We haven't actually run out of IPv4
addresses, its just that when the
internet was founded, we gave huge
blocks to organizations that still hold
the equivalent of millions of public
addresses.
CCAr certification is possibly one of the
most prestigious in the world. It
requires presenting 10+ years of
experience on a resume, 3750 dollars to
even be considered, 11,250 dollars to
take the exam (not counting the plane
flight), and a CCDE (Cisco Certified
Design Expert, ony 60 own this
certification). You are tested by a live
board of Distinguished Engineers and
other CCAr engineers. There are only 9
of these in the world.
A switch and a hub isn't the same
thing, don't let Best Buy tell you
otherwise. Switch > hub.
At peak capacity, Netflix uses 1/3 of all
Internet traffic in North America.
By accessing any website, a stream of
information must bounce between
anywhere from 3 to dozens of other
routers on the internet, all run by ISPs
and interconnected. A response is then
sent back accross this same path to
reach your computer again, and then
transfer begins. This happens in a
fraction of a second.
For some reason, a lot of people who
like networking shy away from
programming, and vice versa. (There
are exceptions of course!)
Cisco runs an van called the NERV. It is
deployed in sites where there has been
a natural disaster and is used to obtain
internet and communications in the
area. It was deployed in Haiti and
helped news crews and VIPs
communicate and help restore some
order. They have VoIP (Voice over IP)
phones, fax machines, a 20mb satellite
link, and enough equipment for any
situation.
The first message sent over the internet
was "LOG". "LOGIN" was the original
intended message but the entire system
crashed. This was done at MIT.
Vint Cerf, one of the "founding fathers"
of the internet and one of the founders
of TCP/IP, wrote a poem to lament the
end of ARPANET, called "Requiem of the
ARPANET":
"It was the first, and being first, was
best,
but now we lay it down to ever rest.
Now pause with me a moment, shed
some tears.
For auld lang syne , for love, for years
and years
of faithful service, duty done, I weep.
Lay down thy packet , now, O friend,
and sleep."
-Vint Cerf
To go on a little rant, not very many
people realize how much work has gone
into the internet. 40 years of protocols
built ontop of each other, countless
governments and organizations, billions
of packets flying across a "series of
tubes" and dozens of protocols, just so
you can look at a picture of a cat.