Using Management Information Systems David Kroenke Data Communications and Internet Technology Chapter 5 © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 1 Learning Objectives Know basic telecommunications terminology. Know the definition and characteristics of LAN, WANs, and internets. Understand the nature of processing in a layered communications protocol. Know the purpose of the five layers of the TCP/IP-OSI protocol. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 2 Learning Objectives (Continued) Understand Ethernet and wireless LANs. Understand the characteristics of WANs using personal computers with modems to the Internet, networks of leased lines, PSDNs and virtual private networks. Know basic concepts involved in the operation of the Internet. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 3 Fundamental Networking Concepts A computer network is a collection of computers that communicate with one another over transmission lines. Three basic types of networks are: Local area networks (LANs)–connects computers that reside in a single geographic location on the premises of the company that operates the LAN. Wide area networks (WANs)–connects computers at different geographic sites. Internets–a network of networks © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 4 Fundamental Networking Concepts (Continued) The networks that comprise an Internet use a large variety of communication methods and conventions, and data must flow seamlessly across them. To provide seamless flow, an elaborate scheme called a layered protocol is used. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 5 Figure 5-1 Major Network Types © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 6 Figure 5-2 Example Networks © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 7 Figure 5-3 Example of a Grocery Store Protocol © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 8 Communications Protocols A protocol is a standard means for coordinating an activity between two or more entities. A communications protocol is a means for coordinating activity between two or more communicating computers. Two machines must agree on the protocol to use, and they must follow that protocol as they send messages back and forth. Communications protocols are broken into levels of layers. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 9 The TCP/IP-OSI Architecture The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) developed the Reference Model for Open Systems Interconnection (OSI), an architecture that has seven layers. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETP), developed a four-layer scheme called the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Program Internet Protocol) architecture. The most commonly used architecture today is a fivelayer blend of these two architectures called the TCP/IP-OSI architecture. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 10 Figure 5-4 TCP/IP – OSI Architecture © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 11 Layer 5 Layer 5 generates and receives email (and attachments like photos) according to one of the standard email protocols generated for layer 5 Most likely its Simple Mail Transfer (SMTP) Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is used for the processing of Web pages. The Web and the Internet are not the same thing. The Web, which is a subset of the Internet, consists of sites and users that process the HTTP protocol. The Internet is the communications structure that supports all application-layer protocols, including HTTP, SMTP, and other protocols. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 12 Layer 5 (Continued) FTP, or the File Transfer Protocol is another application layer protocol. You can use FTP to copy files from one computer to another. An architecture is an arrangement of protocol layers in which each layer is given specific tasks to accomplish. At each level of the architecture, there are one or more protocols. Each protocol is a set of rules that accomplish the tasks assigned to its layer. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 13 Layer 5 A program is a specific computer product that implements a protocol. Programs that implement the HTTP protocol of the TCP/IP-OSI architecture are called browsers. Two common browsers are Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 14 Figure 5-5 TCP/IP-OSI on Your Computer © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 15 Layer 4 An email program (which uses SMTP) interacts with another protocol called TCP, or Transmission Control Program (TCP). TCP operates at layer 4 of the TCP/IP-OSI architecture. The TCP program examines your data (files, email, pictures, etc.) and breaks these lengthy messages into pieces called segments. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 16 Layer 4 TCP places identifying data in front of each segment that are akin to the To and From addresses that you would put on a letter for the postal mail. TCP programs also provide reliability. If data is sent from a Dell computer to a Macintosh computer, TCP program translates the segments from Windows (Dell) to Macintosh format, reassembles the segments into a coherent whole, and makes that assembly available to Macintosh computer. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 17 Layer 3 TCP/IP interacts with protocols that operate at Level 3, the next layer down. For the TCP/IP architecture, the layer-3 protocol is the Internet Protocol (IP). The chief purpose of IP is to route messages across an internet. Routers are special-purpose computers that implements the IP protocol. