Learn why it is possible to be connected to the Internet but lose access to various websites and online services.
Episode #12-28 released on March 18, 2022
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Networking can be very complicated, and the Internet is nothing more than a giant complicated and interconnected web of networks, connected together, most of the time.
To start, from your home or business, your ISP is only responsible for equipment they manage and only from that place to their connection to the Internet. If you can use the equipment, and it gets to the ISP and then connects to the public Internet, your ISP did their job. What happens after is what usually causes issues like the aforementioned question.
Each server is connected very much like you, to the Internet. And, like you, many factors can cause a website or connection to go offline for any reason whatsoever. If their connection is slowed, or cut off, or even physically damaged, they would, of course, be unable to deliver their website to you. However, usually, there might be two or more connections to the Internet, just in case, so again, they can have issues related to multiple failures, power failures, etc.
Many big companies get around this by having multiple data centers, but depending on domain name servers, that, too, can cause issues. Recently, Facebook had a series of issues related to DNS, that took them offline. All the hardware worked, but the pointers were not pointing to the servers anymore. Effectively taking them offline.
Now, we have analyzed outside the ISP, because most issues will occur outside your ISP's control, however, sometimes they can be the reason for the fault. Most services and websites using your ISP for their service, may continue to work, even if the ISP suddenly lost public Internet connectivity, however, when that occurs, to you, it may seem like the Internet works. By definition it does, but not the definition most of us would agree with, which is access to all websites and services around the world. In that case, many of the same issues plaguing other websites, may be directly impacting your ISP, and that is how the Internet can work and websites do not load.
Host : Steve Smith | Music : | Editor : Steve Smith | Producer : Zed Axis Dot Net