The impact of technology and networks on our lives, culture, and society continues to increase. The very fact that you can take this course from anywhere in the world requires a technological infrastructure that was designed, engineered, and built over the past sixty years. To function in an information-centric world, we need to understand the workings of network technology. This course will open up the Internet and show you how it was created, who created it and how it works. Along the way we will meet many of the innovators who developed the Internet and Web technologies that we use today.
What You Will Learn:
After this course you will not take the Internet and Web for granted. You will be better informed about important technological issues currently facing society. You will realize that the Internet and Web are spaces for innovation and you will get a better understanding of how you might fit into that innovation. If you get excited about the material in this course, it is a great lead-in to taking a course in Web design, Web development, programming, or even network administration. At a minimum, you will be a much wiser network citizen.
Welcome to the class. We will first look at the history of the Internet and Web, followed by a look at how the network works and then examine how we secure information on the Internet and Web.
World War II emphasized the strategic importance of computation, communication, and information. There was unprecedented investment in the development of new technologies during the war. We start with Alan Turing and others at Bletchley Park.
What's included
7 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 89 minutes
High Stakes Research in Computing, and Communication•8 minutes
Alan Turing and Bletchley Park•25 minutes
Bonus: Class Reunion at Bletchley Park•10 minutes
Post-War Computing and Communication•9 minutes
Using the Michigan Terminal System (through 6:00)•36 minutes
Wrap up and Reflection•1 minute
Bonus: Office Hours - Barcelona, Spain•1 minute
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
History: Dawn of Electronic Computing•30 minutes
History: The First Internet - NSFNet
Module 3•2 hours to complete
Module details
In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a great deal of research done to build the first wide-area packet switched networks for the US Department of Defense. In the 1980s, the first “Internet” was formed to allow academic researchers to access supercomputer resources.
What's included
8 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
8 videos•Total 94 minutes
History Through Supercomputing•26 minutes
Larry Smarr - NCSA•13 minutes
History Through NSFNet•3 minutes
Doug Van Houweling - NSFNet•13 minutes
Leonard Klienrock - The First Two Packets on the Internet•13 minutes
Katie Hafner - Where Wizards Stay Up Late•12 minutes
Bonus: Nii Quaynor - Bringing the Web to Africa•13 minutes
Bonus: Office Hours - Washington DC, USA•1 minute
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
History: The First Internet - NSFNet•30 minutes
History: The Web Makes it Easy to Use
Module 4•1 hour to complete
Module details
The World-Wide-Web was invented in 1990 but it was not an overnight success. But by 1994 - “the year of the web” - the web was being widely used and Internet usage was growing by leaps and bounds.
What's included
8 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
8 videos•Total 42 minutes
Getting to the Web•6 minutes
Robert Cailliau - Co-Inventor of the Web•10 minutes
The Web Becomes Content•3 minutes
Paul Kunz - The First Web Server in America•6 minutes
Building Mosaic•7 minutes
Joseph Hardin - NCSA Mosaic•9 minutes
Reflecting on Mosaic•0 minutes
Bonus: Office Hours - Mexico City, Mexico•1 minute
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
History: The Web Makes it Easy to Use•30 minutes
History: Commercialization and Growth
Module 5•1 hour to complete
Module details
The late 1990’s saw the web and Internet used increasingly to revolutionize how business was done. Companies like Amazon were founded and grew very rapidly.
The Internet is designed based on a four-layer model. Each layer builds on the layers below it. The Link and Internetwork layers are the lowest layers of that model.
The Transport layer is built on the Internetwork layer and is what makes our network connections reliable.
What's included
5 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
5 videos•Total 31 minutes
Transport Layer•9 minutes
Van Jacobson - Slow Start Algorithm•12 minutes
The Domain Name System•8 minutes
TCP Wrap Up•2 minutes
Bonus: Office Hours - Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA•1 minute
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Technology: Transport Control Protocol (TCP)•30 minutes
Technology: Application Protocols
Module 8•1 hour to complete
Module details
With reliable “pipes” available from the Transport layer, we can build applications like web browsers, file transfer applications, or email clients and servers.
What's included
3 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 36 minutes
Application Layer•25 minutes
Van Jacobson - Content Centered Networking•10 minutes
Bonus: Office Hours - San Diego, California, USA•1 minute
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Technology: Application Protocols•30 minutes
Security: Encrypting and Signing
Module 9•2 hours to complete
Module details
Using simple examples, we examing how to shield data from prying eyes and make sure that the data was not altered while in transit.
What's included
4 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
4 videos•Total 71 minutes
Security Introduction•12 minutes
Security - Encryption and Confidentiality•21 minutes
Security - Integrity and Signatures•31 minutes
Bruce Schneier: The Security Mindset•8 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Security : Encrypting and Signing•30 minutes
Security: Web Security
Module 10•1 hour to complete
Module details
We apply the basic ideas of encryption and signing to who we actually secure the connections that we use on today’s Web and Internet.
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S
SI
5·
Reviewed on Apr 25, 2019
Great Instructor! I have learnt alot from this course as well as the instructor. I am thankful to coursera for providing me this opportunity to learn from an instructor like Dr. Charles Severance.
J
JM
5·
Reviewed on Jun 14, 2016
Dr. Chuck is the best!! The interviews with the Grandfathers and Innovators of the Internet are AWESOME! I highly recommend this class to everyone, you will definitely enjoy it tremendously.
S
SS
5·
Reviewed on Nov 11, 2016
Very interesting course. The instructor is really helpful and knowledgeable person. Someone interested in internet should take this course. It's awesome and fun to learn.Best of luck!!!
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