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An e-mail identity (id) is a
must-have today. So much so that a three-year-old I was introduced
to, asked me, “What is your e-mail id?”,
I hurriedly got myself one. The essentials for this are of
course a computer, a modem and a telephone line. A modem is a device
that converts the language spoken by computers, binary arithmetic
– ones and zeroes (binary numbers) -- into audio signals that are
carried through telephone lines to the intended electronic address.
The same process working the other way brings you your messages.
Who aids you to do all this? The
answer is an ISP (Internet Service Provider). ISPs are companies
that provide access to the Internet for a fee. Dishnet DSL is a
nationwide Internet Service provider.
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Assuming that you have just
bought yourself an account with an ISP (Internet Service Provider), what are
the steps you take to get started on the net?
All ISPs provide a start-up Compact Disc (CD) with software that will
help you set up and start using your Internet account. Once you run the CD
it will take you through step by step instructions about activating your
Internet account by entering certain details provided by your ISP. The start
up CD provided by your ISP will give you the required software for both
browsing the net and for sending and receiving e-mail.
For surfing the net you need a browser like Microsoft Internet Explorer or
Netscape Navigator. These are often bundled into your start up CD. ISPs also
give you one or more e-mail accounts when you buy yourself some Internet
hours. Now, to activate these e-mail accounts, you are required to configure
mail account settings in the software that you plan to use for e-mail, known
as e-mail clients. The commonly used e-mail clients are Outlook Express,
Netscape messenger and Eudora. While doing this you will be asked to enter
SMTP and TCP/IP details. Once these details are entered correctly, you are
there on the net with your own electronic address or what is popularly
referred to as mail-id. This mail id enables people to reach you
electronically. All the e-mail clients have very user friendly interfaces.
To understand the process of electronic messaging better, let us take a look
at the words SMTP and TCP/IP.
TCP/IP
Just imagine a letter posted by you
torn into little bits each one taking the shortest route to the intended
address and being reassembled there before the addressee sees it. This is
exactly what happens to your e-mail messages. When you press the send
button on your e-mail client, the data is broken into small bits of
information — typically no more than 1,500 characters — given a
destination, and formatted with error protection bits.
These ensure that messages arrive with some degree of reliability.
The small bits of data are called packets.
The rules responsible for carrying out these actions, the Transmission
Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), have
been, since 1983, the Internet’s standard for routing packets of data
through powerful computers known as nodes or routers.
TCP/IP ensures that all the computers making up the Internet speak the same
language. This is essential to ensure messages being delivered in the
intended form.
Packets travel through the Internet independently, each following the
fastest path to the destination. Since the fastest path might change every
few milliseconds, the packets might not arrive in the order that they were
sent. The task of assembling the packets in the same order as they were sent
and them reconstructing the original message is something that is handled by
the software of the Internet. This software must also conform to TCP/IP.
SMTP
When you write a letter you do put it
into an envelope and only then post it right? The envelope protects your
letter. Your electronic letters also require some kind of packaging for the
purpose of protection. This packaging comes to you in the form of SMTP – Simple
Mail Transfer Protocol. SMTP was also standardised in 1983.
SMTP does what your postman and the receiver’s postman might do if they
were to meet and exchange letters. It is a form of ‘handshake’ between
your computer and the receiver’s computer. The two ‘postmen’ verify
the address the letter is addressed to and if agreed upon as the right
address it is delivered if not it is returned.
Big organisations use similar processes but they weave their ‘web’
across smaller boundaries than the World Wide Web. Similar type of messaging
is done within organisations and is referred to as intra office mail. The
network here is smaller and covers only the intended members of the
organisation. This kind of a network is called an intranet.
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