• a machine that can run a program

• • computing device

• • computing system

• • computing network

• • path

• a group of computers working together for a common purpose

• • computing device

• • computing system

• • computing network

• • path

• a group of connected computers that can send or receive data

• • computing device

• • computing system

• • computing network

• • path

• a sequence of direct connections

• • computing device

• • computing system

• • computing network

• • path

Which of the following best describes the protocols used on the Internet?

• The protocols of the Internet are designed by government agencies to ensure they remain free to use

• The protocols of the Internet are secret to maintain the privacy and security of people using them

• Each device connected to the Internet will use a protocol designed by the company that manufactured it

• The protocols of the Internet are open and used by all devices connected to the network

Answer explanation

One of the most important ideas behind protocols is the idea that they agreed upon by everyone using a given system, in this case the internet.

Jesse purchases a new smartphone and is immediately able to use it to send a photo over the Internet to a friend who lives in a different country. Which of the following is NOT necessary to make this possible?

• Both devices are using the same shared and open protocols

• A single direct connection is established between any two devices connected to the Internet

• The data of the image is routed through a sequence of directly connected devices before arriving at its destination.

• Both devices are directly connected to at least one part of the Internet

Answer explanation

A path between two devices connected to the internet is a sequence of directly connected devices, not one single direct connection.

This diagram shows a number of computing devices connected to the Internet with each line representing a direct connection.   What is the MINIMUM number of paths that would need to be broken to prevent Computing Device A from connecting with Computing Device E?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Answer explanation

See the diagram showing which paths would need to be broken.

This diagram shows a number of computing devices connected to the Internet with each line representing a direct connection.   Device A is attempting to send data over the Internet to Device E. Which of the following is true of how the data will travel through the network?

• The data will always travel through Device B as it is the shortest path

• The data will never be sent to Device G since there are other shorter paths available

• It is possible that the data travels through any of the devices in the network before arriving at device E

• If the data travels through Device D then it will not travel through Device B

Answer explanation

This is an example of redundancy, where there are multiple paths between these two devices and given the conditions on the network, the data may travel through any of the possible paths.

Which of the following is true of how the Internet has responded to the increasing number of devices now using the network?

• The Internet protocols are changed every year to adapt to the new devices that have been connected to the network

• While the number of devices connected to the Internet has grown, the network itself has not grown

• The protocols of the Internet were designed to scale as new devices are added

• The protocols of the Internet are no longer necessary thanks to the large number of devices now connected to the network

Answer explanation

One example of this is the protocols around packets including TCP. These protocols improve the reliability of sending and receiving data no matter how many devices are connected to the network.

Which of the following is true of how packets are sent through the Internet?

• Packet metadata is only included on important packets to indicate they should get access to faster paths through the network

• Packet metadata is used to route and reassemble information travelling through the Internet

• Information sent through the internet is only encapsulated in packets if the message is too large to be sent as a datastream

• Information sent through the internet is split into two packets, one which contains the message and another which contains the metadata

Answer explanation

The metadata for a packet includes information about where it came from, where it's going, and how it fits in with the rest of the packets it's associated with.