Essay Example on Unix Desktop Users: System & Network Administration

Introduction

UNIX desktop users tend to perform two roles without intending. They act as system and network administration while using computers. System administration functions occur when adding users and creating information backups on the computer. Such services are isolated in the independent computer system. Contrarily, the management of network systems occurs differently by affecting other equipment and network schemes. Operating one network may positively or negatively affect other systems, thus the need for proper knowledge on computer and network handling. Networking allows users to communicate more than they compute. Therefore, TCP IP provides communication between computer operating systems and hardware. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the TCP IP has enabled the expansion of the internet into a worldwide network.

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TCP IP Structure

TCP IP is a name given to a collection of data communication protocols. It involves two main contracts, the Transmission Control Protocol and the Internet Protocol, and may be referred to as the Internet Protocol Suite. A research and development project was launched in 1969 by the Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop a network that would improve communications between computer systems. The project objective was that the Arpanet would establish measures to deliver robust, unswerving, and supplier-independent information communications. The network became a success, and many organizations adopted it for their daily communication activities (Graham &Dutton, 2019). The system saw further improvements in 1975 as it was elevated from an experimental project to an operational system. The network's administration was delegated to the Defense Communications Agency. As a functional network, Arpanet allowed for further development bringing into existence the TCP IP network.

The TCP IP structure is made of four layers. At the lowest level, there is the Network Access Layer that creates an avenue for the system to relay information on an attached network such as an IP datagram. The second layer is the Internet layer, which is the heart of the model as it provides packet delivery systems for building a network. All other layers rely on the Internet Protocol to communicate. The layer defines a datagram and the internet addressing scheme. It also moves datagrams to the remote hosts and performs re-assembly and fragmentation of datagrams. The third layer is the transport layer that comprises User Datagram Protocol and the Transmission Control Protocol. The two protocols are used to transmit data between the Internet Layer and the Application Layer. Lastly, the Application Layer hosts all the processes used by the Transport Layer to disseminate information. Application layer protocols include HTTPS, SMTP, Telnet, and FTP, and they continue to come up with the expansion of the internet.

Expansion into the Worldwide Internet

Importantly, despite the availability of protocols to further the success of TCP IP into the internet, were highly effective in the provision of data required for worldwide communication at that time. The system also had four other features that spearheaded its success. First, open protocols were also available and would be freely developed from any computer hardware or operating system provided. The tremendous support received makes it possible to link hardware and operating systems even when no communication is needed. Second, the network operates independently from other hardware, thus making it possible to combine several different networks that eventually form the internet (Meenakshi, 2014). The system is easy to run via the DSL networks, Ethernet, or optical networks. Third, the protocols are of high standards, making it easier for service providers to access them. Lastly, it has a common scheme to relay addresses such that one TCP IP device can detect any other user devise within the network globally.

In 1983, the TCP IP networks were embraced as Military Standards. All hosts of the initial system were converted to the new network protocols. Moreover, the conversion was made easier by the DARPA network, which funded Beranek, Bolt, and Newman, thus implementing TCP IP in Berkeley that initially hosted UNIX. As a result, UNIX and TCP IP became a merge. When TCCP IP was embraced as a standard, the users started using the term internet. Later the same year, the ARPA net was reclassified into MILNET representing the Defenses Data Network and a smaller unit of ARPA net. The combination of the two divisions was hence called the internet. The National Science Foundation later created the NSFnet, which merged with the existing web. NSFnet would link up to five supercomputer systems yet was smaller and slower (56kbps) than ARPAnet (Bello et al., 2017). Nonetheless, the vision of NSFnet was bright as it sought to bring the internet to the access of every scientist and engineer in the United States.

In 1987, NSFnet realized its flaws, thus created a three-metered network topology with a faster speed and backbone. The new network had local and regional networks as well as a backbone. By 1990, ARPAnet lost relevance, thus making NSFnet the primary owner and developer of the internet. However, this central role only lasted up to 1995, where the internet became a sole network, not relying on any organization for a backbone or government support.

