TCP/IP and Internet Tools
TCP/IP is a suite of protocols and software that is used to run and
communicate on the Internet. TCP/IP enables computers, network of
computers and people to talk to each other and exchange information.
Internet Tools are a growing number of application software and some
TCP/IP programs used by the Internet user community. The most
important and popular Internet tools are:
- Electronic Mail
- Electronic mail, or email, is one of the most popular and useful
tools of the Internet. Use email to communicate with people locally,
or around the world. To use email, you need an email adddress on
a host computer (like Icarus) and an email program, like Eudora or Pine.
- Web Browser
- A client software that provides an interface to the World Wide Web.
Examples are Netscape, Mosaic, Lynx, Charlotte (i.e. WWW on UICVM),
Internet Explorer and HotJava.
- FTP
- File Transfer Program, used to transfer software and data files on the
Internet. Can be used directly or "behind the scenes", by a Web browser.
- Telnet
- Used for remote logins onto computers, like Icarus and Tigger at UIC.
- tn3270
- Similar to Telnet, but used to logon to IBM mainframe computers,
like UICVM (aka CMS) at UIC.
- Usenet News
- Usenet News, aka Netnews or Internet News is a large number of
newsgroups or bulletin boards on just about every subject you can imagine.
To read "News" you need a News reader program or a Web browser that can
read (and post) news.
- Gopher
- A menu-driven information distribution system that was in vogue
before the World Wide Web took off.
- HTML and HTTP
- HTML, HyperText Markup Language, is the ever-evolving tag set used
to format and publish documents for the World Wide Web. HTTP, HyperText
Transfer Protocol, is the underlaying software used for communications
between a Web Server and a Web browser.
- Finger and Ph
- The Finger protocol and software is used to get additional
information about a person at another computer host or network.
Ph is a newer (more powerful) protocol/software used for the same
purpose.
- SLIP and PPP
- SLIP, Serial Line IP, and PPP, Point-to-Point Protocol, are a set
of programs used to access the Internet over regular telephone lines,
from homes or places that don't have a hard-wired Internet connection.
A computer, a modem, SLIP or PPP and an Internet dial-up line is all
that is needed to connect to the Internet over the telephone.
- lpr and lpd
- lpr is the lineprinter program used to print via TCP/IP to a
networked printer, driven by an lpd (lineprinter daemon) server.
Last Revision: January 31, 1996.