wdiff draft-ietf-uswg-fyi4-00.txt draft-ietf-uswg-fyi4-01.txt

INTERNET-DRAFT R. Plzak
draft-ietf-uswg-fyi4-00.txt
draft-ietf-uswg-fyi4-01.txt SAIC
A.
A.T. Wells
UWisc-Mad
E. Krol
Univ IL
November 1998
May 1999

FYI on Questions and Answers
Answers to Commonly asked New AskedNew Internet User Questions

Status of this Memo

This document is an Internet-Draft. Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with
all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026.

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Abstract

This memo provides an overview to the new Internet User. The
intended audience is the common Internet user of today, thus it
attempts to provide a more consumer oriented approach to the Internet
rather than going into any depth about a topic. Unlike its
predecessors, this edition seeks to answer the general questions that
an unsophisticated consumer would ask as opposed to the more pointed
questions of the more a more technically sophisticated Internet user.
Users Those
desiring a more in-depth discussion are directed to FYI 7 that deals
with intermediate and advanced Q/A topics. A conscious effort has
been made to keep this memo brief but at the same time provide the
new user with enough information to generally understand the
Internet.

1. Acknowledgements

The following people deserve thanks for their help and contributions
to thei this FYI Q/A: Chris Burke (Motorola), John Curran (BBN Planet),
Albert Lunde (NWU). (NWU), and April Marine (Internet Engines, Inc.).

2. Questions About the Internet

2.1. What is the Internet?

The Internet is the worldwide group

People use computers to perform a wide assortment of networks that are tasks. A
connected
together. It consists group of the computers used by users that is known as a network. Because people
are connected via this network, they can use their computers to these networks, the specialized
exchange ideas and information. Some computers (routers) that are the interconnection points between these networks, and the
communications lines. Most home users connect connected
directly to a the network while others (primarily those in homes) are
connected via a telephone line and a communication device (modem). A company known as
an Internet Service Provider (ISP) connects this network to the
Internet. The Internet was put together from normal telephone
communication products which are offered by telephone companies, but
they are used in a different way which allows everyone to share them
which makes the whole thing cheaper.

The Internet is structured much like any other business. You buy
your service from a retail ISP. Your ISP takes its profit and buys
bulk services from a bigger provider who does the same thing. This
may happen a couple of times until there gets a point where there are
places where the big providers all connect
modem. By connecting networks together and communicate with each other. There are only a few of these in each area of the
world and they pay a fee to connect at these points. The connection
points are connected together by international providers, so that if
you connect to the Internet at specialized computers
known as routers, people on one point, you network can get anywhere engage in the
world.

2.2. Who Runs the Internet?

The Internet is operated as a cooperative effort among the ISPs,
software companies, volunteer organizations, and a few facilities
that tie the whole thing together. The ISPs and software companies
are completely independent and most of them compete activities with each other.
The ISPs agree to connect to each
people on other and transmit information
following an established set of rules (protocols). The software
companies agree to manufacture programs (such as email or web
browsers) that also follow protocols. These protocols are developed
by a networks. This INTER-connected group of volunteers (Internet Engineering Task Force IETF) that
come together regularly and discuss how the Internet NETworks is running and
how to standardize new services.

But, there are things that must be unique in the Internet, just like
your phone number must be unique in the world. To keep these things
straight there are groups identified in the community which allocate
addresses (IP Registries ARIN, RIPE, APNIC), allocate names (domain
registries), and generally keep track of things (ICANN). This is
keeps
known as the Internet working well, adding new services, and running on
a wide variety of computers.

2.3. INTERNET.

2.2. What Can I do on the Internet?

There are is a large variety of applications and activities that users can do on the
Internet. These activities include the ability to surf, use search tools, send surfing, searching, sending mail,
transfer
transfering programs and documents, chatting, and chat. playing games.

SURFING

Surfing is one of the two most popular Internet activities. To surf, a
user
uses needs a program known as a web browser. The web browser enables
the user to connect to a location that contains information. From one
location a user can follow various Many
locations contain links to other sites that contain related
information. These links are usually identified by underlined text
that is of a different color from the rest of the text in an article.
By clicking on them one of these links the user is then connected to
explore that
information. This information may be at the Internet. Like following same location or may be
at a different location. This new information may, in turn, have
links to other information. So just like a footnote or reference in
a print publication, links can be used to find related or non-related
information.

