16
The Internet, Intranets, and Extranets
Text book : E-commerce by C.S.V.Murthy – Himalaya Publishing
The Internet:
Text book : E-commerce by C.S.V.Murthy – Himalaya Publishing – Page numbers from 320 to 349
The internet
A network of networks
The internet transmits data from one computer (called a host) to another
Internet networks
Linked networks that work much the same way -- they pass data around in packets, each of which carries the addresses of its sender and receiver
16
Internet ‘Discussion’ (1):
A global network connecting millions of computers. As of 1999, the Internet has more than 200 million users worldwide, and that number is growing rapidly. More than 100 countries are linked into exchanges of data, news and opinions. Unlike online services, which are centrally controlled, the Internet is decentralized by design. Each Internet computer, called a host, is independent. Its operators can choose which Internet services to use and which local services to make available to the global Internet community. Remarkably, this anarchy by design works exceedingly well.
There are a variety of ways to access the Internet. Most online services, such as America Online, offer access to some Internet services. It is also possible to gain access through a commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Note: York University’s CCS (Computer and Communications Services) is an ISP.
How the Internet Works:
Transport control protocol (TCP)
A protocol that operates at the transport layer and is used in combination with IP by most Internet applications
Backbone
An Internet high-speed, long distance communications links (like a bus; wire that connects nodes)
Uniform resource locator (URL)
An assigned address on the Internet for each computer
E.g., http://www.yorku.ca/
Domain Affiliations:
Domain Affiliations
arts cultural and entertainment activities
com business organizations
edu educational sites
firm businesses and firms
gov government sites
16
info information service providers
mil military sites
nom individuals
net networking organizations
org organizations
rec recreational activities
store businesses offering goods for purchase
web entities related to World Wide Web activities
net networking organizations
Access to the Internet:
LAN servers
• Local servers can provide access to the Internet through normal connections (e.g., Ethernet)
Serial line internet protocol (SLIP) and Point-to-point protocol (PPP)
• Communications protocol software that transmits packets over telephone lines, allowing dial-up access to the Internet
Connection via an on-line service
• Examples are America Online and Microsoft Network. These services usually require sign-up procedures
Three Ways to Access the Internet:
16
Internet Service Providers:
Internet service provider (ISP)
Any company that provides individuals or companies with access to the Internet
Thousands of providers including large communications companies
Need an account with the ISP and software that links with TCP/IP
ISP Examples:
16
Internet Service Provider Web Address
AT&T WorldNet Service www.att.com
Digex, Inc. www.digex.net
GTE Internetworking www.gte.net
IBM Internet Connection www.ibm.net
MCI Internet www.mci2000.com
NetCom On-Line Communication Services www.netcom.com
PSINet, Inc. www.psinet.com
Sprint Internet Services www.sprint.net
Uunet Technologies, Inc. www.us.uu.net
Internet Services/Applications:
Telnet
File Transfer Protocol
Voice Mail
Chat rooms
Internet phone
Internet videoconferencing
News groups
Internet Services:
Internet telephony
Also called voice-over-IP (VOIP)
16
• Technology that enables network managers to route phone calls and fax transmissions over the same network they use for data
VOIP ‘Discussion’:
Internet telephony is a category of hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls. For users who have free, or fixed-price, Internet access, Internet telephony software essentially provides free telephone calls anywhere in the world. To date, however, Internet telephony does not offer the same quality of telephone service as direct telephone connections.
There are many Internet telephony applications available. Some, like CoolTalk and NetMeeting, come bundled with popular Web browsers. Others are stand-alone products. Internet telephony products are sometimes called IP telephony, Voice over the Internet (VOI) or Voice over IP (VOIP) products.
16
The World Wide Web:
World Wide Web
• A collection of tens of thousands of independently-owned computers that work together as one in an Internet service
WWW Terminology:
Home page
• The cover page for a Web site that has graphics, titles, coloured text, etc.
Hypermedia
• Tools that connect the data on Web pages, allowing users to access topics in whatever order they wish
Hypertext markup language (HTML)
• The standard page description language for Web pages
Some Interesting Web Sites:
Library of Congress http://lcweb.loc.gov
PointCast http://www.pointcast.com
In-Box Direct http://www.netscape.com
Online Career Center http://occ.com
New York Times http://www.nytimes.com
Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org
Sportsline USA http://www.sportsline.com
White House http://www.whitehouse.gov
MIT Lab for Computer Science http://www.lcs.mit.edu
The Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com
16
WWW Terminology:
Web browser
• Software that creates a unique hypermedia-based menu on your computer screen and provides a graphical interface to the Web
Web page
• A screen of information sent to a requesting user and presented through a browser
Applet
• A small program embedded in Web pages
HTML:
“The” language of WWW pages
Need we say more!!!
