Internet Educational Tips

Data sent across the internet is broken up into packets of less than about 1500 characters each. Each packet is given a “header” which holds the information needed to put the packets back in right order again. To each header is adder a “checksum” basically a number that checks whether the precise amount of data in the packet has been received or not. Each packet is put into what is called an IP “envelope” a packet of data with a common address and other specifications. Once the packets go through the routers to their destination, TCP at the receiver’s end, calculates a checksum for each packet and then packet and then compares it with the checksum that was sent in the packet. If these don’t match, the computer figures that the data has been corrupted en route, discards the packet, and requests the sender to resend the packet. TCP then assembles them into their original coherent form to allow the receiving computer to make sense of it.
None of would possible, however , without a DNS server acting as mediator.

Labels: Internet Tips, TCP/IP