Tuesday, 6 July 2010
different between internet, intranet and extranet
Internet: Is now the World Wide Web (WWW) network of computers that is dispersedly managed with minimal restriction. It is what you have asked this question over.Intranet: Operates much the same as the Internet but is restricted to a single corporate entity that has full control and management over it. Able to maximize restrictions over users.Extranet: is an extension of an Intranet over the Internet for remote users. Typically it is heavily restricted for security reasons to a virtual private network (VPN) connection for Telecommuters or other offsite users.Ethernet is the standard cable for computers to hook up to the network. It is also used for network devices (Routers, modems & switches) to interface with each other.
What is ICT?
ICT is an acronym that stands for Information Communications Tecnology
However, apart from explaining an acronym, there is not a universally accepted defininition of ICT? Why? Because the concepts, methods and applications involved in ICT are constantly evolving on an almost daily basis. Its difficult to keep up with the changes - they happen so fast.
Lets focus on the three words behind ICT:
- INFORMATION - COMMUNICATIONS - TECHNOLOGY
A good way to think about ICT is to consider all the uses of digital technology that already exist to help individuals, businesses and organisations use information.
ICT covers any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information electronically in a digital form. For example, personal computers, digital television, email, robots.
So ICT is concerned with the storage, retrieval, manipulation, transmission or receipt of digital data. Importantly, it is also concerned with the way these different uses can work with each other.
In business, ICT is often categorised into two broad types of product: -
(1) The traditional computer-based technologies (things you can typically do on a personal computer or using computers at home or at work); and
(2) The more recent, and fast-growing range of digital communication technologies (which allow people and organisations to communicate and share information digitally)
Let's take a brief look at these two categories to demonstrate the kinds of products and ideas that are covered by ICT:
Traditional Computer Based Technologies
These types of ICT include:
Application Use Standard Office Applications - Main Examples Word processing E.g. Microsoft Word: Write letters, reports etc Spreadsheets E.g. Microsoft Excel; Analyse financial information; calculations; create forecasting models etc Database software E.g. Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Access; Managing data in many forms, from basic lists (e.g. customer contacts through to complex material (e.g. catalogue) Presentation software E.g. Microsoft PowerPoint; make presentations, either directly using a computer screen or data projector. Publish in digital format via email or over the Internet Desktop publishing E.g. Adobe Indesign, Quark Express, Microsoft Publisher; produce newsletters, magazines and other complex documents. Graphics software E.g Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator; Macromedia Freehand and Fireworks; create and edit images such as logos, drawings or pictures for use in DTP, web sites or other publications Specialist Applications - Examples (there are many!) Accounting package E.g. Sage, Oracle; Manage an organisation's accounts including revenues/sales, purchases, bank accounts etc. A wide range of systems is available ranging from basic packages suitable for small businesses through to sophisticated ones aimed at multinational companies. Computer Aided Design Computer Aided Design (CAD) is the use of computers to assist the design process. Specialised CAD programs exist for many types of design: architectural, engineering, electronics, roadways Customer Relations Management (CRM) Software that allows businesses to better understand their customers by collecting and analysing data on them such as their product preferences, buying habits etc. Often linked to software applications that run call centres and loyalty cards for example.
Traditional Computer Based Technologies
The C part of ICT refers to the communication of data by electronic means, usually over some distance. This is often achieved via networks of sending and receiving equipment, wires and satellite links.
The technologies involved in communication tend to be complex. You certainly don't need to understand them for your ICT course. However, there are aspects of digital communications that you needs to be aware of. These relate primarily to the types of network and the ways of connecting to the Internet. Let's look at these two briefly (further revision notes provide much more detail to support your study).
Internal networks
Usually referred to as a local area network (LAN), this involves linking a number of hardware items (input and output devices plus computer processing) together within an office or building.
The aim of a LAN is to be able to share hardware facilities such as printers or scanners, software applications and data. This type of network is invaluable in the office environment where colleagues need to have access to common data or programmes.
External networks
Often you need to communicate with someone outside your internal network, in this case you will need to be part of a Wide Area Network (WAN). The Internet is the ultimate WAN - it is a vast network of networks.
ICT in a Broader Context
Your ICT course will almost certainly cover the above examples of ICT in action, perhaps focusing on the use of key applications such as spreadsheets, databases, presentation, graphics and web design software.
It will also consider the following important topics that deal with the way ICT is used and managed in an organisation:
- The nature of information (the "I" in ICT); this covers topics such as the meaning and value of information; how information is controlled; the limitations of ICT; legal considerations
- Management of information - this covers how data is captured, verified and stored for effective use; the manipulation, processing and distribution of information; keeping information secure; designing networks to share information
- Information systems strategy - this considers how ICT can be used within a business or organisation as part of achieving goals and objectives
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_and_communication_technologies"
However, apart from explaining an acronym, there is not a universally accepted defininition of ICT? Why? Because the concepts, methods and applications involved in ICT are constantly evolving on an almost daily basis. Its difficult to keep up with the changes - they happen so fast.
