sec.
Most speeds are advertised in their bit speed, i.e. 1mbps/256kbps, all with small bs,
although some people, even ISPs, confuse the meaning.
Speed Table
Technology Typical Speed Maximum Speed
56K Modem 48kbps 56kbps
ISDN Single Channel: 64kbps
Same as Typical
Dual Channel: 128kbps
ADSL 1-2mbps 8mbps
ADSL2+ not in use 25mbps
SDSL 1-2mbps 3mbps
Cable 2mbps 8mbps
Wireless 1mbps 12mbps
56K Modem
This is the original method most of us used to connect to the internet. It's limited to below
56kbps because of what the line can handle. This technology works by converting digital
signals from your computer into a signal for the phone line, using a modem, at the other
end, it's converted back again.
ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network
This was the faster option available to many dialup users, with a guaranteed connection
of 64 or 128, depending on the number of channels used. A line was typically split into 2
channels, and you would either use both for data, or one for data and the other for
simultaneous voice.

DSL - Digital Subscriber Line

This category of technologies are currently the fastest available right now. DSL is the
superset of many technologies, where data is transmitted down your normal copper line
as digital signals, because voice uses a different frequency, you can do both at once,
splitters at either end split the voice and the data into separate streams.
DSL technologies have a limit on the distance between the premises and your local
telephone exchange, which is usually between 3KM and 5KM depending on the speed of
the service you are applying for.
ADSL - Asymetric Digital Subscriber Line
Often simply referred to as DSL in America, this method has a different upload and
download speed, the download speed is usually much faster than upload, and is therefore
ideal for the home user. It usually starts at about 256kbps rising all the way upto 8mbps
in some areas, which in theory is the maximum.
ADSL2+
Probably able to carry upto 25mbps downstream, this is a new technology being trialled
in some areas.
SDSL - Symetric Digital Subscriber Line
This method has the same upload and download speed, and so therefore the maximum
download must be lower. This is more common for business use, or dedicated gamers, as
the speed with which you can send data is faster than that of normal ADSL.
Cable
This system uses a mixture of fibre optics, and coaxial cable to your home, not your
existing phone line, therefore the technology must be available in your area.
Wireless
This system uses radio technology, and a receiver based on your premises, depending on
the technology, the receiver may be attached to your roof or inside the home. The speeds
above were based on the UMTS TDD standards, in use by a UK wireless network
(provided by Hong Kong).
Limits
Except for Dial-Up and ISDN, many of the above technologies have limits which can
leave your speed much lower, and in theory, lower than dial up speeds!

Bandwidth Limits
The first of the limits is how much data you are allowed to download per day or per
month. This is usually specified in GBs, and is common on cheaper services for 1GB a
month, mid range services 15GBmth, or 1GBday, and unlimited on the premium services.

Contention
Contention is when you and other users are contending for the same line or server etc...
for data. It is often expressed as a ratio, such as 50:1 meaning 50 people are sharing the
same bandwidth.
DSL Contention
Here we need a quick idea of how your data gets to your ISPs server:
1) Down your phone line to your exchange.
2) Your exchange into telcos network.
3) Your telcos network to ISP.
From your telephone line, to your exchange, there is just 1 user, yourself, here there is no
contention, you can send and receive data at the fully specified level.
The telephone company will have many users on one exchange, and its at the exchange
your data is split between voice and data. The data is then sent down a network cable
from the exchange, into the telephone company's network. This is where the first
contention comes in, the line may only be, for example, 4mbps. If your ISP says you can
have 1mbps, with a 50:1 contention, then a maximum of 200 people may exist on this
exchange, if they are keeping to their promise. This is not feasible, and the line is
probably capable of a higher data rate, and there will be many lines, but the ratios still
exist. If the ratio is anywhere near being met, the telephone company will most likely
update the exchange.
From the telephone company's network, to your ISPs, there will be another contention,
and this depends on the size of the bandwidth your ISP is willing to buy. This will usually
not be a problem.
Cable Contention
Contention on cable is usually between you and the fibre optic network, this depends on
how many people are using the bandwidth in your area, for example, if the whole street is
downloading a movie, it will slow down, as you're all on the same "cable".
Wireless Contention
Contention on a wireless system can take a few forms. Data must travel from your
transmittor, the the local receiver, then from the local receiver, to the ISPs network.
The bandwidth is limited between your transmittor and the local receiver, but this can be
improved by using multiple carriers at the receiver, the data is likely to travel from the
receiver into the network by a normal network or fibre optic medium.