Typically surfing begins by connecting

SEARCHING

Searching involves using a special program known as a seach engine.
There are several of these engines that are located at various search
sites. The popular web browsers have location information about
these search sites. Searching is similar to using a site card catalog in
a library. Just as a person would look up a topic in a card catalog
and find one or more references to that contains topic with library location
information, a search engine. Since engine provides the Internet contains many, many different kinds
of material on user with a wide variety list of topics, finding exactly what you are
looking for can be challenging. sites
that may contain relevant information. This list is where search engines come in
since they can help you locate specific information. But, remember
just as using actually a dictionary versus set
of links to these sites so that all the yellow pages user has to locate
information do is click on automobiles will yield very
the link to go to the location. Just as different results, so too library card
catalogs will contain different reference cards, different search engines.
engines will provide different reference lists.

E-MAIL

E-mail is the second most another very popular activity and activity. It is very similar to
sending letters through the post office or notes and memos around the
office. It is both an application
and an activity which allows for the used to exchange of messages between two or more people. Additionally, many
Because email can be misunderstood or abused, users should be
familiar with email netiquette. For more information see Netiquette
Guidlines [FYI 28, RFC 1855].

Many people use e-mail to join and also participate in what are known as listserv discussions or mail mailing lists.
A listserv is simply a forum wherein people exchange e-mail and is
typically on Usually mailing lists
are dedicated to a defined particular topic i.e. home buying, politics, or even
running interest. Some mailing lists
are used to provide information to subscribers, such as product
update information for something an individual may have purchased
while others are used for discussion. In the Internet. latter instance people
participate in the discussion by sending email to a "list" address
which in turn distributes it to all members of a list. Abuse of mail
lists is probably the biggest source of junk email (also known as
"spam"). Everyone should take care that they aren't the source of
junk mail.

FILE TRANSFER

Programs and documents are transferred in several ways. The most
common way this is done between individual users is to attach the
program or document to an e-mail message. Programs and documents are
usually transferred from sites to users using the save feature of a
web browser or the file transfer protocol (FTP). This enables Such transfers
enable users to obtain a variety of programs, documents, audio files,
and video files.

Another application and activity known as chat

CHAT

Chat takes place with
another person between one or more persons who are also on the Internet.
Chatting is very similar to going to a party. Just as people
congregate in small groups and discuss things, chatters meet in chat
rooms to discuss a topic. Chat rooms are generally sponsored or
operated by an organization that has an interest in the topic area.
For example, an online news organization would have a chat room for
chatters to discuss current events. To chat one person writes a
message which can be read, as it is being written, by the others who
can respond to it in turn. Persons who enter First time chatters should be aware that
just as at a chat room but dont enter party where some people never say anything, so there may
be people in the
discussion room who are said just listening. Also, just like at a
party, some people may portray themselves to be lurking. Chatters someone different
than who they really are. Lastly, remember that chatters come and go
to chat rooms the same way people move about groups at a party.

GAMES

Some people use the Internet to play games. These games can be role
playing games, action/adventure games, or online versions of old
standbys like chess. Some games require the user to purchase a copy
of the game and install it on their computer, while others are played
by going to a game site. Just like other forms of game playing,
Internet game playing can be challenging, entertaining, and an
enjoyable social experience. Don't be afraid to have fun.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Other popular activities that have recently sprung up include electronic shopping, banking, and
investing. Major and specialty
retail stores around the nation and many around the world Many retailers describe and display pictures of their
products on the Internet for enabling people to buy directly or indirectly. on line. Shopping can
also include includes purchasing services such as an airline ticket or
ordering groceries.
Additionally, many Many banks allow people to transfer funds, check
available funds, pay bills and other such activities while on the
Internet with an account number and ID. Lastly, many people invest
while on the Internet in everything from stocks and bonds to real
estate.

2.4. How Does the Internet Work?

The Internet allows people to conduct activities, whether it is web
browsing, e-mail, a file transfer, or One word of caution, if you are using a chat session between two
computers (source and destination) that can credit card, check
to see if there are security features in place to protect your credit
card information. Reputable sites should tell you how they are
protecting your information. If you are in doubt about how your
information will be located anywhere. To
make this happen several things occur. An activity protected, don't use your credit card at that
site.

2.3. What is started, an Address?

Two commonly asked questions these days are "What's your e-mail
address?" and "What's the
address of URL?" Generally, the destination first question is identified, a path
asking where to send information, while the destination second is created, an activity session asking where to
get information. The answer to the first question is started, and then usually
something like myname@company.com. The answer to the activity
takes place. This second question
is done by a variety usually something like "http://www.newspaper.com". What do these
answers mean?
E-MAIL ADDRESS

As stated previously an e-mail address is something like
"myname@company.com", pronounced "MYNAME at COMPANY dot COM". An
email address consists of programs two parts that follow
standards (protocols) of Internet activity.

Lets look at how this would happen for are divided by an e-mail session. "@" sign.
The user
creates portion to the left is like the name line on a message using an e-mail program. The user letter, it
identifies a particular person and usually is composed of the
destination
person's name. Typical names look like this:

john_doe
john.doe
jdoe
doej

The name is assigned by specifying an the system or network adminstrator who is
managing the email system and follows rules that have been
established by the company providing the e-mail address. Since humans are more
comfortable with names service. Sometimes
the name portion of the e-mail protocol specifies that this address is referred to as a mailbox.

