The Internet This is a computer world where you have computers connected together and communicating with each other with the same language. For any computing system or computer to belong to this world, it must first be connected to the world and be able to communicate with the same language. The general name for this language is called internet Protocol.Below is the representation of the internet.

    Diagram 1: The Internet: connected networks

The network# The network is the vehicle that is used in the Internet world. This vehicle brings “goodies” to all those computers who are fortunate to be in this world.This “goodies” could be called Data, Information or Messages. I called them “goodies” because these are the things asked for by the different computers in the Internet world. So, their needs are being met by the Network. No Network no delivery, no delivery, no Internet! Thanks to Mr. Network availability if not those guys who called themselves computers would starve to death!(smiles) However, for any of the computers to get their package(data) they either must have a good road path or a good airway for the Network to get to them. The ones that get their package by road use cables such as copper wires or optic fibers. The ones by airway get their package wirelessly using technologies like Wi-Fi which use radio waves to transmit data. See an example of a computer network below.

Diagram 2: a computer network

The Internet Protocol Suite: How networks communicate Like I said earlier, all computers in the computers internet world must understand and speak the same language. The Internet Protocol is the teacher that teaches every connected computer this language. This language is also called the teacher itself; the Internet Protocol(IP) but has an additional name called Transmission Control Protocol(TCP). So, you can call the teacher collectively as TCP/IP. This teacher has a method or a model of teaching its students(computers) and calls this model network stack. It is called network stack because the protocols operate in layers or stacks.These layers are four in number called application layer, transport layer, internet layer and link layer.

Diagram3: The internet protocol suite model Each layer communicates with adjacent layers with the same protocol.Each of These layers are also called hosts and servers.This is because they host each other and serve each other. Communication can start from an application layer protocol, to a transport layer protocol, to an internet layer protocol, and finally to a link layer protocol.Also, the communication can start from bottom up in reversing order. Next, we'll now examine each of these layers closely from bottom up. See you there!