What is an IP address?
An Internet Protocol address is a unique 32 bit (4 byte) address each computer on the
internet must have, it's an identifier for each computer, and is the way of sending and
retrieving data.
Most dial up users are assigned a new IP address each time they dial up to the internet,
the address will depend on the range of the ISP, this is a dynamic IP address. Permanent
connections such as DSL are most likely to have a static IP address.
An IP address looks like this: 205.45.62.124
Each of the numbers can be in the range 0 - 255.
There are a possible of 4228250625 unique IP addresses.

What is my IP address?
Your IP address at present is: 220.226.12.24

How do you know this?

Your IP address is sent to the server when you make a HTTP request, each server
connected to the internet can see this IP, and is their way of sending you a reply. IP
addresses are also visible in all e-mails you send.

How else can I find my IP address?

If you are using a HTTP proxy, the IP address above will in fact be false.
In windows 95,98 and ME > start, run, type winipcfg and hit enter.
In windows 95,98,ME,NT (win2k,XP) run ipconfig from a dos prompt.
To start a DOS prompt, start, run and type command.com, hit enter
In windows 2k, try right clicking dial up connection, select status, and view your IP there.

What can someone do with my IP address?

Not much! If you are on dial up, your IP will refresh during next connection. But a user
can use your IP to trace your ISP, they can also attempt to connect to any server running
on your PC. So if no server is running, and all ports are closed, nothing is going to
happen. It is also possible for them to attempt to access open ports, view the security
sectio
What are cookies?
A website can tell a browser to set a cookie, then according to the browser type, they are
stored on your hard drive, for example Netscape saves all cookies in a cookies.txt file,
Internet Explorer saves all cookies as small text files in one folder, c:\windows\cookies\ .
Cookies can store any limited information a website wishes. Cookies are set a expiry
date, the date they will be deleted, when a website deletes a cookie, it sets an expiry date
in the past.

Common uses for Cookies

Cookies are often used for storing passwords so you don't have to type them in every
time you visit a page, they also store information you have used before. Have you ever
used a site like "My Yahoo!" or "My...", those that let you customise the content? You
may have noticed if you clear your cookies, all your custom settings reset, this is because
this custom information is stored in cookies.

Advertising Cookies
Cookies may also be set by advertisements on a page! Just before the ad image is loaded,
it sets a cookie with information about your site visit, and whatever else the company
wishes to note about you. Companies may use this information to help target specific
groups, it also lets them trace your visits around the web by viewing cookie data.

How to see when advertisers are using Cookies?

In Internet Explorer, A little icon will appear in the bottom right, with a red exclamation
mark. If you click this, it will tell you about 3rd party cookies, and who it is.

Disabling Cookies
In Internet Explorer 6, tools>>internet options>>privacy. Sliding the bar will show you
how each privacy settings deals with cookies. When you are satisfied, select apply then
hit ok.
In Internet Explorer 4 or 5, tools>>internet options>>security. Select Internet, click
custom level... . Scroll down to Cookies, and select Disable.
Remember Some sites such as Yahoo! Chat require cookies, selecting "Prompt" may
be more appropriate.
In Netscape, edit>>preferences, select advanced. Check "Disable Cookies" and press OK.

Deleting Cookies
Click Here

Who can view the Cookies?

When a cookie is set, data is set to tell the browser which domains may view the cookie,
and when you visit a site which may view the cookie, it is sent this data by the browser,
there will be some scripts on the server to get the information from this cookie.

Does Freddy's Utilities Plus use Cookies?

No. Only the administration features of this website require cookies, which does not
apply to normal site users, we don't allow sites we advertise to set cookies.

Microsoft Virtual Machine:

(1) Start, Run. Type "wjview" and press enter. The top line shows the version. If you get
an error, you don't have Microsoft's Virtual Machine.
Sun Java:
Start>>Settings>>Control Panel. Doube click the Sun Java icon, select about.

