Reimaging the Internet Assignment

In this assignment, I watched an hour long lecture by Vint Cerf, the creator of the internet. Throughout the lecture, he talked about the current state of the internet, and what needs to be improved and implemented for the future of the network. A lot of topics included security, the history of the internet, user demographics, and where the internet was heading.

Below are the questions from the assignment and my answers

Vint Cerf has described the InterNet as a homogenous network that connects heterogeneous computers. What did he mean by that?

He means that multiple computers can connect to one network at a time. For example, millions of computers and mobile devices connected to Youtube at once. The Internet itself contains all the information and social aspects everyone uses the internet for.


What is Metcalfes law?

Metcalfe’s Law states that the value of a network grows by the square of the size of the network. Usually referred to when the Internet’s value is considered.


Where geographically are the majority of Internet Users located?

Geographically, the majority of Internet users are in Asia. Especially China.


Concerning the percentage of a country’s population that uses the Internet, with what are mobiles helping?

Mobiles are helping with connecting more people to the internet thanks to Android.



Was there a particular logic in Vint Cerfs choice of a 32 it address space for IP addresses?

There was no logic when Vint Cerf chose to use a 32 bit address for IP addresses. He initially thought it was going to be an experiment


How do digital signatures relate to closing an important vulnerability in the DNS system?

Digital Signatures confirm the domain names and IP addresses, making it harder to lie about what someone is connected to and allowing those with correct routing entries with signatures


What is a sensor network? Give an example.

A sensor network is a group of battery-powered devices and wireless infrastructure that monitor and record condition in multiple environments. An example would be the Smart Grid trying to figure out how much power most devices use up


What does Vint serve describe as one of the hardest problems that he can imagine?

Vint Cerf describes figuring out if a configuration is wrong as one of the hardest problems he can imagine. Making system designs more resilient and conscious of errors in configuration are extremely tough.


Why is cloud collaboration important?

Cloud Collaboration is important because it is integral to data liberation.


How does Vint Cerf describe the job that his Internet Design did with mobile? Specifically, what was the problem?

The problem with mobile devices is the binding of the telephone number happens below the phone number. A device, especially a host on a network, can move from one place to another.


How does Vint Cerf describe the job that his Internet Design did with broadcast? Specifically, what was the problem?

Vint Cerf describes his Internet Design with broadcast as being a terrible job dealing with it. The problem was turning broadcasts into point-to-point links. Also, there is no way to send numerous packets down to users.


What is strong authentication? Why is the lack of this an issue?

Strong authentication is important because it confirms the identity of there person you are interacting with, especially when handling sensitive information. Authentication can prove to everyone that the cloud is okay and safe to use


In an Internet context, what is the overrun problem?

The overrun problem is trying to identify the good guys from the bad guys in a network that is self-organizing. Different nodes mingle together and discover each other, but one may be harmful to the entire system.


What does Cerf cite as a problem with the Internet and copyright?

In terms of Internet and copyright, Vint Nerf cites the laws of intellectual property as a problem. The laws are mostly concerned with physical manifestations. Digital information is easy to duplicate and distribute, but it is much harder to control and abide to the laws.


What does Cerf mean when he talks about rotten bits? Give an example.

Rotten bits are information that will be terminated over time and can never be recovered. We could lose our digital history over time. For example, trying to open a powerpoint from the 2000’s in the year 3000.


Briefly describe the InterPlanetary Internet. In your description, describe how this solves the point to point InterPlanetary communications problem.

Interplanetary Internet gives internet connectivity and richer communication to manned and robotic space exploration. A richer network can support more complex missions with more devices connected and communicating with each other.


. In an Internet context, what is common carriage? What implications does this have for Internet billing?

Common Carriage or Common Carrier is a reclassification of Internet Service Providers such as Comcast and AT&T. This can hike up internet billing and regulations as this can create high competition and monopolies amongst the industry


What does Cerf means when he says that in the future, the network will disappear?

When Vint Cerf says the network will disappear, he means the bits that exist right now will vanish eventually to the point there is no network left.