Gateway

A gateway is a device used to connect networks using different protocols. Gateways operate at the network layer of the OSI model.

In order to communicate with a host on another network, an IP host must be configured with a route to the destination network. If a configuration route is not found, the host uses the gateway (default IP router) to transmit the traffic to the destination host. The default t gateway is where the IP sends packets that are destined for remote networks. If no default gateway is specified, communication is limited to the local network.

Gateways receive data from a network using one type of protocol stack, removes that protocol stack and repackages it with the protocol stack that the other network can use.

Examples

·         E-mail gateways—for example, a gateway that receives Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) e-mail, translates it into a standard X.400 format, and forwards it to its destination

·         Gateway Service for NetWare (GSNW), which enables a machine running Microsoft Windows NT Server or Windows 2000 Server to be a gateway for Windows clients so that they can access file and print resources on a NetWare server

·         Gateways between a Systems Network Architecture (SNA) host and computers on a TCP/IP network, such as the one provided by Microsoft SNA Server

·         A packet assembler/disassembler (PAD) that provides connectivity between a local area network (LAN) and an X.25 packet-switching network