> I just received the "Secure Computing: CISSP Study Guide". I have a
> question from page 54, 3rd full paragraph.
>
> "Gateways sit between a client application, such as a Web browser, and a
> real server. It intercepts all requests to the real server to see if it
can
> fulfill the requests itself. If not, it forwards the request to the real
> servers" --Carl F. Endorf - Secure Computing: CISSP Study Guide
>
> I thought Proxies, not Gateways, do this. I thought Gateways connect to
> dissimilar networks. Can someone confirm?

terminology issue. for example "Linux can be configured as an IP
masquerading gateway", tcp-ip on both sides, but it is (significantly)
mangling packets, keeping state tables, etc. Ditto for most proxies, same
protocol on both ends but major packet mangling going on. If you go by
dictionary.com:

Software or hardware that enables communication between computer networks
that use different communications protocols. Also called router.

Then there are very very few things we could call gateways (SNA, 3270
mayhaps but that's about it). But wait a minute, then it says "also called a
router", and last I checked most routers route data and do not do much
packet mangling. Doh.

Kurt Seifried, kurt@seifried.org
A15B BEE5 B391 B9AD B0EF
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http://www.seifried.org/security/

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