The Internet is a global network, connecting many smaller individual networks. For example, a computer in your room is connected to another computer on campus. All the departments on campus are then connected to a larger network in your state. The statewide network is connected to regional, national and international networks.

The Internet is also a set of "protocols" that allow you to communicate with people, move files between computers, and find and share information. The protocols you are likely to use are:

• email - for communicating with people across the Internet
• http - (hypertext transfer protocol) for making Web pages accessible
• telnet - for logging into other computers such as databases and host computers
• ftp - (file transfer protocol) for transferring files from one computer to another across the Internet