Wikibooks: A Bit History of Internet/Chapter 3 : Internet Edge

Nav Author/Editor Loh Boon Pin/Lim Weng Kai/Lee Ming Yue/Lim Wai Chun/Lee Lih Horng =Internet Edge Introduction= What is Internet edge? Internet edge is considered an edge of a network and look at the electronic components with what we are using including computers personal digital assistants (PDAs) cellphones smartphones tablets and other devices that we use in our daily lives. The computers and other electronic devices that connect to the Internet are often known as end systems because they are situated at the edge of the Internet. The end to end principle is a classic design principle of computer networking that states that application specific functions ought to reside in the end hosts of a network rather than in intermediary nodes provided they can be implemented completely and correctly in the end hosts. First explicitly articulated in a 1981 conference paper by Saltzer Reed and Clark it has inspired and informed many subsequent debates on the proper distribution of functions in the Internet and communication networks more generally. The Internet s end systems include desktop computers (e.g. desktop personal computers (PCs) Macs and Linux boxes) servers (e.g. Web and email servers) and mobile computers (e.g. portable computers PDAs and phones with wireless Internet connections). With the accelerating rate at which technology is advancing today gaming consoles (such as PlayStation 2/3 and XBOX360) as well as digital cameras are all connected to the Internet as end systems. They allow users to interact directly with the Internet to send and receive data. Other end systems are not accessed directly by users but do facilitate Internet communications. These include servers for data such as email and web pages. Users connect with such end systems through their own computers which contact the server to access and transfer information. The end user always interacts with the end systems. The Internet’s end systems include some computers with which the end user does not interact. End systems are also referred to ...