 - A URL (Uniform Resource Locator, previously Universal Resource Locator) - usually pronounced by sounding out each letter but, in some quarters, pronounced "Earl" - is the unique address for a file that is accessible on the Internet. A common way to get to a Web site is to enter the URL of its home page file in your Web browser's address line. However, any file within that Web site can also be specified with a URL. Such a file might be any Web (HTML) page other than the home page, an image file, or a program such as a common gateway interface application or Java applet. The URL contains the name of the protocol to be used to access the file resource, a domain name that identifies a specific computer on the Internet, and a pathname, a hierarchical description that specifies the location of a file in that computer.
On the Web (which uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol, or HTTP), an example of a URL is:
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2396.txt
which specifies the use of a HTTP (Web browser) application, a unique computer named www.ietf.org, and the location of a text file or page to be accessed on that computer whose pathname is /rfc/rfc2396.txt.
A URL for a particular image on a Web site might look like this:
http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/WhatIs/images/coaxla.gif
A URL for a file meant to be downloaded using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) would require that the "ftp" protocol be specified like this hypothetical URL:
ftp://www.somecompany.com/whitepapers/widgets.ps
A URL is a type of URI (Uniform Resource Identifier, formerly called Universal Resource Identifier.)
 |
Learn more about IP Networking |
| How to subnet: Subnetting calculations and shortcuts: Learn how subnetting works in this tip and quiz on how to calculate a subnet mask. IP address classes and bit values of octets are explained in detail. |
| IP addressing and subnetting explained: Our IP addressing and subnetting crash course provides an overview of IP addressing-related topics, including IPv4 and IPv6, subnetting, DHCP, and calculating subnet masks. |
| Troubleshooting IP Routing -- 'CCNA Official Exam Certification Library, 3rd Edition,' Chapter 7: Learn how to troubleshoot IP routing in preparation for the Cisco CCNA exam in this chapter from 'CCNA Official Exam Certification Library, 3rd Edition.' |
| IP address management -- from 'Network troubleshooting and diagnostics': Learn how IP address management and maintenance tools can help manage the scope of IP addresses on your network. |
| IP Accounting -- from Network Management: Accounting and Performance Strategies: IP Accounting, Chapter 6 of Network Management: Accounting and Performance Strategies, describes the IP Accounting features and functions in Cisco IOS, and SNMP MIB. |
| Basic IP Connectivity and CEF Troubleshooting -- Chapter 4 of "Cisco Express Forwarding": This chapter presents the general troubleshooting used on Cisco IOS routers and switches as a first step in troubleshooting IP connectivity problems. |
| LAST UPDATED: |
25 Feb 2004
|
 |
Do you have something to add to this definition? Let us know.
Send your comments to techterms@whatis.com
|
|
More resources from around the web:
|
 |
 |
| |
RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS
| Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary |
 |
32-bit IP addressing
(SearchNetworking.com)
32-bit IP addressing is the IP address scheme used in Internet Protocol 4 (IPv6 uses a 128-bit system)... (Continued)
|
|
fixed-length subnet mask
(SearchNetworking.com)
A fixed-length subnet mask (FLSM) is a sequence of numbers of unchanging length that streamlines packet routing within the subnets of a proprietary...
|
|
|
Show me everything on 