Search Engines:
Search engines
A search tool for the Web (like card catalogs in libraries)
E.g., Altavista http://www.altavista.digital.com
Excite http://www.excite.com
Galaxy http://www.einet.net
Hotbot http://www.hotbot.com
Infoseek http://www.infoseek.com
Lycos http://www.lycos.com
Webcrawler http://www.webcrawler.com
Yahoo! http://www.yahoo.com
Java:
Java
16
An object-oriented programming language
Developed by Sun Microsystems
Based on C++
Allows small programs -- applets -- to be embedded within an HTML document
Applets:
Applets are small java programs that are downloaded from the server to the local machine
Intranet and Extranet
Text book : E-commerce by C.S.V.Murthy – Himalaya Publishing – Page numbers from 554 to 573
Intranet
A private TCP/IP network, often found in corporations. Typically protected from the Internet by a firewall.
Extranet:
A network connecting an organization with its trading partners, suppliers, and customers.
Extranet provides an exterior boundary that protects the organizations from the open network, while providing low security boundaries for greater sharing of information among the partners.
16
Intranet applications:
Technology-driven marketing
Logistics and supply chain management
Finance and accounting
Human resources
Decision support/workflow management
Intranet Benefits and Drawbacks:
Benefits
Publishing ease
Cost
Ease of use
Low maintenance
Scalability
Easy software distribution
Drawbacks
Collaborative applications for Intranets are not as powerful as those offered by traditional groupware.
16
Short-term risk.
Less back-end integration.
Why Extranet?
Leverage existing investment in technology since most companies already have their documents online and Internet access.
Extranet applications developed to Internet standards are virtually guaranteed to work with Web browsers
Extranet applications can be customized to individual partners. Furthermore, the applications are accessible on a 24-hour basis, improving customer satisfaction.
Issues:
Security and access privileges
Web site management and maintenance
Extranet Components;
Extranet servers—house the tools required for a Web presence, including:
16
Security and access control
Transaction management
Site operations
Extensible and scalable architecture
Site operations and hosting
Multiple platform compatibility
Extranet applications—business applications that allow people to communicate, exchange files, purchase goods or services, conduct info searches, monitor business details, etc.
Interface layers—bridges between system software and graphical user presentation .
Extranet-enabled Strategies:
Information sharing
improving coordination between business activities.
Content providers
allowing strategic partner-suppliers to provide up-to-date content.
Revenue generator
offering new online products and services.
Improved customer service
providing customers with useful production information and tips.
personalizing customer service through consumer profiles
New sales and distribution medium
providing customizable, direct-consumer-sales.
immediate delivery of digitizable products.
Extranet:
Goal: Allowing business partners to access an enterprise’s information system and databases via the Internet network. Although current
16
Issues:
Security and privacy—Setting up proper protocols to prevent illegal access and ensuring the privacy of sensitive data transmission.
Management—Need someone to manage and maintain the extranetÞ3rd party brokers
Benefits:
A low-cost solution for enabling enterprises to be linked together without the heavy investment to build explicit networks.
Allows enterprises to build expandable and dynamic IS networks that match current business partners.
Allows cross-industry SCNs.
Drawback: The technology is still primitive, does not fully support supply chain process integration.
Current applications: Mainly used for procurement transactions.
Virtual Private Network:
VPN connects a company’s LAN to those of its suppliers and to its mobile employees
The network runs over the Internet and is therefore cost-effective
Encryption is used for security
VPN software at the server and the client end provide controlled access to resources
Virtual Private Network:
16
Intranets and Extranets:
Intranet
• An internal corporate network built using Internet and World Wide Web standards and products that allows employees of an organization to gain access to corporate information
Extranet
• A network based on Web technologies that links selected resources of the intranet of a company with its customers, suppliers, or other business partners
Intranet ‘Discussion’:
A network based on TCP/IP protocols (an internet) belonging to an organization, usually a corporation, accessible only by the organization's members, employees, or others with authorization. An intranet's Web sites look and act just like any other Web sites, but the firewall surrounding an intranet fends off unauthorized access. Like the Internet itself, intranets are used to share information. Secure intranets are now the fastest-growing
16
segment of the Internet because they are much less expensive to build and manage than private networks based on proprietary protocols.
Extranet ‘Discussion’:
A new buzzword that refers to an intranet that is partially accessible to authorized outsiders. Whereas an intranet resides behind a firewall and is accessible only to people who are members of the same company or organization, an extranet provides various levels of accessibility to outsiders. You can access an extranet only if you have a valid username and password, and your identity determines which parts of the extranet you can view. Extranets are becoming a very popular means for business partners to exchange information.
Applications of Intranet:
1. Employee telephone directory
2. Support information
3. Knowledge Management
4. Human resource policies
5. Distribute information
6.Customer relationship Management
Applications of Extranet:
Technology Applications
1.E-Mail -- B2B Communication
2.Bulletin Board -- Subject review , Response, FAQ
3.Messaging -- Sales and customer support
4.Document Repository – Knowledge Management,Customer support
5.FTP -- Customer support
-- Sales support
-- software development
6.Calendar -- Scheduling
16
7.Video Conferencing -- E-meetings
Internet Applications:
Telnet
E-Commerce
Usenet and newsgroups
Chat rooms
Internet phone
Internet videoconferencing
Content streaming
Top Related