Lets focus on the three words behind ICT:
- INFORMATION - COMMUNICATIONS - TECHNOLOGY
A good way to think about ICT is to consider all the uses of digital technology that already exist to help individuals, businesses and organisations use information.
ICT covers any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information electronically in a digital form. For example, personal computers, digital television, email, robots.
So ICT is concerned with the storage, retrieval, manipulation, transmission or receipt of digital data. Importantly, it is also concerned with the way these different uses can work with each other.
In business, ICT is often categorised into two broad types of product: -
(1) The traditional computer-based technologies (things you can typically do on a personal computer or using computers at home or at work); and
(2) The more recent, and fast-growing range of digital communication technologies (which allow people and organisations to communicate and share information digitally)
Let's take a brief look at these two categories to demonstrate the kinds of products and ideas that are covered by ICT:
Traditional Computer Based Technologies
These types of ICT include:
Application Use Standard Office Applications - Main Examples Word processing E.g. Microsoft Word: Write letters, reports etc Spreadsheets E.g. Microsoft Excel; Analyse financial information; calculations; create forecasting models etc Database software E.g. Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Access; Managing data in many forms, from basic lists (e.g. customer contacts through to complex material (e.g. catalogue) Presentation software E.g. Microsoft PowerPoint; make presentations, either directly using a computer screen or data projector. Publish in digital format via email or over the Internet Desktop publishing E.g. Adobe Indesign, Quark Express, Microsoft Publisher; produce newsletters, magazines and other complex documents. Graphics software E.g Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator; Macromedia Freehand and Fireworks; create and edit images such as logos, drawings or pictures for use in DTP, web sites or other publications Specialist Applications - Examples (there are many!) Accounting package E.g. Sage, Oracle; Manage an organisation's accounts including revenues/sales, purchases, bank accounts etc. A wide range of systems is available ranging from basic packages suitable for small businesses through to sophisticated ones aimed at multinational companies. Computer Aided Design Computer Aided Design (CAD) is the use of computers to assist the design process. Specialised CAD programs exist for many types of design: architectural, engineering, electronics, roadways Customer Relations Management (CRM) Software that allows businesses to better understand their customers by collecting and analysing data on them such as their product preferences, buying habits etc. Often linked to software applications that run call centres and loyalty cards for example.
Traditional Computer Based Technologies
The C part of ICT refers to the communication of data by electronic means, usually over some distance. This is often achieved via networks of sending and receiving equipment, wires and satellite links.
The technologies involved in communication tend to be complex. You certainly don't need to understand them for your ICT course. However, there are aspects of digital communications that you needs to be aware of. These relate primarily to the types of network and the ways of connecting to the Internet. Let's look at these two briefly (further revision notes provide much more detail to support your study).
Internal networks
Usually referred to as a local area network (LAN), this involves linking a number of hardware items (input and output devices plus computer processing) together within an office or building.
The aim of a LAN is to be able to share hardware facilities such as printers or scanners, software applications and data. This type of network is invaluable in the office environment where colleagues need to have access to common data or programmes.
External networks
Often you need to communicate with someone outside your internal network, in this case you will need to be part of a Wide Area Network (WAN). The Internet is the ultimate WAN - it is a vast network of networks.
ICT in a Broader Context
Your ICT course will almost certainly cover the above examples of ICT in action, perhaps focusing on the use of key applications such as spreadsheets, databases, presentation, graphics and web design software.
It will also consider the following important topics that deal with the way ICT is used and managed in an organisation:
- The nature of information (the "I" in ICT); this covers topics such as the meaning and value of information; how information is controlled; the limitations of ICT; legal considerations
- Management of information - this covers how data is captured, verified and stored for effective use; the manipulation, processing and distribution of information; keeping information secure; designing networks to share information
- Information systems strategy - this considers how ICT can be used within a business or organisation as part of achieving goals and objectives
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_and_communication_technologies"
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
IP Address
An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label that is assigned to devices participating in a computer network, that uses the Internet Protocol for communication between its nodes.[1] An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing. Its role has been characterized as follows: "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how to get there."[2]
The designers of TCP/IP defined an IP address as a 32-bit number[1] and this system, known as Internet Protocol Version 4 or IPv4, is still in use today. However, due to the enormous growth of the Internet and the resulting depletion of available addresses, a new addressing system (IPv6), using 128 bits for the address, was developed in 1995[3] and last standardized by RFC 2460 in 1998.[4] Although IP addresses are stored as binary numbers, they are usually displayed in human-readable notations, such as 208.77.188.166 (for IPv4), and 2001:db8:0:1234:0:567:1:1 (for IPv6).
