The Internet consists of a series of individual computers, each of which is connected to a single network. The access protocols, in turn, govern these connections. Internet access protocols are essentially rules that facilitate communication between individual machines (computers) and the Internet. Programs such as web browsers and search engines use Internet access protocols to search for and retrieve desired information. However, no piece of software has access to all the files hosted on the Internet; therefore, it is necessary to create an arsenal of websites, subject directories, search engines, and email and Usenet groups for your research needs.

Some of the more common protocols include HTTP (“The Web”), TELNET, FTP, Usenet, and email.

1. The world wide web

The World Wide Web (WWW) is often confused with the “Internet”. This is understandable, since the WWW represents a large part of what is available on the Internet. However, the WWW is only one of many Internet access protocols.

The access protocol that forms the basis of the WWW is the Hypertext Transfer Protocol, or HTTP. HTTP is a separate protocol that also provides access to other protocols, including TELNET, FTP and Usenet, and email groups. This is one of the reasons for its popularity: users can search for and retrieve information from a variety of protocols without the need to learn and connect to each one. The Web is also adept at handling multimedia files and advanced programming languages, and is relatively simple, with an easy-to-use interface. When doing research online, you probably go to the WWW 99% of the time.

The Internet access protocol of the Web is called HTTP because the WWW uses hypertext to retrieve information. Hypertext is a means of linking documents through words (or graphics) called links. Each time the user clicks on a link, they are directed to another document, one specified by the creator of the link. When you visit a website, you use links to navigate from one page to another within the site. Most of the sites also contain links to other websites.

To view a website, you need to use software called a web browser. Many browsers use plugins to be able to display multimedia materials such as images or audio/video files. Even if you’re not sure what a web browser is, chances are you’ve used several. Popular browsers include Internet Explorer and Mozilla.

2.TELNET

Another Internet access protocol you may encounter is the TELNET protocol. Machines that are connected to the Internet sometimes use this program to allow other computers to connect to their databases, catalogs, and chat services. For example, I made frequent use of TELNET when I took an online distance learning course from the University of New Mexico a few years ago. Instead of regular class meetings, we were asked to TELNET once a week and discuss the week’s readings and homework assignments with our virtual classmates. Some university libraries use TELNET, although many have moved their online catalogs to the Web.

To start a TELNET session, you must first install the software on your computer and then find a compatible web browser. You probably won’t work with TELNET very often, and in the cases where you do, it’s most likely in your library, which will already have TELNET installed on their machines. So, in other words, there’s no reason to rush to your computer and install TELNET ASAP!

3.FTP

File Transfer Protocol, or FTP, is exactly what it sounds like: an Internet protocol for transferring files between machines. Users can choose to share files with specific people; this is common in the workplace, where co-workers can use FTP to share documents, videos, and other resources with each other. Users can also make their files available for anyone to download. Anonymous FTP allows users to download files from host computers to their own machines; KaZaA, BearShare and LimeWire are some popular examples.

FTP search engines allow you to search the Web for files that can be downloaded using the FTP program.

Some (free!) file search engines include:

File Search – http://www.filesearching.com/

FileWatcher – http://www.filewatcher.com/

ftp search engines – http://www.ftpsearchengines.com/

FTP Search – http://www.ftpsearch.net/

While all of the above are “general” file search engines, you can also use file search engines that will specifically search for images, audio files, video files, and new web pages. Many of the popular search engines, such as Google and AltaVista, also have options to search only for media files.

4. Usenet and email discussion groups

Usenet is a system that uses the Network News Transfer Protocol, or NNTP. Usenet groups, commonly known as newsgroups, are discussion groups devoted to a specific topic. With thousands of newsgroups available, everything from environmental conservation to Taco Bell is covered.

Email groups are another form of discussion groups. Instead of NNTP, they use an email protocol called Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, or SMTP. Like newsgroups, email groups also focus on certain topics. The main difference between the two is that email discussion groups deliver the messages that users post directly to your computer (talk about convenient!). On the other hand, newsgroup posts are stored on a central computer. To view the messages, users must connect to the machine on which the messages are stored and read them online or download them to their own computers.

These discussion groups are very useful for networking and connecting with other people, especially if you need to find an expert on a certain topic.

When doing research, it helps to understand how ‘Net’ works. For example, files available on websites and messages posted on newsgroups can be useful resources for the student researcher. However, both are governed by different protocols and sometimes require different investigative techniques to discover them.