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How the Internet Works

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By the end of this course

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01

Foundations of Networks

The intuition of endpoints, links, and packet switching; the client-server model, the internet's structure as a network of networks, and IP addressing.

  1. 01 What Is a Network Endpoints, links, and switching; why packet switching was chosen over circuit switching, and the consequences of best-effort delivery.
  2. 02 The Client–Server Model The distinction between the role that initiates a connection and the one that waits, the concept of a port, and a comparison with the peer-to-peer model.
  3. 03 The Structure of the Internet The network-of-networks idea, routing between autonomous systems, the absence of central management, and how shared standards hold this structure together.
  4. 04 The Concept of the IP Address The numeric structure of the address, how splitting it into network and host parts shrinks routing tables, and the distinction between public and private addresses.

02

Domain Names and Hosting

The name hierarchy and registration process, the domain name system's resolution chain and caching, record types and hosting models.

  1. 01 What Is a Domain Name The indirection between name and address, the name hierarchy made of labels, the delegation of authority, and the roles in the registration process.
  2. 02 The Domain Name System The distributed database that translates a name into an address, the resolution chain from root to authoritative server, and time-to-live-based caching.
  3. 03 DNS Record Types Address, alias, mail, name server and text records; which problem each type answers and the combination limits on alias records.
  4. 04 Hosting Models The requirement that a server keep running continuously, how name-based virtual hosting works, and the trade-offs among shared, virtual, dedicated and managed models.

03

The Journey of a Web Request

The parts of the HTTP request and response, the stages the browser goes through from request to drawing, the promises HTTPS gives, and the joining of the entire chain end to end.

  1. 01 HTTP Request and Response The parts of a request and response, the safety and idempotency of methods, status code classes, and the statelessness of the protocol.
  2. 02 What the Browser Does The stages from parsing the text in the address bar to the drawing on screen, subresource requests, and the reuse of connections.
  3. 03 The Role of HTTPS The promises of confidentiality, integrity, and authentication; how a certificate binds a name to a public key; and the role of trust anchors.
  4. 04 The End-to-End Trace of a Request Joining the entire chain from name resolution to the drawing of the response, the information handed off between stages, and the symptoms of each link's failure.

Final exam

How the Internet Works — Final Exam

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