Chapter 3

E-commerce Infrastructure:
The Internet, Web, and Mobile Platform

ACS3033: E-Commerce ACS3033: E-Commerce/ Feb 2019-20/ Dr. Fatihah Mohd/FKP-UMK

Learning Objectives
•
3.1 Discuss the origins of, and the key technology concepts
behind, the Internet.
•
3.2 Explain the current structure of the Internet.
•
3.3 Understand the limitations of today’s Internet and the potential
capabilities of the Internet of the future.
•
3.4 Understand how the Web works.
•
3.5 Describe how Internet and web features and services support
e-commerce.
•
3.6 Understand the impact of mobile applications.
The Covid-19 Pandemic: Will the Internet
Break?
• Class Discussion
– How has your usage of the Internet changed as a
result of the pandemic?
– Why are fears that the Internet will break misguided?
– How has the pandemic highlighted the issues raised
by the “digital divide”?

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The Internet: Technology Background
• Internet
– Interconnected network of thousands of networks and millions of
computers
– Links businesses, educational institutions, government agencies,
and individuals

• World Wide Web (Web)

– One of the Internet’s most popular services
– Provides access to billions, possibly trillions, of web pages
The Evolution of the Internet
1961–Present
• Innovation Phase, 1961–1974
– Creation of fundamental building blocks

• Institutionalization Phase, 1975–1995

– Large institutions provide funding and legitimization

• Commercialization Phase, 1995–present

– Private corporations take over, expand Internet backbone and
local service
History of the Internet Timeline – An Ever-Evolving
Digital World
[Link]
 The Internet: Key Technology Concepts

• Internet defined as network that:

– Uses IP addressing
– Supports TCP/IP
– Provides services to users, in manner similar to telephone system

• Three important concepts:

– Packet switching
– TCP/IP communications protocol
– Client/server computing
1. Packet Switching
• Slices digital messages into packets
• Sends packets along different communication
paths as they become available
• Reassembles packets once they arrive at
destination
• Uses routers
• Less expensive, wasteful than circuit-switching
Figure 3.3: Packet Switching
2. TCP/IP
• Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
– Establishes connections among sending and receiving computers
– Handles assembly of packets at point of transmission, and
reassembly at receiving end

• Internet Protocol (IP)

• Four TCP/IP layers
– Network interface layer
– Internet layer
– Transport layer
– Application layer
Figure 3.4 The TCP/IP Architecture and
Protocol Suite

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Internet (IP) Addresses
• IPv4
– 32-bit number
– Four sets of numbers marked off by periods: [Link]
 Class C address: Network identified by first three sets, computer identified by
last set

• IPv6
– 128-bit addresses, able to handle up to 1 quadrillion addresses
(IPv4 can handle only 4 billion)
IP Address
Figure 3.5: Routing Internet Messages: TCP/IP
and Packet Switching
Domain Names, DNS, and URLs
• Domain name
– IP address expressed in natural language

• Domain name system (DNS)

– Allows numeric IP addresses to be expressed in natural language

• Uniform resource locator (URL)

– Address used by web browser to identify location of content on the
Web
– For example: [Link]
3. Client/Server Computing
• Powerful personal computers (clients) connected
in network with one or more servers
• Servers perform common functions for the clients
– Storing files
– Software applications
– Access to printers, and so on
 The New Client: The Mobile Platform

• Primary Internet access is now through tablets

and smartphones
• Tablets supplement PCs for mobile situations
– 170 million people in U.S. use Internet with tablets

• Smartphones are a disruptive technology

– New processors and operating systems
– 245 million in U.S. access Internet with smartphones
 The Internet “Cloud Computing” Model
(1 of 2)
• Firms and individuals obtain computing power and
software over Internet
• Three types of services
– Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
– Software as a service (SaaS)
– Platform as a service (PaaS)
• Public, private, and hybrid clouds
 The Internet “Cloud Computing” Model
(2 of 2)
• Drawbacks
– Security risks
– Shifts responsibility for storage and control to providers
• Radically reduces costs of:
– Building and operating websites
– Infrastructure, IT support
– Hardware, software
 Other Internet Protocols and Utility
Programs
• Internet protocols
– HTTP
– E-mail: SMTP, POP3, IMAP
– FTP, Telnet, SSL/TLS
• Utility programs
– Ping
– Tracert
Utility Programs
The Internet Today
• Internet growth has boomed without disruption
because of:
– Client/server computing model
– Hourglass, layered architecture
 Network Technology Substrate
 Transport Services and Representation Standards
 Middleware Services
 Applications
Figure 3.10 The Hourglass Model of the
Internet

