The Role of Cookies in Online Shopping

A cookie, in the internet jargon, is a code in which some website places on the web browser of the computer when the user is browsing. The purpose of cookies is to provide a mechanism of website to remember the stateful information of the website. Different website use cookies, most notably are the online shopping stores which records the browsing activities of the users such as the pages visited previously. In our week eight and week 9, a diagram demonstrated the use of a cookie was shown in class, displaying the six steps of a cookie in an online shopping.

Question 1A

Step 1: Request

The first step occurs when the client uses his or her computer to access the internet. In the diagram, the user has opened the web browser on his or her computer and visited the BestToys.com. the HTTP/1.1 makes the information flows faster by providing a persistent connection. As a result, multiple requests ca be batched to an output buffer. In this instance, data moves from the user’s computer to the server and the cookie creates a customer file, and in our diagram, the name of the file has an identification code: 12343.

Step 2: Response – HTTP/1.1 200 OK

In this step, data if from the server to the user. After the server has verified that everything is fine – based on the code 200, it responds to the user’s request by preparing the page representing the toys. The cookie creates a vendor file with the same code as the customer file – 12343. At the same time, the customer file created earlier is updated.

Step 3: Request – GET image HTTP/1.1

When the user has been presented with the page representing the toy, he places another request by clicking on a weblink to a webpage. The specified resource activates the GET method request from the user to the server. The information is updated in the vendor file in the user’s web browser.

Step 4: Response HTTP/1.1 200 OK

The cookie responds to the user’s request by first confirming that everything is okay. The page with the chosen toy and its price is generated and displayed to the user. Again, this information is updated in the customer file 12343.

Step 5: Request – GET image HTTP/1.1

The user requests the payment page, and the cookie activates the GET method to display the information about the payment method. This information is updated in the vendor file in the user’s web browser file ID 12343.

Step 6: Response – HTTP/1.1 200 OK

After confirming the request, order confirmation is sent to the user and the cookie confirms the payment of the toy and the information is updated in the customer file created in the server.

Question 1B

Advertisers relies on cookies to collect anonymous information about the visitors of the website. Based on the scenario given, cookies play an important role in retrieving Deakin web page containing advertisement and track user of Deakin’s website visiting the manufacturer’s web site when they click an advertisement. The diagram below shows the information.

Description

Step 1: a user visits the Deakin website which contains the advertisement, by requesting the content of the address entered in his or her browser. The cookie automatically creates a file in Deakin server, ID 1122, registering the activities of the user in he website.

Step 2: The cookie responds to the request, by displaying the content of the website. A vendor file is created in the computer of the user, containing the same name as the customer file in the Deakin servers.

Step 3: The user clicks the website, and the cookie takes it as a request. It updates the vendor file 1122 in the user’s computer.

Step 4: the cookie responds to the request and updates the cookie in the server. It then redirects the user to the website of the manufacturer.

Question 2

1. From Client → Web Server

ISN:                             2048

Port:                            51000

Receiving Window:    2000

CONNECTION ESTABLISHMENT

2. Web Server → From Client

ISN:                             21732

Port:                            80

Receiving Window     4000

3. From Client → Web Server

ISN:                             2048

Port:                            51000

Data Segment 1 sent   500 bytes

Data segment 2 sent   500 bytes

DATA TRANSFER

4. Web Server → From Client

Data segment sent       1000 bytes

ISN:                             21732

Port:                            80

5. From Client → Web Server

ISN:                             2048

Port:                            51000

Client closes the connection

CONNECTION TERMINATION

6. Web server → From Client

ISN:                             21732

Port:                            80

Web server closes connection