Appendix 3: Glossary contents.gifprev1.gifnext1.gif

Appendix 3: Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Active Service

An active service is a service that is running ie listening for TCP/IP requests. In Gatekeeper this is indicated with a small icon. wingate200000015.gif

Assumed users

Assumed users are users that are using WinGate services, have not logged in, but WinGate has some information about them. This information is either MAC address of the LAN card in their computer, or preferably the Net Bios computer name.

B

Binding

A binding is a requirement to use. In the case of a service (or protocol) to interface binding, it is a requirement for the service to use the specified interface. Binding a service to an interface causes the service to listen on the specified interface. WinGate services bind to all interfaces by default. Services only listen to interfaces for which they have a binding. WinGate eliminates the chance of binding to non-existent interfaces by listing only the interfaces actually on the WinGate machine.

C

Caching

The WinGate 2 WWW Proxy performs HTTP caching. Caching is the process of storing recently accessed graphics, HTML documents or other files from the Internet on the WinGate machine, to allow faster retrieval. The cache in WinGate checks documents daily to ensure they are up-to-date, and will get a new copy of the file if Reloaded from a browser. The cache will not store URLs that have a ? symbol, ie CGI dependent documents.

Cascading

Using one proxy to connect via another proxy is called cascading. It is commonly done when an ISP has a WWW proxy for its customers to use. To cascade the WinGate WWW Proxy to the ISPs proxy, simply enter the ISPs proxy details on the Connection tab of the WWW proxy, and select Through cascaded proxy server.

Client

A client is a recipient of a service. With computers, client machines are PCs on networks that are generally used by a single person. That computer can access a Server if it requires data or a service that is not part of the client system. For example, when a client computer wants Internet access, it will ask the server for a connection. Client software is a program that makes use of Server software to obtain the required data or service.

Connection

A connection can mean several things. At a physical level it means a joining of two devices, by cable, plug or similar. With Modems, a connection made on a successful dialing of another modem. At a Internet software level it commonly means a channel of communication between the client and server has been established.

D

Dialer

The dialer is software that tells the modem who and when to dial. WinGate has a built in dialer.

Dun

This stands for Dial-Up-Networking, a Microsoft term for the part of the operating system used to get modems to talk to each other in Windows 95. In NT the dialing is controlled by RAS, which is very similar to DUN.

E

Encryption

Encryption is the process of making data secure by making extremely difficult for any one but the intended user to understand.

Exclusions

In DHCP manual mode, excluded IP ranges allow the administrator to say Dont allocate these IP addresses to any computer. An exclusion range must lie with in one of the scopes. The IP of the WinGate machine will not be assigned. This is effectively exclusion.

F

Firewall

A firewall is a barrier between your network and the Internet, through which only authorised traffic can pass. As traffic passes between your network and the Internet it's examined by the firewall which follows the strict guideline of "whatever is not expressly permitted is denied."

To create the rules by which your firewall allows and disallows traffic, simply select the different Internet services, IP addresses and hosts you wish to permit or deny.

Most firewalls screen traffic between a company's internal network and the Internet, however firewalls can also secure on part of a network from another. For instance securing your corporate accounting department or your network from your subsidiary's network.

FTP

FTP stands for File-Transfer-Protocol. This is a method by which files are up/down loaded from the internet. Many client applications exist to make the process easy.

G

Group

In WinGate 2, the Group exists as a collection of users. Typically members of a group will share common characteristics, such as being in the same department of a company. If a rule applies to a group then the rule then applies to all members of that group. You might have Administrators, Users and Dial-in groups, each allowing different access rights. Users can belong to one, several, all or no groups.

H

hosts file

The hosts file is a file that resides in your windows (In 95) or system32\drivers\erc directory (In NT). This stores some info about where certain machines are. Hosts files are not necessary now that WinGate has DHCP.

HTTP

HTTP is the Protocol used for World Wide Web browsing, but many other programs are starting to use HTTP. The WinGate WWW proxy allows HTTP access to LAN users so they can view World Wide Web sites.

HTTPS

This is secure http. Netscape and other browsers have built in encryption, to make data exchange more secure. This is commonly used for Online purchasing, especially where Credit cards are involved.

I

IP Number

An Internet protocol number is unique identifying Internet address.

Interface

An interface is a network connection. That may be a network card, an online Dialer profile, or your localhost loopback.

ISP

This stands for Internet Service Provider. ISPs are companies that have a connection to the internet and provide dial-up or direct connections to customers. Typically ISPs have many modems that customers can dial up with a PPP account. Dialing up an ISP usually gives you direct access to the internet. Many ISPs also offer ISDN T1, or other connections for improved speed.

L

Lease

The length of time for which a DHCP assigned IP can be used. Before the lease expires, the client must renew the lease with the DHCP server.

Leased line

A Leased line is a full-time network connection to the internet where you are given an IP number (or a range of IP numbers) for your LAN. There are different methods of connection including ISDN, modem and ethernet. Basically they give you guaranteed access to the internet. Full-time connections are often called 24/7, meaning 24 hours, 7 days a week.