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 18 Layers 1 and 2 Basic computer connectivity is accomplished using Layers 1 and 2 of the TCP/IP-OSI architecture. Computing devices called switches facilitate data communication. A program implementing a Layer-2 protocol will package each of your packets into frames, which are the containers used at Layers 1 and 2 (Segments go into packets and packets go into frames). © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 19 Local Area Networks A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers connected together on a single company site. Usually the computers are located within a half mile or so of each other, although longer distances are possible. The key distinction, however, is that all of the computers are located on property controlled by the company that operates the LAN. Computers and printers are connected via a switch, which is a special-purpose computer that receives and transmits messages on the LAN. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 20 Local Area Networks (Continued) Each device on a LAN (computer, printer, etc.) has a hardware component called a network interface card (NIC) that connects the device’s circuitry to the cable. The NIC works with programs in each device to implement Layer 1 and Layer 2 protocols. Each NIC has a unique identifier, which is called the (MAC) media access control address. The computers, printers, switches, and other devices on a LAN are connected using one of two media. Most connections are made using unshielded, twisted pair (UTP) cable. A device called an RJ-45 connector is used to connect the UTP cable into NIC devices on the LAN. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 21 Local Area Networks (Continued) The connection between switches can use UTP cable, but if they carry a lot of traffic or are far apart UTP cable may be replaced by optical fiber cables. The signals on such cables are light rays, and they are reflected inside the glass core of the optical fiber cable. Optical fiber cable uses special connectors called ST and SC connectors. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 22 Figure 5-6 Local Area Network © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 23 Figure 5-7 NIC Interface Card © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 24 Figure 5-8 Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cable © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 25 Figure 5-9 Optical Fiber Cable © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 26 IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet Protocol The committee that addresses LAN standards is called the IEEE 802 Committee. (Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Thus, IEEE LAN protocols always start with the number 802. Today, the world’s most popular protocol for LAN is the IEEE 802.3 protocol. This protocol standard, also called Ethernet, specifies hardware characteristics such as which wire carries which signals. It also describes how messages are to be packaged and processed for transmission over the LAN. Ethernet operates at Layers 1 and 2 of the TCP/IP-OSI architecture. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 27 IEE 802.3 or Ethernet Protocol (Continued) Most personal computers today are equipped with an onboard NIC that supports what is called 10/100/1000 Ethernet. These products conform to the 802.3 specification and allow for transmission at a rate of 10, 100, or 1,000 Mbps. Communications speeds are expressed in bits, whereas memory sizes are expressed in bytes. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 28 LANs with Wireless Connections Wireless connections have become popular with LANs. The NIC for wireless devices have been replaced by wireless NIC (WNIC). For laptop computers, such devices can be cards that slide into the PCMA slot or they can be built-in, onboard devices. Several different wireless standard exist As of 2005, the most popular is IEEE 802.11g The current standard, 802.11g allows speeds of up to 54 Mbps. The WNICs operate according to the 802.11 protocol and connect to an access point (AP). © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 29 Figure 5-10 © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 30 Figure 5-11 Wireless Access Standards © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 31 Figure 5-12 Summary of LAN and WAN Networks © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 32 Wide Area Networks A wide area network (WAN) connects computers located at physically separated sites. A company with offices in Detroit and Atlanta must use a WAN to connect the computers together. Because the sites are physically separated, the company cannot string wire from one site to another. An Internet service provider (ISP) has three important functions: It provides you with a legitimate Internet address. It serves as your gateway to the Internet. It receives the communication from your computer and passes them on to the Internet, and it receives communication from the Internet and passes them on to you. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 33 Connecting the Personal Computer to an ISP: Modems Home computers and those of small businesses are commonly connected to an ISP in one of three ways: Using a regular telephone line Using a special telephone line called a DSL line Using cable TV line All three ways require that the digital data in the computer be converted to an analog, or wavy, signal. A device called a modem, or modulator/demodulator performs this conversion. