Internet Addresses

1.    What is a URL?

 Uniform (or universal) resource locator, the address of a World Wide Web page.

2.    What is an IP address and how is it related to a URL?

The browser communicated with a name server to translate the server name "www.google.com.au" into an IP Address, which it uses to connect to the server machine. The browser then formed a connection to the server at that IP address on port 80.

3.    Given our school website's URL is http://www.mcauley.nsw.edu.au, what is our domain name and what protocol do you need to use to access the site?

Domain Name: mcauley.nsw.edu.au

Protocol: 'http' (hypertext transfer protocol)

4.    In the context of an IP address, what is an octet?

IP stands for Internet protocol, and these addresses are 32-bit numbers, normally expressed as four "octets" in a "dotted decimal number." The four numbers in an IP address are called octets because they can have values between 0 and 255,

Broadband Speedtest

For a bit of fun determine the speed of our internet connection using the site below. Start by testing the connection speed to the Sydney location then select a different location from the map (drag the map to find a location).

http://www.speedtest.net/

Home Computer = 0.50 Mbps

1. What is meant  by upload and download speeds?
Uploading involves sending a copy of a file from a computer to a remote network connection; for instance, Web developers and publishers upload files to their Web server to make them available for other people to access.

Downloading involves the reception of a file that has been uploaded to a remote network. Often this refers to a person copying a file from a remote network to her personal computer; for example, people download music from iTunes after they make a purchase.

Upload speed is usually slower than download speed because Internet providers have designed their systems to optimize download speeds. This is because most Internet users spend more time downloading than uploading. In other words, Internet providers give priority to downloading since it's more frequently done than uploading

2. What are the units used to measure download speeds? 
Mbps (mega bits per second)  or Kbps (Kilo bits per second)

3. Why do different locations offer different download speeds? Hint: “bottleneck”
There are various reasons for different speeds:
- cables, they type of material used,optic fibre- copper wire-whether the server is wireless 
-crowds/No. of users eg townhouse
-Amount of data being uploaded/downloaded 
-Bottleneck- Size of channels/branches
-The weather can affect some wireless channels
-Time of day
-Usage

'Bottlenecks' reduces the room data has to travel therefore reducing the speed it is transmitted at.