Unidirectional  and Bidirectional Gateways – Types and Uses

Unidirectional  and Bidirectional Gateways – Types and Uses

What is Gateway

A gateway is a networking device which is used to connect two networks which use a different protocol. It also works as a gate between two networks. Gateway works as the main gate for a network because all data pass through or connect with the gateway to being routed. The default gateway and network gateway may also be used for the same purpose.

Gateway servers are hardware devices and gateway nodes are connected with routers and switches. However, its working depends on its types. Gateway nodes might be a router that use forwarding and headers tables to suggest the path or way where packets will be sent and other Part of this gateway, network switch determines the path which packets follow. Without a gateway, the internet has no use as well as much other hardware and software. In other words, the gateway is the computer that controls traffic from a workstation to outside network. In homes gateway act as ISP (Internet service provider) that connect home users to the internet, in big organization gateway act as a proxy or firewall server. Through the gateway, we are able to send data back and forth.

Price and Models Description of some Gateway Models

Unidirectional  and Bidirectional Gateways - Types and Uses
Figure: Unidirectional  and Bidirectional Gateways – Types and Uses

How Gateway Work

A gateway is a network device that provides access to another network. Commonly in the intranet, a node might be a gateway node or the nodes that connect the network are gateways. In big organization or institutes where the computers control the network traffic between organization networks are gateway nodes.

For example, the computers used by ISP to provide connection of internet to different users at the same time it can be done through gateway nodes .in different organization and in different projects the computer server work as gateway nodes these servers may be a proxy or firewall sometime.

Sometime gateway connects with the router because router determines the exact way where packers route that appears at the gateway then a switch specifies the finalize the actual in and out the path of the gateway for the specific packet.

A gateway is an obligatory characteristic of routes even though other devices can perform as a gateway. The operating system commonly used this term and internet connection sharing work as a gateway and established a connection between internal networks.

Gateway security

A gateway commonly provides security to a local network and also used to connect the local network to the public network. A gateway provides security same like a firewall with the technique of NAT.

Gateway helps the machine through local internet protocol addresses to get access to the internet through the comprehensive  address of the gateway. Gateway receives packets from the local network and replace its external  IP address and provide a new port address into the resource fields of the IP and UDP headers.

Gateway devices

A gateway is full of different types of devices which are crucial to making available system unity as signal translators. The other type of devices is as follow protocol translators, impedance matching devices, rate converters, and fault isolators.

The gateway can also be connecting with both the router and switch to perform some functions. When a user using home internet with gateway has a transceiver used to set up a wireless connection.

Uses of Gateways

There are different uses of the gateway in a network as given below.

  • A gateway can be work in software, hardware and some time as a combination of both. There are lots of devices and techniques which are being processed such as voice and data communication.
  • The gateways are the best for the connection of those devices or network that use different protocols because every network has different protocol and characteristics.
  • Gateways are also an important technique of any telephony communications. Gateway provides a way of communication between the telephone network and the internet.
  • For real-time communication gateway also provide audio conversion and bring out extinction and call setup. Gateway also manages the processing information over the network this information belongs to set up the end to end call.
  • A network gateway work same like a firewall and filters packets. It also detaches associated network as intranet from a public network.
  • A gateway might be installed on a standalone device. A gateway provides the interface between local and wide area protocols such as TCP/IP on the Internet.
  • A gateway directs its client devices, collect their data and perform other works. Gateway devices also facilitate the net client to use different computer networks.

Types of Gateway

There are the following main types of gateway

  • Unidirectional gateways
  • Bidirectional gateways

Unidirectional gateways

The unidirectional gateway allows alerts to send in only one direction. The changes occur in the source ObjectServer are copied in the destination ObjectServer or application, but when changes make in the destination ObjectServer or application these changes are not copy in source ObjectServer. Unidirectional gateways can be treated as archiving tools.

Bidirectional gateway

Bidirectional gateway provides permission to send an alert from the source ObjectServer to the target or exact destination ObjectServer or application, and also provide a reply to the source ObjectServer.

In a bidirectional gateway configuration, the changes formed in the content of a source ObjectServer are copied in a destination ObjectServer or application, and the destination ObjectServer or application copy its alerts in the source ObjectServer. Bidirectional gateways can be treated as synchronization tools.

Gateways can send alerts to a different of destinations:

  • Another ObjectServer
  • A database
  • A helpdesk application
  • Other applications or devices
  • ObjectServer gateways are used to transfer alerts among ObjectServer. This is effective when you need to develop a distributed installation, or when you wish to install a backup ObjectServer.
  • Database gateways are used to store alerts receive from an ObjectServer. This is effective when you need to maintain a historical record of the alerts transferred to the ObjectServer.
  • Helpdesk gateways are used to combine Tivoli Net cool/ OMNIbus with a range of helpdesk systems. This is advantageous when you need to tackle the difficulties constructed by your customers with the networks and systems you are using to present their services.