Individuals connecting from home typically dial in to an internet service provider (ISP) using a modem over regular telephone lines. Once connected, you can send information or requests over the internet. You can requests a web page, for example, by typing its internet address (called a URL).
Data sent over the internet is divided into packets. Each packet has destination and origin information.
An Internet service provider (ISP) has a permanent connection to the internet and provides temporary connections to others for a fee. ISPs use lines leased from local telephone companies to connect to regional host computers.
Regional host computers are operated by National Internet Service providers. National ISPs consolidate local ISP traffic and provide connection to the Internet backbones, which are the fastest Internet communication lines. If necessary, the regional host computer routes data packets along different paths to their final destination.
National ISPs are connected to one another by Metropolitan Area Exchanges (MAEs), which are facilities where internet traffic carried by one backbone provider is transferred to another backbone provider.
Your request is transferred by another regional host and local ISP to a server, which is any computer directly connected to the Internet that stores and serves data. All the information on the Internet originates within servers, which are operated by schools, companies, and interprets the data packets and takes the appropriate actions, such as sending a web page back to your computer.
PHASE TWO – Data is received
The server retrieves the requested file, divides it into packets and sends it back to the local ISP.
The local ISP then routes the packets to the national ISP and so on over the internet, back to your computer. The packets can be routed over the same or a different path than the original request. The requested file is then displayed on your computer screen.