The Internet Protocol also routes data packets between networks; IP addresses specify the locations of the source and destination nodes in the topology of the routing system. For this purpose, some of the bits in an IP address are used to designate a subnetwork. The number of these bits is indicated in CIDR notation, appended to the IP address; e.g., 208.77.188.166/24.
As the development of private networks raised the threat of IPv4 address exhaustion, RFC 1918 set aside a group of private address spaces that may be used by anyone on private networks. They are often used with network address translators to connect to the global public Internet.
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which manages the IP address space allocations globally, cooperates with five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) to allocate IP address blocks to Local Internet Registries (Internet service providers) and other entities.
The designers of TCP/IP defined an IP address as a 32-bit number[1] and this system, known as Internet Protocol Version 4 or IPv4, is still in use today. However, due to the enormous growth of the Internet and the resulting depletion of available addresses, a new addressing system (IPv6), using 128 bits for the address, was developed in 1995[3] and last standardized by RFC 2460 in 1998.[4] Although IP addresses are stored as binary numbers, they are usually displayed in human-readable notations, such as 208.77.188.166 (for IPv4), and 2001:db8:0:1234:0:567:1:1 (for IPv6).
The Internet Protocol also routes data packets between networks; IP addresses specify the locations of the source and destination nodes in the topology of the routing system. For this purpose, some of the bits in an IP address are used to designate a subnetwork. The number of these bits is indicated in CIDR notation, appended to the IP address; e.g., 208.77.188.166/24.
As the development of private networks raised the threat of IPv4 address exhaustion, RFC 1918 set aside a group of private address spaces that may be used by anyone on private networks. They are often used with network address translators to connect to the global public Internet.
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which manages the IP address space allocations globally, cooperates with five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) to allocate IP address blocks to Local Internet Registries (Internet service providers) and other entities.
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Scalable digital multimedia broadcasting networks
Scalable business solutions. The idea of scalable multimedia is analogous to the idea of scalable business enterprise solutions. You can start small, with very little network infrastructure support. In fact, a single computer can serve as both the creative station, and the public playback display engine. But much more frequently, two computers are used so that the public display can run continuously while creative work is happening invisibly in the background from a separate machine. Starting with just 2 systems. Such 2-system multimedia setups are hardly a digital multimedia network, but they can be used to run a single revenue-producing photo-based cable channel, or feed a public video distribution system where all the screens are delivering the same, non-targeted messaging. Scala has installed thousands of such 2-system multimedia networks. 10 to 40 Nearby Playback Sites When you are ready to target different messages to different locations, you simply add more Scala player units. These player units are standard PCs configured according to Scala's specifications for reliable playback 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. An unlimited number of Scala player units can be added to an existing large area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), making Scala perfect for employee communication systems among buildings and offices already wired for terrestrial networking. At this point, a Scala digital multimedia broadcasting network is usually scaled up to 10 to 50 nearby locations, and the messaging can be demographically targeted and scheduled. Control Hundreds or Thousands of Remote Locations Using Satellite Many corporations these days are choosing satellite communications for a wide array of applications including credit card verification and file transfer. These satellite networks use the new generation of tiny satellite dishes (VSATs), and are perfect for scaling your multimedia network up to unlimited numbers of players, over unlimited geographic locations. In other words, from a single Scala master station, you can control thousands of remote player sites, each with a plasma screen delivering professional, high impact multimedia messaging that's easier to produce than video. Keeping Truly Large-scale Digital Multimedia Broadcasting Networks With truly large-scale digital multimedia broadcasting networks comes the formidable tasks of management, and the delegation of responsibilities. This is where Scala multimedia software truly shines. With other cobbled together software solutions, or even other software solutions made specifically for the dynamic signage industry, you're OK until you get to about 50 sites. When you grow beyond 50 remote sites is where best of breed multimedia software components such as Scala truly differentiate themselves by keeping the network manageable and under control. The industry's most stable PC multimedia software keeps your displays running, while a host of back-channel and logging features keep you aware of problems in your network. And all the work responsibilities get divided up according to areas of expertise. Delegating Multimedia Broadcasting Responsibilities No longer do you need a jack-of-all-trades multimedia expert. Give the creative tasks to your creative people, and your technical tasks to your technical people. You can even give daily message updating tasks to your administrative or marketing staff. They can update prices and specials inside a template environment, without even entering the creative areas of the Scala software. This puts them "on rails", keeping them from altering the impact and flow of the multimedia program. These administrative message updaters can be located centrally, or at the individual remote sites, making for the perfect delegation of responsibilities. For the creative tasks, you can use your internal staff, or contract one of the many creative agencies that deal in Scala-based dynamic signage networks.
What are the definitions for different types of Multimedia?
