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Chapter 1
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Overview of the Internet Gateway
This chapter presents an overview of how to connect to the Internet with a WebFORCE
Internet Gateway. It summarizes the basic steps to setting up the server, lists the parts
required, and indicates the information you may need to exchange with your Internet
service provider (ISP) before you connect to the Internet.
About the WebFORCE Internet Gateway
The WebFORCE Internet Gateway connects hosts on a local area network (LAN) to the
Internet, a network cooperative that allows millions of network users to publish and
exchange information easily. In addition to providing access to the Internet, the
WebFORCE Internet Gateway may act as an applications server, providing Internet mail,
news, and other services to client hosts on the LAN.
Hosts on the Internet operate by a common standard, formally known as Transport
Control Protocol, Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). This means that the Internet Gateway
system and its clients, such as personal computers and workstations, must also run the
TCP/IP stack (so called because of its layered, or stacked, software architecture). The
Gateway and its clients must also be assigned an Internet address (IP address), which
uniquely identifies each host on the Internet.
A specialized private or public agency, known as an Internet service provider (ISP),
handles membership for new Internet members. An ISP assists with obtaining a
registered network address from the Network Information Center, which maintains the
Internet database. It also issues blocks of Internet addresses for clients in the new
network and may recommend addressing and routing schemes.
Because direct connections to the Internet backbone are limited, all hosts must connect to
the Internet through an ISP. The WebFORCE Internet Gateway is designed to help you
do this (see Figure 1-1). The WebFORCE Internet Gateway and the ISP can be connected,
for example, by a standard telephone line and modem, an ISDN line, or a T1 line.