Where can I get VM?

Microsoft (Current version: 5.0.3810.0):
Update: Part of Windows Update
Install: No legal form of installation over the net, but Try Here or Here.
Sun Java (Current Version: 1.5.0):
Update And Install: Sun Java

I don't have Virtual Machine, why not?

Windows XP users may not have Microsoft Virtual Machine (VM) installed because it
was believed that the users could do without this piece of software, but users still need
VM for those websites with java applets such as Yahoo! Chat. Windows XP no longer
has Microsoft Java Virtual Machine through Service Packs.
All other users will have Virtual Machine.
See above for download locations.

Square, Circle and Triangle

This indicates a corrupted Virtual Machine installation, either Sun or Microsoft.
Whichever you use, use the above links to get a fresh version.

Disable - Enable Sun

Start, Settings, Control Panel. Click Internet Options.
Under the Advanced tab, find the "Java (Sun)" heading.
Check the Box underneath to Enable, Remove the check to disable. Close all Internet
Explorer windows to make it have effect.
Microsoft will automatically disable/enable at the same time.
What is Java Virtual Machine
Those programs written in languages such as Pascal or C are compiled into executable
files ready to be run. They are OS dependant, IE one written for Windows wont run on
Linux. Languages such as Basic are interpreted each time they need to be executed on the
users computer. Java is different, first byte code is produced, then when its ready to be
executed, they byte code is interpreted. Java Virtual Machine is the software which
interprets this byte code and runs a java program. The java applets will not run without a
virtual machine. Java applets are not dependent on one OS, making it a very useful
language to write it, as the same code may work over many different computers.

Sun Microsystems or Microsoft?

Supposedly they should be compatible, but please be aware Sun are the original
producers of Virtual Machine. They are however, not compatible due to Microsoft
technologies being different. Some applets are distributed in a way which only Microsoft
Virtual Machine will run, therefore the Sun version does not work.
You can have both versions of Virtual Machine installed on your computer. The control
panel with the sun version lets you switch between it being default and not. You can also
set which one is used by these options in Internet Explorer:
Tools>>Internet Options, select advanced tab. Scroll down to Java (Sun). Placing a check
by "Use Java 2...." will make Sun be the Virtual Machine to be used.

Sun v Microsoft
Due to a legal battle, Microsoft no longer distribute VM by Install On Demand (IOD).
Microsoft are granted the rights under their license to perform updates to, and distribute
VM for a limited period, under certain agreements. Sun seeks to make Microsoft issue
VM as part of windows or internet explorer, and not as separate web downloads. Sun also
seek for their own plugin to be distributed with Windows and internet explorer. Sun
believe they are protecting users from outdated microsoft java technology.

Update: Extended License

Microsoft and Sun came to a joint decision to allow Microsoft to continue supporting and
fixing security problems in Microsoft's VM until September 2004. This is to allow for
developets to transition their Microsoft dependent Java code to the standard Java code.
Sun will have agreed to this to protect Java - a sudden inability for people to run some
java applets could destroy the platform.
If you use Sun Java (I recommend), and a applet wont run correctly, I suggest you get on
to the service provider, they only have that 9 months to fix, before people really start
having trouble - Microsoft VM redistribution is illegal.

Further Extensions
Microsoft and Sun came to further decisions to prolong the transition period. Microsoft
may now support the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine software until December 31, 2007.
This means security holes may be fixed as found, leaving a much more secure, longer
transition time. As has been since 1997, no improvements or changes to the way the Java
in the MSJVM works will be made, all that's ever changed in the last 7 years, and for the
next 3 years is security holes.

How To Release and/or Renew IP

Addresses on Windows XP | 2000 | NT
From Bradley Mitchell,
Your Guide to Wireless / Networking.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Follow these steps to quickly release and/or renew the Internet Protocol (IP) address of a
computer running Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows NT.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: seconds

Here's How:
Click the Start menu button on the Windows taskbar.

Click Run... on this menu.

If the computer is holding a current IP address, type 'cmd' (without the quotes) in the
text box that appears. A command prompt window appears on the screen.

