Internetworking involves connecting two or more distinct computer networks together into an internetwork (often shortened to internet), using devices called routers to connect them together, to allow traffic to flow back and forth between them. (Routers were originally called gateways, but that term was discarded in this context, due to confusion with functionally different devices using the same name.) The routers guide traffic on the correct path (among several different ones usually available) across the complete internetwork to their destination. A computer network is a system for communication between computers. ... devices were a Los Angeles-based power-pop band from the late eighties and early nineties. ... This article describes the computer networking device. ... In telecommunications, the term gateway has the following meanings: In a communications network, a network node equipped for interfacing with another network that uses different protocols. ...

(Some people inaccurately refer to the connecting together of networks with bridges as internetworking, but the resulting system mimics a single subnetwork, and no internetworking protocol (such as IP) is required to traverse it.) A network bridge connects multiple network segments (network domains) along the data link layer. ... The word subnetwork (usually shortened to subnet) has two related meanings. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with protocol (computing). ... The Internet Protocol (IP) is a data-oriented protocol used for communicating data across a packet-switched internetwork. ...

The original term for an internetwork was catenet. Internetworking started as a way to connect disparate types of networking technology, but it became widespread through the developing need to connect two or more local area networks via some sort of wide area network. The definition now includes the connection of other types of computer networks such as personal area networks. A catenet is a system of packet-switched communication networks interconnected via gateways. ... Local area network scheme A local area network (LAN) is a computer network covering a local area, like a home, office, or group of buildings. ... A wide area network or WAN is a computer network covering a wide geographical area, involving a vast array of computers. ... A personal area network (PAN) is a computer network used for communication among computer devices (including telephones and personal digital assistants) close to one person. ...

The most notable example of internetworking in practice is the Internet, a network of networks running different low-level protocols, unified by an internetworking protocol, the Internet Protocol (IP). The Internet Protocol (IP) is a data-oriented protocol used for communicating data across a packet-switched internetwork. ...

IP only provides an unreliable packet service across an internet. To transfer data reliably, applications must utilize a Transport layer protocol, such as TCP, which provides a reliable stream (These terms do not mean that IP is actually unreliable but instead that it sends packets without contacting and establishing a connection with the destination router beforehand. The opposite applies for reliable). Since TCP is the most widely used transport protocol, people commonly refer to TCP and IP together, as "TCP/IP". Some applications occasionally use a simpler transport protocol (called UDP) for tasks which do not require absolutely reliable delivery of data, such as video streaming. A packet is the fundamental unit of information carriage in all modern computer networks that use packet switching. ... In computing and telecommunications, the transport layer is layer four of the seven layer OSI model. ... The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is one of the core protocols of the Internet protocol suite. ... A reliable byte stream is a byte stream in which the bytes which emerge from the communication channel at the recipient are exactly the same, and in the exact same order, as the sender inserted into the channel. ... The Internet protocol suite is the set of communications protocols that implement the protocol stack on which the Internet runs. ... The User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is one of the core protocols of the Internet protocol suite. ... Streaming media is media that is consumed (read, heard, viewed) while it is being delivered. ...

See also

• History of the Internet
• Active Networking
• Personal Networking

Originally intended to share data between a few universities and government agencies, the Internet today allows connectivity from anywhere on earth and beyond—even ships at sea and in outer space. ... Active networking is a communication paradigm that allows packets flowing through a communication network to dynamically modify the operation of the network. ...

External links

• E-book (pdf format) - Deals with the foundations of major internetworking architectures (chapters 4 to 9).