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Posts Tagged ‘partial transit’

TCP / IP, packets, transit, IP transit, pings, routers, packet loss. Do any of the above words ring a bell? If networks is your thing, I’d wager yes. These words will all sound familiar. However if the way the networking, and the internet works is a puzzle to you, I’m going to offer you a alternative way of knowing your iptransit telehouse east or packet loss, seem more simple.

Think of a piece of data as a letter

Data is being sent to and from the internet every time you type a word on your computer. Through multiple locations, to and from your computer. Every word you enter on your keyboard comprimises of masses of data. So imagine each bit of data is like a letter. By sending a letter you are sending information to your recipient. You deliver your letter in the nearest post box. Imagine the post box as being your modem, and a connection to the internet.

Networking from the postbox to the local exchange

Early in the morning (or in the evening if you live where I do!) Your postie will empty the postbox and deliver your letter to the local sorting office (or local exchange). This is just like with the internet. Your data goes from your modem, to the local exchange if you are on broadband. Unless you want it to, it doesn’t get any more complicated.

Grand scale networking

Modems aside, the web comprises of an intricate later of switches and routers, housed in datacentres in major locations including Paris, Manchester and London. The big internet connectivity providers, for example Goscomb Bandwidth Services manage routers in datacentres worldwide, such as London, Manchester and Amsterdam Routers for example take the data, and know exactly where to send it. Your letter, or bit of data follows exactly the same journey. Once it’s left your modem, and the postman has picked it up and taken it to the local exchange (Ok we’re mixing our analogies up a little here!) it’s sorted and sent on to the nearest big location or city, depending on where it’s heading.

Transit in networks

When your letter hits the halfway point its halfway to the destination. global IP transit must appear clearer now, huh? Imagine the process backwards now. From the destination the packet then gets sent in reverse through network to the exchange. Eventually the packet packet gets to the end point and this may be a home users modem or another server. If the recipient sends a reply it will send the data back along a similar track. Your local postal service works very similar to how networks and IP transit operate, regardless where you are in the world. If you want to elaborate your thinking even further. Poor routes are like a bad postman. If a postal service is slow it would be like a bad IP Transit provider. And packet loss- we talked about that earlier. If your data fails to reach where its meant to be then this is packet loss. Well imagine the postal service losing your letter. It’s not that different!