Multimedia is the encompass of all media used in electronics, particularly with computers. The use of computers to present text, graphics, video, animation, and sound in an integrated way. Long touted as the future revolution in computing, multimedia applications were, until the mid-90s, uncommon due to the expensive hardware required. With increases in performance and decreases in price, however, multimedia is now commonplace. Nearly all Personal Computers are capable of displaying video, though the resolution available depends on the power of the computer's video adapter and microprocessor. Interactive Multimedia is the means to interface with these media typically with a computer keyboard, mouse, touch screen, on screen buttons, and text entry allowing a user to make decisions as to what takes place next with this multimedia. With Scala products you can present multimedia by creating presentations which can include text, graphics, video, animation, and sound in the manner you wish. You can setup how your presentation is interactive with a computer keyboard, mouse, touch screen, on screen buttons, and text entry. Your presentations can be published to be display on the Internet, on a Stand-Along CD, or Digital Signage using large plasma screens to present advertisements or information. Fell free to visit our web site at www.scala.com to learn more about our products and using multimedia. You can down a 30 days trial version of products to learn how multimedia will work for you first hand.
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Miscellaneous
Virtual reality is a truly absorbing multimedia application. It is an artificial environment created with computer hardware and software. It is presented to the user in such a way that it appears and feels real. In virtual reality, the computer controls three of the five senses. Virtual reality systems require extremely expensive hardware and software and are confined mostly to research laboratories.
Another multimedia application is videoconferencing. Videoconferencing is conducting a conference between two or more participants at different sites by using computer networks to transmit audio and video data.
Another multimedia application is videoconferencing. Videoconferencing is conducting a conference between two or more participants at different sites by using computer networks to transmit audio and video data.
Multimedia Business
Even basic office applications like a word processing package or a spreadsheet tool becomes a powerful tool with the aid of multimedia business. Pictures, animation and sound can be added to these applications, emphasizing important points in the documents.
Multimedia Entertainment
The field of entertainment uses multimedia extensively. One of the earliest applications of multimedia was for games. Multimedia made possible innovative and interactive games that greatly enhanced the learning experience. Games could come alive with sounds and animated graphics.
Multimedia Design Training
Multimedia presentations are a great way to introduce new concepts or explain a new technology. In companies, this reduces the desi Design and Training time of multimedia. Individuals find it easy to understand and use.
Multimedia Application
Multimedia can be used for entertainment, corporate presentations, education, training, simulations, digital publications, museum exhibits and so much more. With the advent multimedia authoring applications like Flash, Shockwave and Director amongst a host of other equally enchanting applications, your multimedia end product is only limited by your imagination.
Major characteristics of multimedia
Multimedia presentations may be viewed in person on stage, projected, transmitted, or played locally with a media player. A broadcast may be a live or recorded multimedia presentation. Broadcasts and recordings can be either analog or digital electronic media technology. Digital online multimedia may be downloaded or streamed. Streaming multimedia may be live or on-demand. Multimedia games and simulations may be used in a physical environment with special effects, with multiple users in an online network, or locally with an offline computer, game system, or simulator. The various formats of technological or digital multimedia may be intended to enhance the users' experience, for example to make it easier and faster to convey information. Or in entertainment or art, to transcend everyday experience. Enhanced levels of interactivity are made possible by combining multiple forms of media content. Online multimedia is increasingly becoming object-oriented and data-driven, enabling applications with collaborative end-user innovation and personalization on multiple forms of content over time. Examples of these range from multiple forms of content on Web sites like photo galleries with both images (pictures) and title (text) user-updated, to simulations whose co-efficients, events, illustrations, animations or videos are modifiable, allowing the multimedia "experience" to be altered without reprogramming. In addition to seeing and hearing, Haptic technology enables virtual objects to be felt. Emerging technology involving illusions of taste and smell may also enhance the multimedia experience.
Categorization of multimedia
Multimedia may be broadly divided into linear and non-linear categories. Linear active content progresses without any navigational control for the viewer such as a cinema presentation. Non-linear content offers user interactivity to control progress as used with a computer game or used in self-paced computer based training. Hypermedia is an example of non-linear content. Multimedia presentations can be live or recorded. A recorded presentation may allow interactivity via a navigation system. A live multimedia presentation may allow interactivity via an interaction with the presenter or performer.
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun (a medium with multiple content forms) or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which only use traditional forms of printed or hand-produced material. Multimedia includes a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video, and interactivity content forms. Multimedia is usually recorded and played, displayed or accessed by information content processing devices, such as computerized and electronic devices, but can also be part of a live performance. Multimedia (as an adjective) also describes electronic media devices used to store and experience multimedia content. Multimedia is distinguished from mixed media in fine art; by including audio, for example, it has a broader scope. The term "rich media" is synonymous for interactive multimedia. Hypermedia can be considered one particular multimedia application.
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