Appropriate for all introductory-to-intermediate courses on the Internet and/or World Wide Web, or as a supplement to computer literacy courses covering the Internet.

Thoroughly updated to reflect the latest Internet technologies and trends, How the Internet Works, Seventh Edition is the industrys leading full-color, visual guide to the Internet. Using large, full-color diagrams, leading author and newspaper columnist Preston Gralla explains every facet of the Internet. Students will first discover how the Internet fits together, and how individual computers can be connected to it. Next, they'll learn how every key Internet application works -- from email to chat, instant messaging to Internet telephony. Gralla shows how Web pages, sites, and servers work; how Web sites work with databases; how scripting works; and much more. He presents extensive, up-to-date coverage of high-profile applications such as music sharing, as well as detailed coverage of Internet security -- from spyware and viruses to cryptography and parental controls. This edition's extensive new coverage ranges from grid computing to Microsoft .NET. How the Internet Works, Seventh Edition will be equally appreciated by students who plan further study on Internet technologies and by those who simply intend to use the Internet.