The portion to the right of the "@" sign is the name of the user at computer
system that is providing the destination. It looks like
jones@ietf.org. However, e-mail service. This name is usually
the computers name of the company that move information about owns the Internet use numeric addresses called Internet Protocol (IP)
addresses. IP addresses computer system followed by a
"dot" and an abbreviation that represents the "domain" or group of
names which the organization falls under. Examples of these "top
level" domains are used to move (route) "edu", "com", and country codes such as "fr" for
France and "jp" for Japan. When an e-mail is sent the message along portion of the best path
address to the destination. Thus right of the name has "@" sign is used to be translated
into an IP address. The name-to-address mapping system called find the
Domain Name System (DNS) does this. Once destination
computer of the address has been
determined, email.

URL

A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is commonly used to identify a set
computer that provides world wide web service. It usually looks
something like "http://www.newspaper.com". This address also
consists of protocols called routing protocols find two parts. In this case the two parts are separated by
the best
path "//". The portion to the destination. Then an activity session left means find the world wide web
service that is created between located at the source and computer identified to the destination computer. The e-mail protocol checks right of
the destination "//". The portion to make sure that it will accept the message.
Finally right is the message name of the computer that
is transmitted. As it moves from providing the source world wide web service. Its name is composed of
parts that are similar to those described for the destination it may cross several networks name of an email
computer. Sometines the portion of the right contains additional
information that belong to several
ISPs. All identifies a particular document at the web site.
For example, http://www.newspaper.com/sports/article1.html would
identify a specific article in the sports section of this activity takes place within the time it takes to
read this paragraph!

2.5. newspaper.

2.4. Are There Any Rules of Behavior? Behavior on the Internet?

In general general, common sense, courtesy, and decency govern good Internet
behavior. There is no single formal rulebook that governs behavior on
the Internet. However many FYI 28 that was mentioned previously is a good guide.
Many activities such as game sites, chat rooms, or e-mail discussion lists and chat rooms may
have an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Before you join rules of their own. What may be acceptable behavior in one chat
room may be totally out of these
activities bounds in another. It never hurts to
check and see if there is an AUP, make sure you understand
it, and then follow it. The IETF the water temperature before jumping in the pool. Users should
use the same precautions before joining in any online activity.

E-mail in particular can lead to misunderstandings between people.
Users should remember that the reader only has published RFC 1855 (Netiquette
Guidelines) and the text to determine
what is publishing other RFCs that deal with subjects being said. Other conversation cues such as advertising "tone of voice"
and body signals like winking are not present in the text. Because
of this, users of the Internet junk mail (spam). have developed cues to put in the
text. Text techniques such as capitalization and symbols known as
emoticons (also called "smilies") are used.

A typical smiley looks like this :-)

Additionally, acronyms have evolved over time (for example IMHO - In
My Humble Opinion). More information about this can be found by
searching. Use keywords like "netiquette" and "emoticon" with your
search engine to find more information.

Users should also be aware that their particular programs such as
word processors or e-mail might produce documents and messages that
are not readable by everyone. You should Very often, a reader must have the
same program in which a document was written in order to read it.
So, before sending an attached document, it is a good idea to make
sure that the intended
recipient can receiver of your document has the capability
to read it. If in doubt, send a text (ascii) version of the
document.

2.5. How Does the Internet Work?

Each of the activities mentioned in the section describing what you are one
can do on the Internet requires that computers exchange information.
Computers take turns sending them.

As in any group, and receiving information. When a
computer is sending information, it is known as the users "source"; when it
is receiving information, it is known as the "destination." (The
same computer can be both a source and destination at different
times. This is especially clear when one thinks of sending and
receiving e-mail.)

Every computer on the Internet have, over time, developed
language short cuts. has a unique Internet "address" that
identifies it from among the millions of computers. The Internet has
specialized computers between the source and destination located at
network inter-connection points. These primarily take computers are known as
"routers." The routers understand how to use a computer's address to
appropriately point information from one computer to another over the form
Internet.

In an exchange of acronyms information the following occurs:

* The source finds the address of the destination.

* The source contacts the destination and
emoticons (smilies). Lists says "hello".

* The destination responds back with a "hello" of its own.

* The source tells the destination that it has information to
send.

* The destination tells the source that it is ready to receive the
information.

* The source breaks the information into small pieces called
packets and sends each packet on its way to the destination.

* The routers guide each packet to the destination.

* The destination takes the packets and puts them back together to
form the information.

* The destination tells the source that it has received the
information and asks the source if it has anything more to send.