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Figure 3.11 Internet Network Architecture

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1. The Internet Backbone
• Comprised of fiber-optic cable: hundreds of glass strands
that use light to transmit data
– Faster speeds and greater bandwidth
– Thinner, lighter cables
– Less interference
– Better data security
• Tier 1 Internet Service Providers (Tier 1 ISPs) or transit ISPs
• Numerous private networks physically connected to each
other
• Undersea fiber optics, satellite links

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2. Internet Exchange Points (IXPs)
• Regional hubs where Tier 1 ISPs physically connect with
one another and with regional Tier 2 ISPs.
• Tier 2 ISPs provide Tier 3 ISPs with Internet access.
• Originally called Network Access Points (NAPs) or
Metropolitan Area Exchanges (MAEs).
3. Tier 3 Internet Service Providers
• Retail providers
– Lease Internet access to home owners, small businesses
– Large providers: Comcast, Verizon, Time Warner Cable
– Smaller local providers

• Services
– Narrowband
– Broadband
– Digital subscriber line (DSL)
– Cable Internet
– Satellite Internet
Malaysia ISP?
4. Campus/Corporate Area Networks
• Local area networks operating within single
organization
• E.g., NYU, Microsoft Corporation
• Lease Internet access directly from regional and
national carriers
Mobile Internet Access
• Two basic types of wireless Internet access:
– Telephone-based (mobile phones, smartphones)
– Computer network-based (wireless local area
network-based)
• Telephone-based wireless Internet access
– Currently based on 3G and 4G technologies
– 5G will provide higher bandwidth with speeds
reaching 10 Gbps or more

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Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) -
Based Internet Access
• Wi-Fi (various 802.11 standards)
– High-speed, fixed broadband wireless LAN (WLAN)
– Wireless access point (“hot spots”)
– Limited range but inexpensive
• WiMax
• Bluetooth

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Figure 3.13 Wi-Fi Networks

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Other Innovative Internet Access Technologies:
Drones, Balloons, and White Space

• Google: Project Loon

• Facebook: Facebook Connectivity Lab/Acquila drone
• Microsoft: Airband Initiative (white spaces)

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The Internet of Things (IOT)
• Objects connected via sensors/RFID to the Internet
• “Smart things”
• Interoperability issues and standards
• Security and privacy concerns

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Who Governs the Internet?
• Organizations that influence the Internet and
monitor its operations include:
– Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
– Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
– Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)
– Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG)
– Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
– Internet Society (ISOC)
– Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
– World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
– Internet Network Operators Groups (NOGs)
•
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia
Commission (MCMC):
– monitors and regulates the performance of Network
Service and Application Service providers by setting
Quality of Service Standards.
Insight on Society: Government Regulation
and Surveillance of the Internet
• Class discussion:
– How is it possible for any government to “control” or censor the
Web?
– Does the Chinese government, or the U.S. government, have the
right to censor content on the Web?
– How should U.S. companies deal with governments that want to
censor content?
– What would happen to e-commerce if the existing Web split into a
different Web for each country?
The Web
• 1989–1991: Web invented
– Tim Berners-Lee at CERN
– HTML, HTTP, Web server, Web browser

• 1993: Mosaic web browser w/GUI

– Andreessen and others at NCSA
– Runs on Windows, Macintosh, or Unix

• 1994: Netscape Navigator, first commercial web

browser
• 1995: Microsoft Internet Explorer
Hypertext
• Text formatted with embedded links
– Links connect documents to one another, and to other objects
such as sound, video, or animation files

• Uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and

URLs to locate resources on the Web
– Example URL: [Link]
Markup Languages
• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
– Fixed set of pre-defined markup “tags” used to format text
– Controls look and feel of web pages
– HTML5 the newest version

• eXtensible Markup Language (XML)

– Designed to describe data and information
– Tags used are defined by user
Web Servers and Web Clients
• Web server software
– Enables a computer to deliver web pages to clients on a network
that request this service by sending an HTTP request
– Basic capabilities: Security services, FTP, search engine, data
capture

• Web server
– May refer to either web server software or physical server
– Specialized servers: Database servers, ad servers, and so on

• Web client
– Any computing device attached to the Internet that is capable of
making HTTP requests and displaying HTML pages
Web Browsers
• Primary purpose is to display web page, but may
include added features
– Google’s Chrome: 51% of desktop market, 52% mobile
market
 Open source
– Internet Explorer: 30% of desktop, >2% mobile
– Mozilla Firefox: 8% desktop, >1% mobile
 Open source
– Apple’s Safari: 4.5% desktop, 28% mobile
The Internet and Web: Features
• Features on which the foundations of
e-commerce are built:
– Communication tools
– Search engines
– Downloadable and streaming media
– Web 2.0 applications and services
– Virtual reality and augmented reality
– Intelligent personal assistants
Communication Tools
• E-mail
– Most used application of the Internet

• Messaging Applications
– Instant messaging

• Online message boards

• Internet telephony
– VOIP

• Video conferencing, video chatting, telepresence

Insight on Technology: Zoom in the
Midst of the Pandemic
• Class Discussion
– What has your experience using Zoom and other
videoconferencing services during the pandemic
been like?
– What challenges does Zoom face?
– How has Zoom responded to those challenges?

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Search Engines
• Identify web pages that match queries based on one or
more techniques
– Keyword indexes
– Page ranking
• Also serve as:
– Shopping tools
– Advertising vehicles (search engine marketing)
– Tool within e-commerce sites
• Top three providers: Google, Microsoft’s Bing, Verizon
Media (Yahoo)
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Figure 3.17 How Google Works

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Downloadable and Streaming Media
• Downloads:
– Growth in broadband connections enables large
media file downloads
• Streaming technologies
– Enables music, video, and other large files to be sent
to users in chunks so that the file can play
uninterrupted
• Podcasting
• Explosion in online video viewing

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Web 2.0 Features and Services
• Online Social Networks
– Services that support communication among networks of
friends, peers
• Blogs
– Personal web page of chronological entries
– Enables web page publishing with no knowledge of HTML
• Wikis
– Enables documents to be written collectively and
collaboratively
– E.g., Wikipedia

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Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
• Virtual reality (VR)
– Immersing users within virtual world
– Typically uses head-mounted display (HMD)
– Oculus Rift, Vive, PlayStation VR
• Augmented reality (AR)
– Overlaying virtual objects over the real world, via
mobile devices or HMDs
– Pokémon GO
• Mixed reality (AR)
– Enhanced version of AR
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Virtual reality

[Link]
 Augmented reality

[Link]
Intelligent Digital Assistants
• Computer search engine using:
– Natural language
– Conversational interface, verbal commands
– Situational awareness
• Can handle requests for appointments, flights, routes,
event scheduling, and more.
– Examples:
 Apple’s Siri
 Google Now/Google Assistant
 Amazon Alexa

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Mobile Apps
• Use of mobile apps has exploded
– Most popular entertainment media, over TV
– Always present shopping tool
– Almost all top 100 brands have an app
• Platforms
– iPhone/iPad (iOS), Android
• App marketplaces
– Google Play, Apple’s App Store, Amazon’s Appstore

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 Insight on Business: AI, Intelligent
Assistants, and Chatbots
• Class Discussion
– What are intelligent assistants and why are they so popular?
– Do you use conversational AI assistants? If so, what for?
– What are the benefits of these assistants? The disadvantages?
– Are there any benefits/disadvantages to the proprietary nature of
these assistants and chatbots?

[Link]