Network Sales and Services Handbook (Cisco Press Networking Technology)

How is the Internet managed and administered?

The Internet backbone, through which Internet traffic flows, is owned by private companies.

The Internet itself is governed by its members with the ultimate authority resting with the Internet Society (ISOC), a voluntary organization promoting information exchange worldwide using Internet technology. Technical management of the Internet is the responsibility of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB), appointed by the ISOC, which gives the go-ahead for standards and allocates resources such as addresses. Net users can influence opinion and initiate changes through the subgroup Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), another volunteer organization that discusses operational and technical problems that anyone can join. Other organizations also have an influence.

What is a Level 2 or Tier 2 provider?

To form a rational image of the Internet, the following arbitrary levels were created and often overlap:

• NAPs are at the top of the pyramid, Level 1, where major backbone operators interconnect to establish the Internet core.

• Level 2 is made up of national backbone operators, often referred to as NSPs, and the network of networks spreads out from these service providers.

• Level 3 is made up of regional networks and the companies' operating regional backbones, often within a state or among several adjoining states, much like the national backbone operators. Level 3 providers connect to one or multiple national backbone providers to connect to the Internet. Some Level 3 providers do have a presence at a NAP where they then extend their network to smaller cities and towns in their areas.

• Level 3 providers connect businesses to those points with direct access connections and maintain dial-up terminal banks to offer 28.8 to 56KBps dial-up SLIP/PPP connections to consumers. In many cases, regional networks are more extensive than national backbones, but on a smaller geographic scale.

• Level 4 is the individual Internet service provider. These ISPs vary in size from small two- or three-person operations to large organizations, such as those with more than 100,000 dial-up customers. Level-4 providers often don't operate a backbone or regional network; leasing connections to a national backbone provider, or a regional network operator.

  Level 4 providers might offer service on a national basis, but using the points of presence (POPs) and backbone structure of their larger backbone partner(s). Several large providers, such as EarthLink and MindSpring, are Level 4 providers. These providers manage and operate an equipment room in a single area code, lease connections to a national backbone provider, and provide dial-up connections and leased connections to consumers and businesses in the local area.

  Level 4 providers tend to focus on customer service, configuration, and training at lower prices than a national ISP might provide.

• Level 5 is the consumer and business market, leasing a line from the customer office to an Internet service provider POP.

Who gives out Internet addresses and domain names?

Addresses and names are managed by a central authority, the InterNIC, to ensure global uniqueness in the assignment of names and addresses.

The InterNIC delegates portions of the address and name space to other international NICs and Internet Service Providers for further delegation to customers of those ISPs.

Is the Internet secure?

On a broad level, the Internet itself is not secure. On an individual basis, however, Internet access is as secure as each customer makes it. Internet users need to implement security options such as encryption and firewalls to protect data and internal networks.

What is the FIX and CIX?

FIX is the Federal Internet Exchange. There are two FIX points: FIX-East at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD and FIX-West at the NASA Ames Research Center at Moffet Field, CA (between Sunnyvale and Mountain View). CIX is the Commercial Internet Exchange. The CIX router is still operational in Santa Clara, CA and in Herndon, Virginia.

The FIX and CIX NAPs are overshadowed today by the MAEs, but they are still functional, serving more as historical legacy NAPs than as current influences.