Gateways enable communication between different network
architectures. A gateway takes the data from one network and
repackages it, so that each network can understand the other
network’s data. A gateway is like an interpreter. For example, if
two groups of people can physically talk to each other but speak
different languages, they need an interpreter to communicate.
Similarly, two networks can have a physical connection but need a
gateway to translate network communication.
Use
a gateway to link two systems that do not use the same:
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Architecture.
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Set of communication rules and regulations.
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Data-formatting structures.
Remote
Access Connectivity Types
Windows 2003 enables users to connect to a network from a remote
location through a variety of hardware, such as modems. A modem
enables a computer to communicate over telephone lines. The
remote access client connects to the remote access server, which
acts as a router, or a gateway, for the client to the remote
network. A telephone line commonly provides the physical
connectivity between the client and server. The remote access
server runs the Routing and Remote Access feature in Windows
2003 to support remote connections and to provide
interoperability with other remote access solutions. The two
types of remote access connectivity provided in Windows 2003 are
dial-up remote access and virtual private network (VPN).
Dial-up Remote Access
Windows 2003 Server provides dial-up remote access to users who
dial corporate intranets. Dial-up equipment installed on a
remote access server running Windows 2003 answers incoming
connection requests from dial-up networking clients. The dial-up
equipment answers the call, verifies the caller’s identity, and
transfers data between the dial-up networking client and the
corporate intranet.
Virtual Private Network
A virtual private network (VPN) uses encryption technology to
provide security and other features formerly available only in
private networks. VPNs provide this security through a process
called
tunneling.
Tunneling is a method of using an internetwork infrastructure to
securely transfer data from one network to another network. A
VPN enables telecommuters and employees at remote locations to
establish a secure connection to a corporate server that is
connected to both the corporate LAN and a public internetwork,
such as the Internet. From the user’s perspective, the VPN
provides a point-to-point connection between the user’s computer
and a corporate server. The intermediate internetwork is
transparent to the user because it appears as if the remote
access client is connected directly to the corporate LAN/remote
access server