Type 'ipconfig' (without the quotes) to view the status of the computer's IP
address(es).

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If the computer is holding a current IP address, type 'ipconfig /release' to let go of the
address.
 Type 'ipconfig /renew' to obtain a new IP address (whether or not the computer is
holding a current address).

Tips:
If it is not necessary to view the current IP addresses on a computer, simply type
'ipconfig /release' or 'ipconfig /renew' (without the quotes) in the text box that
appears in Step 3.

To bring a computer back onto the network after moving it to a different location, or
experiencing an unexpected outage, first release, then renew the IP address.
Computers on DHCP networks often (but not always) re-establish network
connectivity automatically.

How To Release and/or Renew IP

Addresses on Windows 95 | 98 | ME
From Bradley Mitchell,
Your Guide to Wireless / Networking.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Follow these steps to quickly release and/or renew the Internet Protocol (IP) address of a
computer running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: < 1 minute

Here's How:
Click the Start menu button on the Windows taskbar.

Click Run... on this menu.

Type 'winipcfg' (without the quotes) in the text box that appears. A new window
appears on the screen. The "IP Address" field shows the current IP address for the
default network adapter.

If the computer is holding a current IP address, click the Release button to let go of
the address.
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Click the Renew button to obtain a new IP address (whether or not the computer is
holding a current address).

Tips:
If it is not necessary to view the current IP addresses on a computer, simply type
'winipcfg /release' or 'winipcfg /renew' (without the quotes) to save a step in the
process.

To bring a computer back onto the network after moving it to a different location, or
experiencing an unexpected outage, first release, then renew the IP address.
Computers on DHCP networks often (but not always) re-establish network
connectivity automatically.

What You Need:

The 7 Layers of the OSI

Model
The OSI, or Open System Interconnection, model defines a networking framework for
implementing protocols in seven layers. Control is passed from one layer to the next,
starting at the application layer in one station, proceeding to the bottom layer, over the
channel to the next station and back up the hierarchy.

Appl This layer supports application and end-user processes. Communication partners are
icatio identified, quality of service is identified, user authentication and privacy are
considered, and any constraints on data syntax are identified. Everything at this layer is
n application-specific. This layer provides application services for file transfers, e-mail,
(Lay and other network software services. Telnet and FTP are applications that exist entirely
er 7) in the application level. Tiered application architectures are part of this layer.

Prese This layer provides independence from differences in data representation (e.g.,
encryption) by translating from application to network format, and vice versa. The
ntati
presentation layer works to transform data into the form that the application layer can
on
accept. This layer formats and encrypts data to be sent across a network, providing
(Lay freedom from compatibility problems. It is sometimes called the syntax layer.
er 6)
Sessi This layer establishes, manages and terminates connections between applications. The
on session layer sets up, coordinates, and terminates conversations, exchanges, and
(Lay dialogues between the applications at each end. It deals with session and connection
er 5) coordination.

Tran
sport This layer provides transparent transfer of data between end systems, or hosts, and is
responsible for end-to-end error recovery and flow control. It ensures complete data
(Lay transfer.
er 4)
Netw This layer provides switching and routing technologies, creating logical paths, known
ork as virtual circuits, for transmitting data from node to node. Routing and forwarding are
(Lay functions of this layer, as well as addressing, internetworking, error handling,
er 3) congestion control and packet sequencing.

At this layer, data packets are encoded and decoded into bits. It furnishes transmission
Data protocol knowledge and management and handles errors in the physical layer, flow
control and frame synchronization. The data link layer is divided into two sublayers:
Link
The Media Access Control (MAC) layer and the Logical Link Control (LLC) layer. The
(Lay MAC sublayer controls how a computer on the network gains access to the data and
er 2) permission to transmit it. The LLC layer controls frame synchronization, flow control
and error checking.

Physi This layer conveys the bit stream - electrical impulse, light or radio signal -- through
cal the network at the electrical and mechanical level. It provides the hardware means of
(Lay sending and receiving data on a carrier, including defining cables, cards and physical
er 1) aspects. Fast Ethernet, RS232, and ATM are protocols with physical layer components.