* If the source says no, the destination will say "good bye"
unless it has something to send back. If it does, it will break
the information into packets and send them.

* Once both end users are done "talking" they say both say "good
bye".

Clearly our simplified introduction to this section did not explain
many steps in this process, such as how a computer discovers the
address of another computer or how packets are divided and
reassembled. Fortunately, these acronyms are specifics that people using the
Internet never really need to deal with!

2.6 Who Runs the Internet?

No one. The Internet is a cooperative effort among Internet Service
Providers (ISPs), software companines, volunteer organizations, and emoticons can be
found a
few facilities that tie the whole thing together. The ISPs and
software companies are completely independent and most of them
compete with each other. The ISPs provide internet service to people
much the same way that they obtain telephone service from a telephone
company. ISPs agree to connect their networks to each other and
transmit information following an established set of rules
(protocols). The software companies agree to manufacture programs
(such as email or web browsers) that also follow protocols. There
are other organizations that keep things straight. Some assign
Internet addresses in much the same manner as telephone numbers are
assigned, others keep track of names used by surfing. Internet users and
groups, and a large volunteer organization called the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF) develops the protocols computers follow
to make network communications succeed.

3. Security Considerations

The question "is the Internet secure?" can be a confusing one for
people, who will hear many assurances that it is secure and many
scary stories saying it is important not secure. There are a few basic rules
of thumb to realize remember that not Internet user is will address most concerns.

First, make it a good netizen.
Therefore, users should learn rule never to protect themselves. The IETF has
published several RFCs share account passwords with anyone.
Learning a password is the easiest way for someone to break into a
system. Most people feel that provide their files are not that interesting
to anyone, but someone may be able to get a foothold from one
innocuous account to other places in the same computer system. Many
good security practices can be found in the Users Security Handbook
[FYI 34, RFC 2504].

Second, understand that there are means for people to track the
information a user sends via email, the files one downloads, and
guidance. Additionally, users can protect themselves from the
sites visited on the web. The system administrators and
documents network
engineers who oversee a sites' computers require access to
information that an individual may think is secret. In practice, no
responsible system administrator or network engineer will violate a
person's privacy out of personal curiousity. However, if someone
less legitimate attains illegal access to a system, they also will
have unwanted content by using baby sitting software.

4. References

References access to this information. This situation is not a problem for
most people, but it should be inserted here. understood that things like email sent
a year ago or a log of users web pages browsed may still exist in
some system's backup archive tape and can be easily resurrected and
published widely.

Third, before giving personal information over the Internet, such as
filling in a form on a Web page, users should realize that there is
no assurance of confidentiality or privacy. It could be compared to
faxing such information to a party that you've never dealt with
before. While many organizations on the Internet are responsible
with information received via the web and email, this cannot always
be determined in advance.

4. References

[1] Guttman, E., Leong, G., and Malkin, G., "Users' Security
Handbook", RFC 2504, FYI 34, Sun Microsystems, COLT, Bay Networks,
February 1999.

[2] Hambridge, S., "Netiquette Guidelines", RFC 1855, FYI 28, Intel
Corporation, October 1995.

5. Authors' Address

Raymond Plzak
SAIC
1710 Goodridge Drive
McLean, Virginia 22102

Phone: (703) 821-6535
EMail: plzakr@saic.com

Amy Tracy Wells
Internet Scout Project
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Computer Sciences Department
1210 W. Dayton St.
Madison, WI 53706

Phone: (608)263-2611
Email: awel@cs.wisc.edu

Ed Krol
University of Illinois
1120 DCL 1304 Springfield
Urbana IL 61801

Phone (217)333-7886
Email: krol@uiuc.edu

6. "Full Copyright Statement".

This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to others,
and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it or assist in its
implmentation may be prepared, copied, published and distributed, in whole or
in part, without restriction of any kind, provided that the above copyright
notice and this paragraph are included on all such copies and derivative
works. However, this document itself may not be modified in any way, such as
by removing the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or
other Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of developing
Internet standards in which case the procedures for copyrights defined in the
Internet Standards process must be followed, or as required to translate it
into languages other than English.

The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be revoked
by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.

This document and the information contained herein is provided on an "AS IS"
basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE
DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY
RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Appendix A
Glossary of Terms

Emoticon Combination of punctuation marks used to provide sense of
the senders tone of voice in an e-mail message
IETF Internet Engineering Task Force [see text for a description]
Internet An interconnected group of networks
ISP Internet Service Provider [see text for a description]
Network A connected group of computers
Router A specialized computer that connects networks together and
guides information packets to their destination
Spam A slang term for junk e-mail
URL Uniform Resource Locator [see text for a description]
Web Browser A program that provides the capablility to read
information that is located at a world wide web site