The internet today exists as an independent system connecting millions of worldwide networks. The network is currently built by commercial providers of two types. Tier-one providers are commonly known as regional providers, and regional providers construct the network's infrastructure. There are service providers referred to as IPS who avail of user services and local services to the users. Several systems of the internet are interconnected via Network Access Points in the United States. The size of this network has been doubling each year since 1983 when it relied on backbone networks like ARPAnet and NSFnet. Despite the changes that have occurred, the system has maintained the TCP IP protocol. Differences have emerged on the definition of the term Internet, making its success more visible. For instance, during its early years, the internet referred to a single IP network.

However, today, the same term refers to the interconnection of various networks. Researchers define the internet with small letter i as the collection of different physical systems that are linked together through a protocol. Contrarily, the internet with a capital I refers to the worldwide interconnection of several methods that are built from the original IP developed by ARPAnet. The use of the internet requires a TCP IP connection. Thus, more organizations have familiarized with the two-tied protocol. The organizations hence use the protocols to develop networks for any of the applications they invent. The contracts are used for local networking in the absence of the internet. They are also used to build networks for enterprises, commonly known as intranets (Kaur &Saluj, 2014). The created networks use web tools and internet techniques to distribute the firm's data across required systems.

Concerns on the TCP IP protocols

Emerging Issues with the protocols include the inability to send information and receive feedback from the system host. They also limit the speed of light as they are limited to near to the earth and physical connections. Also, the TCP sequence numbers are of extremely high bandwidth, thus affecting long delays for such pipelines. Wired networks operating with a TCP assume network congestion every time there is a loss of the packet (Banjar et al., 2015). Lastly, wireless networks show a lot of bit rate error and disconnections of the system for moving hosts. The size of IP networks is enough to accommodate the rapidly changing network sizes. For instance, a recent innovation seeks to bring forth the IPv6 protocol that bears the size of 128 bits, which is better than the initial version of IPv4.

IPv6

Internet Protocol Version 6 is a development from the previous version of IPv4. The text focuses on making the IP a future proof system by increasing the address size to 128 bits. The header format shall also be simplified, removing all unnecessary fields. It shall provide improved services for all traffic means that operate on service quality goals (Rankin, 2016). It shall make the use of computers and networks more secure through data integrity, data confidentiality, and authentication of information.

Conclusion

Conclusively, this paper has covered the description of TCP IP and how its expansion has led to the worldwide internet. From the discussions above, it came out that the systems emerged from the ARPAnet, a research supported by ARPA organization in 1983. The impact of the invention was the acceptance of the system by other organizations that made the project move from an experiment to an operating system. The protocol evolved into the Internet years later, making it independent of the anchor it received from its founders. Eventually, the internet is worldly recognized as a collection of networks. The TCP IP comprises four layers, namely the Network layer, the Internet layer, the transport area, and the Application layer. All four layers are structured to allow further expansion of the system. Some of the inefficiencies of TCP IP include the disconnections of the host by distance and routing discrepancies. The transitions of this network have seen inventions of various IP versions with the recent design of IPv6. It is recommended that organizations should hire qualified personnel to operate computer systems and networks to allow the flow of communication and data security.

References

Banjar, A., Pupatwibul, P., & Braun, R. (2015). Comparison of TCP/IP routing versus OpenFlow table and implementation of an intelligent computational model to provide autonomous behavior. In Computational Intelligence and Efficiency in Engineering Systems (pp. 121-142). Springer, Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-15720-7_9

Bello, O., Zeadally, S., & Badra, M. (2017). Network layer inter-operation of Device-to-Device communication technologies in the Internet of Things (IoT). Ad Hoc Networks, 57, 52-62. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1570870516301597

Graham, M., & Dutton, W. H. (Eds.). (2019). Society and the internet: How networks of information and communication are changing our lives. Oxford University Press. http://thuvienso.vanlanguni.edu.vn/bitstream/Vanlang_TV/6159/2/SA2480_Society%20and%20the%20Internet_Chapter%201.pdf

Kaur, A., & Saluja, M. (2014). Investigating TCP/IP, HTTP, ARP, ICMP Packets Using Wireshark. International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering,[Online] Volume, 4(1). http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.440.6765&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Meenakshi, M. (2014). Impact of Network Size & Link Bandwidth in Wired TCP & UDP Network Topologies. Int. J. Eng. Research and Gen. Science, 2, 168-173. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.471.7294&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Rankin, J. (2016). U.S. Patent No. 9,350,663. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patents.google.com/patent/US9350663B2/en