Get the LinuxSecurity news you want faster with RSS
Powered By
Security Dictionary
Can't tell 'smtp' from 'snmp'? Find the precise meaning of these and hundreds of other security-related terms in our convenient and up-to-date Security Dictionary.
gateway
(I) A relay mechanism that attaches to two (or more) computer
networks that have similar functions but dissimilar
implementations and that enables host computers on one network to
communicate with hosts on the other; an intermediate system that
is the interface between two computer networks. (See: bridge,
firewall, guard, internetwork, proxy server, router, and
subnetwork.)
(C) In theory, gateways are conceivable at any OSI layer. In
practice, they operate at OSI layer 3 (see: bridge, router) or
layer 7 (see: proxy server). When the two networks differ in the
protocol by which they offer service to hosts, the gateway may
translate one protocol into another or otherwise facilitate
interoperation of hosts (see: Internet Protocol).