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 34 Figure 5-13 Analog vs. Digital Signals © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 35 Figure 5-14 Personal Computer (PC) Internet Access © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 36 Dial-Up Modems A dial-up modem performs the conversion between analog and digital in such a way that the signal can be carried on a regular telephone line. You dial the number for your ISP and connect. The maximum transmission speed for a switch is 56 kbps. The way messages are packaged and handled between your modem and the ISP is governed by a protocol known as Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). This Layer-2 protocol is used for networks that involve just two computers. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 37 DSL Modems A DSL modem is the second modem type. DSL stands for digital subscriber line. DSL modems operate on the same lines as voice telephones and dial-up modems. They operate so that their signals do not interfere with voice telephone service. They provide much faster data transmission speeds than dial up modems. They always maintain a connection. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 38 DSL Modems (Continued) DSL data transmission and telephone conversations can occur simultaneously. DSL modems use their own Layer 1 and Layer 2 protocols for data transmission. DSL lines that have different upload and download speeds are called asymmetric digital subscriber lines (ADSL). Symmetrical digital subscriber lines (SDSL) offers the same speed in both directions. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 39 Cable Modems A cable modem is the third modem type. Cable modems provide high-speed data transmission using cable television lines. At the maximum, users can download data up to 10 Mbps and can upload data at 256 kbps. Narrowband lines typically have transmission speeds less than 56 kbps. Broadband lines have speeds in excess of 256 kbps. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 40 Figure 5-15 Wide Area Network Using Leased Lines © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 41 Networks of Leased Lines A WAN connects computers located at geographically distributed company sites. The lines that connect these sites are leased from telecommunication companies that are licensed to provide them. A variety of access devices connect each site to the transmission. These devices are typically special-purposed computers. The particular devices required depend on the line used and other factors Sometimes switches and routers are employed. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 42 Figure 5-16 Transmission Line Types, Uses, and Speeds © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 43 Public Switched Data Network Another WAN alternative is a public switched network (PSDN), a network of computers and leased lines that is developed and maintained by a vendor that leases time on the network to other organizations. When using a PSDN, each site must lease a line to connect to the PSDN network. The location at which this occurs is called a point of presence (POP); it is the access point into the PSDN. Once a site has connected to the PSDN POP, the site obtains access to all other sites connected to the PSDN. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 44 Public Switched Data Network (Continued) PSDNs save the setup and maintenance activities when using leased lines. They also save costs because a company does not have to pay for the entire network. The company can just pay for the traffic that it sends. Three Layer 1 and 2 protocols are used with PSDNs: Frame Relay can process traffic in the range of 56 kbps to 40 Mbps. Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) can process speeds from 1 to 156 Mbps (can handle both voice and data). Ethernet, the protocol developed for LANs © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 45 Figure 5-17 Wide Area Network Using PSDN © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 46 Virtual Private Network Virtual private network (VPN) is the fourth WAN alternative. A VPN uses the Internet or a private internet to create the appearance of private point-to-point connections. A VPN uses the public Internet to create the appearance of a private connection. A connection called a tunnel, is a virtual pathway over a public or shared network from the VPN client to the VPN server. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 47 Virtual Private Network (Continued) VPN communications are secure. The VPN client software encrypts, or codes, the original messages so that its contents are hidden. Virtual private networks offer the benefit of point-topoint leased lines, and they enable remote access, both by employees and by any others who have been registered with the VPN server. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 48 Figure 5-18 Remote Access Using VPN: Actual Connections © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 49 Figure 5-19 Remote Access Using VPN: Apparent Connection © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 50 Figure 5-20 Wide Area Network Using VPN © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 51 Criteria for Comparing Network Alternatives Many different computer networking alternatives are available, each with different characteristics. There are three types of costs that need to be considered. Setup costs include the costs of acquiring transmission lines and necessary equipment, such as switches, routers, and access devices. Operational costs include lease fees for lines and equipment, charges of the ISP, the cost of ongoing training, etc. Maintenance costs include those for periodic maintenance, problem diagnosis and repair, and mandatory upgrades. