Super User Stack Exchange
Super User Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [internet]

Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks.

The interconnectedness of the Internet makes it a very fault tolerant system: When one part fails, other connections take over to route traffic to its intended destination.

There is no one organisation in charge of the Internet; each section is run by its owner.

Started in the 1960s as ARPANET, it was initially used by the military and academia; by the late 1970s/early 1980s, it was available to the public via Telenet.

References

3415 questions
359
votes
5 answers

Who provides the Internet service to Internet Service Providers (ISPs)?

I've been wondering recently about how the infrastructure of the Internet really works. I know that I have an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that supplies my connection to the Internet. But what I don't know is: Who provides the Internet to the…
James Mertz
  • 26,224
  • 41
  • 111
  • 163
191
votes
24 answers

What are some options for transferring large files without using the Internet?

My employer's Internet connection is extremely slow. It's $6,000 a month, 9 Mb, bonded T1, shared by over 150 users. It's not untypical to see regular file transfer speeds of 20-100 KBps. And that was after I convinced upper management to upgrade…
Kyle Lowry
  • 1,896
  • 3
  • 14
  • 13
172
votes
7 answers

Why did dialup modems make noise?

I know that the signal was just tone pulses but why was it when (back in the 90s) when you first connected to the internet you heard a bunch of funny noises. After that if you were to use the internet, it still was using the telephone line, why no…
Celeritas
  • 8,159
  • 36
  • 107
  • 150
149
votes
3 answers

Why are websites suddenly asking me about cookies?

I have for a long time known that websites give me cookies so that small pieces of information can be remembered about my habits, passwords etc. I accept this, but all of a sudden they are asking for my permission to do so. Why has this changed?…
AncientSwordRage
  • 2,365
  • 5
  • 22
  • 34
117
votes
2 answers

Why does a gigabit/sec Internet connection via cable (coax) not offer symmetrical speeds like fiber?

In our area, we have Cox Communications (cable) which offers 1 Gbit/s down, and 30 Mbit/s up, while CenturyLink (fiber) offers 1 Gbit/s up and down. Why does copper only 'allow' fast speeds for download, but not upload? Is this a limitation…
v15
  • 1,915
  • 6
  • 20
  • 34
114
votes
5 answers

How should I choose my DNS?

When I have to choose my DNS I think that I should consider: Speed Reliability Privacy Control (reports and stats) The main options that come to my mind, and how I weigh them according to the above factors, are: My ISP = faster (closer to me) but…
Jader Dias
  • 15,756
  • 60
  • 143
  • 196
100
votes
12 answers

Use VPN connection only for selected applications

I have access to a VPN and want to use it only for some applications, not all. For example: If I connect to a VPN I want only the applications Opera and Newsbin to use that VPN connection. All other applications, like f.e. Outlook, should use the…
user18861
90
votes
3 answers

Why does MIT have a /8 IPv4 block?

I noticed that MIT has the IP addresses 18.0.0.0/8. It seems like MIT is the only university that has a whole /8 block. Why does MIT have a whole /8 IPv4 block? What makes it different from other Universities?
ai8p588t
  • 991
  • 1
  • 7
  • 5
83
votes
9 answers

Can you grab any IP address on the Internet?

On a personal network (LAN) one can simply grab an IP address. If you choose the same IP address as an existing client, you get problems. There are companies like IANA and ICANN that are in charge of IP address bulks and sells them. But what stops…
Friend of Kim
  • 1,381
  • 3
  • 18
  • 25
82
votes
4 answers

What does wwws mean?

I've seen a couple of sites that use wwws in their domain, for example: wwws.mint.com and wwws.whitehouse.gov. I'm sure it has something to do with an extra layer of security. What does it mean and what is it used for? Why do only a handful of…
Adam
  • 1,793
  • 4
  • 15
  • 19
68
votes
3 answers

How can I block a program from accessing the Internet?

I really want to know how can I prevent a program to connect to Internet with Windows 7 firewall? I have smart security nod32 business edition installed on my computer. should i do this job with nod or there is a way in Windows Firewall?
SilverLight
  • 1,364
  • 7
  • 22
  • 40
61
votes
7 answers

Is it possible for many domain names to share one IP address?

Is it possible for many domain names to share one IP address? For example, www.xjtl.com, www.fmie.com, sdmfl.com, etc. Hundreds of domain names share just one IP – when you do a DNS query for each of them, the same IP is returned. Are there any laws…
misteryes
  • 2,895
  • 13
  • 41
  • 49
61
votes
3 answers

What do cookie warnings mean by "Legitimate Interest"?

I've had to decline/accept cookies for a while now. But something I've noticed on a handful of websites are now suggesting that the cookies have 'legitimate interest'? I have a legitimate interest in IRL cookies I can eat, but I do not know what it…
AncientSwordRage
  • 2,365
  • 5
  • 22
  • 34
60
votes
3 answers

Can I detect what webserver a website is using?

Is there any program or command that I can use to detect what webserver a website is using? With webserver I mean in software i.e. IIS 6, Apache or nginx.
Jonas
  • 26,874
  • 52
  • 105
  • 125
58
votes
12 answers

When I plug an Ethernet cable into my computer, is my computer directly connected to every server on the Internet?

By this I mean could I follow the Ethernet cable through thousands of miles of fiber optics and eventually get to Amazon's server, ESPN's server, and every other site's server? Thus, excluding the cases of satellite usage, is the Internet just one…
Jeffrey Steven
  • 713
  • 1
  • 5
  • 5
1
2 3
…
99 100