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 52 Criteria for Comparing Network Alternatives (Continued) There are six considerations with regard to performance: Speed Latency Availability Loss rate Transparency Performance guarantees Other criteria to consider when comparing network alternatives include the growth potential (greater capacity) and the length of contract commitment. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 53 Figure 5-21 Criteria for Comparing Networking Alternatives © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 54 Network Addresses: MAC and IP On most networks, and on every internet, two address schemes identify computers and other devices. Programs that implement Layer 2 protocols use physical addresses, or MAC addresses. Programs that implement Layer 3, 4, and 5 protocols use logical addresses, or IP addresses. Physical Addresses (MAC Addresses) Each NIC is given an address at the factory that is the device’s physical address or MAC address. By agreement among computer manufacturers, such addresses are assigned in such a way that no two NIC devices will ever have the same MAC address. Physical addresses are only known, shared, and used within a particular network or network segment. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 55 Network Addresses: MAC and IP (Continued) Logical Address (IP Addresses) Internets, including the Internet, and many private networks use logical addresses, which are also called IP addresses, for example, 192.168.2.28 Public Versus Private Addresses Public IP addresses are used on the Internet and assigned to major institutions in blocks by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Each IP address is unique across all computers on the Internet. Private IP addresses are used within private networks and internets. They are controlled only by the company that operates the private network or internet © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 56 Network Addresses: MAC and IP (Continued) Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol The DHCP server is a computer or router that hosts a program called Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). When the program finds such a device, your computer will request a temporary IP address from the DNCP server which is loaned to you while you are connected to the LAN. When you disconnect, that IP address becomes available, and the DHCP server will reuse it when needed. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 57 Figure 5-22 Hotel LAN in Hawaii © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 58 Switches and Routers Switches work with frames at Layer 2. They send frames from switch to switch until they arrive at their destination. They use MAC addresses. All switches have a table of data called a switch table. Routers work with packets at Layer 3. They send packets from router to router until they arrive at their destination. They use IP addresses. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 59 Figure 5-23 Accessing the (Private) Hotel Web Server © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 60 Using TCP/IP-OSI Protocols over the Internet Network Address Translation For Internet traffic, only public IP addresses can be used. These addresses are assigned in blocks to large companies and organizations like ISPs. All Internet traffic aimed at any computer within an organization's LAN will be sent over the Internet using the router’s IP public address for the given computer. The router will receive all packets for all computers for the organization’s computers. When the router receives a packet, it determines the internal IP address within the LAN for that computer. It then changes the address in the packet from the router’s IP public address to the internal IP address of a computer in the organization's LAN, the packet’s true destination. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 61 Using TCP/IP-OSI Protocols over the Internet (Continued) Network Address Translation (continued) The process of changing public IP addresses into private IP addresses, and the reverse, is called Network Address Translation (NAT). © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 62 Figure 5-24 Hawaii Hotel to Ohio Company via Internet © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 63 Domain Name System IP addresses are useful for computer-to-computer communication, but they are not well suited for human use. The purpose of the domain name system (DNS) is to convert user-friendly names into their IP addresses. Any registered, valid name is called a domain name. The process of changing a name into its IP address is called resolving the domain name. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 64 Domain Name System (Continued) Every domain name must be unique, worldwide. To ensure duplicate domain names do not occur, an agency registers names and records the corresponding IP addresses in a global directory. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 65 Domain Name Registration ICANN is a nonprofit organization that is responsible for administering the registration of domain names. ICANN does not register domain names itself; instead it licenses other organizations to register names. ICANN is also responsible for managing the domain name resolution system. The last letter in any domain name is referred to as the top-level-domain (TLD). In the domain www.icann.org the top level domain is .org © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 66 Domain Name Resolution (Continued) A uniform resource locator (URL) is a document’s address on the Web. URLs begin with a domain and then are followed by optional data that locates a document with that domain. Thus, in the URL www.prenhall.com/kroenke , the domain name is www.prenhall.com , and /kroenke is a directory within that domain. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 67 Domain Name Resolution (Continued) Domain name resolution is the process of converting a domain name into a public IP address. The process starts from the TLD and works to the left across the URL. As of 2005, ICANN manages 13 special computers called root servers that are distributed around the world. Each root server maintains a list of IP addresses of servers that each resolve each type of TLD. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 68 Domain Name Resolution (Continued) Domain name resolution proceeds quickly because there are thousands of computers called domain name resolvers that store the correspondence of domain names and IP addresses These resolvers reside at ISPs, academic institutions, large companies, government organizations, etc. For example, if a domain name solver is on your campus and whenever anyone on your campus needs to resolve a domain name, that resolver will store, or cache, the domain name and IP address on a local file. When someone else on the campus needs to resolve the same domain name, the resolver can supply the IP address from the local file. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 69 Figure 5-25 Top-Level Domains, 2005 © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 70 IP Addressing Schemes Two IP addressing schemes exist: IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 IPv4 constructs addresses having 32 bits. These bits are divided into four groups of 8 bits, and a decimal number represents each group. IPv4 addresses appear as 63.224.57.59. The largest decimal number that can appear between the period are 255 (0 – 255). IPv6 Due to growth of the Internet IPv6 was developed. IPv6 construct addresses having 128 bits. Currently both IPv4 and IPv6 are used on the Internet. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 71 Summary A computer network is a collection of computers that communicate with one another over transmission lines. Three types of computer networks are: LANs, WANs, and Internets, including the Internet. A protocol architecture divides communications activities among several layers. Each layer has specific functions to perform. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 72 Summary (Continued) A protocol is a set of rules for accomplishing the functions of a particular layer. LANS consist of computers at a single organizational site that are connected via UTP or optical fiber cables. Each computer has a network interface card (NIC), which is a special-purpose computer that connects to the LAN’s cabling. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 73 Summary (Continued) A switch is a special-purpose that receives traffic from one computer and sends it to another computer. IEEE 802.3, or Ethernet, is the most popular LAN standard. The most popular wireless standard today is IEEE 802.11g. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 74 Summary (Continued) Networks of leased lines consist of high-speed lines that connect two points. A public switched data network (PSDN) is a network of computers and leased lines that is developed and maintained by a vendor that leases time on the network to other organizations. A virtual private network (VPN) uses the Internet or other Internet to create the appearance of private, point-to-point connections. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 75 Summary (Continued) Communicating devices have two addresses: physical address (MAC) and an IP address (logical address). The process of converting IP addresses from private to public and public to private is called Network Address Translation (NAT). The domain name system (DNS) resolves domain names into IP addresses. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 76 Key Terms and Concepts Access device Access point Analog signal Architectures Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) Asymmetric encryption Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) Broadband Cable modem Cache Communications protocol Device access router Dial-up modem Domain name Domain name resolution Domain name resolver Domain name system (DSN) DSL (digital subscriber line) modem Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Encryption Encryption algorithms © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 77 Key Terms and Concepts (Continued) Ethernet File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Frame Frame relay HTTPs Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) IEEE 802.3 protocol International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Internet Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANNN) Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Internet Protocol (IP) Internet service provider (ISP) IP address IPv4 IPv6 Key Layered protocols Local area network (LAN) Logical address MAC address Modem © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 78 Key Terms and Concepts (Continued) Narrowband Network Network Address Translation (NAT) Network interface card (NIC) Network of leased lines Onboard NIC Optical fiber cable Physical address Point-to-Point protocol (PPP) Point of presence (POP) Private IP Address Protocol Public IP address Public key/private key Public switched data network (PSDN) Reference Model for Open Systems Interconnection Root server Routing table Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Segment Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 79 Key Terms and Concepts (Continued) SOHO (small office, home office) Switch Switch table Symmetric encryption Symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL) TCP/IP-OSI architecture 10/100/1000 Ethernet Top-level domain (TLD) Transmission Control Program (TCP) Protocol Transmission Control Program/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) architecture Tunnel Uniform resource locator (URL) Unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable Virtual private network Wide area network (WAN) Wireless NIC (WNIC) © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 80 Problem-Solving Guide–Thinking Exponentially Is Not Possible, but… Nathan Myhrvold, the chief scientist at Microsoft Corporation during the 1990s, once said that humans are incapable of thinking exponentially. Instead, when something changes exponentially, we think of the fastest linear change we can imagine and extrapolate from there. His point was that no one could then imagine how much growth there would be in magnetic storage and what we would do with it. We have all witnessed exponential growth in a number of areas: Internet connection, Web pages, and the amount of data accessible on the Internet. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 81 Problem Solving Guide–Thinking Exponentially Is Not Possible, but… (Continued) Every business, every organization, needs to be thinking about ubiquitous and cheap connectivity that is growing exponentially. What are the new opportunities? What are the new threats? How will our competition react? How should we position ourselves? How should we respond? Understand that technology does not drive people to do things they’re never done before, no matter how much the technologists suggest it might. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 82 Opposing Forces Guide–Where’s the OFF Button We lost our independence with the introduction of the DSL modem. Up until then, you had to dial up, you had to take action, to get connected. The default mode was Off, and you had to do something to get On. Since DSL, the default mode has been On. Today, perpetual connectivity is terrific: It is useful, and it increases productivity. Have we lost not only the ability to be off line, but also the desire? © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 83 Opposing Forces Guide–Where’s the OFF Button (Continued) Today, we are choosing perpetual connectivity because we want to. It’s voluntary: We connect because we want the services, the information, the instantaneous gratification. But in the process, what do we lose? © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 84 Security Guide–Encryption Encryption is the process of transforming clear text into coded, unintelligible text for secure storage or communication. Considerable research has gone into developing encryption algorithms that are difficult to break. A key is a number used to encrypt data. The encryption algorithm applies the key to the original message to produce the coded message. Decoding (decrypting) a message is similar; a key is applied to code the message to recover the original text. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 85 Security Guide–Encryption (Continued) In symmetric encryption, the same key is used to encode and decode. In asymmetric encryption, different keys are used; One key encodes the message, and the other key decodes the message. A special version of asymmetric encryption, public key/private key, is popular on the Internet. With this method, each site has a public key for encoding messages and a private key for decoding them. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 86 Security Guide–Encryption (Continued) Most secure communication over the Internet uses a protocol called HTTPS. With HTTPS, data are encrypted using a protocol called the Secure Socket Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS). SSL uses a combination of public key/private key and symmetric encryption. The use of SSL/TLS makes it safe to send sensitive data like credit card numbers and bank balances. Just be certain that you see https//: in your browser and not just http://. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 87 Ethics Guide–Personal Email at Work You send a personal email to your friend at his job that contains both text and a picture (6.2 megabytes in size). This email during its transmission from you to your friend at his job, consumes his company’s entire computing infrastructure. Finally, if your friend reads his email during his working hours, he will be consuming company resources, his time and attention, which the company has paid while he is at work. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 88 Reflection Guide–Human Networks Matter More The Hungarian writer, Frigyes Karinthy, came up with the idea that everyone on earth is connected to everyone else by five or six people. Today, in fact with the Internet, the number may be closer to three people than five or six. Suppose you want to meet your university’s president. The president has a secretary who acts as a gatekeeper. If you walk up to that secretary and say, “I’d like a half hour with President Jones,” you’re likely to be palmed off to some other university administrator. What else can you do? © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 89 Reflection Guide–Human Networks Matter More (Continued) The problem with the six-degree theory, is that even though those six people do exist, we don’t know who they are. Even worse, we often don’t know who the person is with whom we want to connect. Most successful professionals consistently build personal human networks. They keep building them because they know that somewhere there is someone whom they need to know or will need to know. They meet people at professional and social situations, collect and pass out cards, and engage in pleasant conversation (all part of a social protocol) to expand their networks. © 2007 Prentice Hall, Inc. 90