License

WinGate licenses are sold in different versions and counts. There are two versions of WinGate2, Lite and Pro. A license is obtained from a WinGate reseller. WinGate come with a free built-in 1-user license for evaluation. The user counts are 1 2 5 10 and unlimited. This number represents the number of client machines that can connect to WinGate simultaneously. It is not the number of machines on you network. It is common to have a network of over 10 users, but to have only a 5-user license. This is a way of limiting Internet use. A 5 user license allows the WinGate machine + 5 other machines to access the Internet at any one time.

Lite

WinGate Lite and Pro are the two license types that are available. Lite has the features of Pro, less the ability to add users or groups, or administer from a remote machine. Lite is available with different user counts: 1 2 5 10 or unlimited user licenses.

Localhost

localhost is a special term in TCP/IP. 127.0.0.0 is the localhost (loopback interface) this is a software only interface internal to the stack itself, and is not accessible over any interface.

N

NIC

Network Interface Card.

Non Proxy Request:

When a program talks directly to a port as if it were a server without using the proxy protocol (ie method). Most proxy servers can not handle this, though some WinGate services can handle both types of requests.

P

Packet

A data packet is a like a mail parcel. Think of a package that gets sent in the post. There are a few things that you have to have, requirements. There has to be a name and address for the recipient, a return address, there have to be stamps, and of course the envelope or wrapping paper. But, what you put in the parcel is up to you. You can send (with in reason) anything that will be accepted by the port office. A data packet is very similar to this. You have to supply certain Wrappers like to and from fields, but what is sent as the payload is up to you.

There are different types of packets used on the internet and other networks, but all of them use this idea of a parcel of data.

Ping

Ping is a command available on most TCP/IP capable systems including DOS. It is a command line program that tests a TCP connection between locations, and gives feedback on the speed of the link.

Usage: ping [-t] [-a] [-n count] [-l size] [-f] [-i TTL] [-v TOS

[-r count] [-s count] [[-j host-list] | [-k host-list]]

[-w timeout] destination-listOptions: -t Ping the specifed host until interrupted. -a Resolve addresses to hostnames. -n count Number of echo requests to send. -l size Send buffer size. -f Set Don't Fragment flag in packet. -i TTL Time To Live. -v TOS type Of Service. -r count Record route for count hops. -s count timestamp for count hops. -j host-list Loose source route along host-list. -k host-list Strict source route along host-list. -w timeout timeout in milliseconds to wait for each reply.

To test for a connection to ftp.microsoft.com, type at a command prompt:

ping ftp.microsoft.com <enter>

From a machine that is directly connected to the internet you will get a response such as

Pinging [198.105.232.1] with 32 bytes of data

Reply from [198.105.232.1] : Bytes=32 time 40ms

Reply from [198.105.232.1] : Bytes=32 time 20ms

Reply from [198.105.232.1] : Bytes=32 time 20ms

Reply from [198.105.232.1] : Bytes=32 time 30ms

You will notice that the name you typed is converted to an IP number. This is where DNS comes in. With out DNS you can only ping IPs.

From a workstation that is connected through WinGate you would get a result similar to

Pinging [198.105.232.1] with 32 bytes of data

Destination host unreachable

Destination host unreachable

Destination host unreachable

Destination host unreachable

(You may get 4 Request timed out message, they are basically the same thing)

This indicates that DNS is working. WinGate cant proxy ping packets, so you cant get the other data from the ping.

If you get a result like

Bad IP address ftp.microsoft.com

Then your DNS probably isnt working, so go back and check where you may have gone wrong.

Policies

WinGate policies and rights are available to allow the Administrator to control who can do what operations with WinGate configuration or access.

POP3

Used for retrieving mail from mail servers. A simple protocol that was preceded by the even simpler POP2, and the positively prehistoric POP. POP3 is used by Eudora and other mail clients to talk to POP3 servers, to retreive mail.

Ports

A port can be thought of as a channel of communications to a machine. Similar to telephones, it is like a companies PABX that has several lines. Packets of information coming into a machine are addressed not only to that machine, but to that machine on a specified port. You can think of a port as a radio channel if you like, but the fundamental difference between a radio receiver and a computer, is that the computer can listen to any / all of 65000 possible channels at once! A Port is a logical TCP/IP connection. Any TCP/IP program needs to use a port to communicate with any other program or Computer. Certain ports are set aside for certain TCP/IP operation, eg 80 for HTTP.

Pro

WinGate Pro and Lite are the two versions of WinGate 2. Pro has all the features of Lite plus the ability to add Users and Groups, and to do remote administration with GateKeeper. Pro licenses are available in 5 10 or unlimited user forms.

Protocol

See Unix. A Protocol is a method by which 2 or more parties can communicate or organise their communication. Network protocols are very strict. If an application does not follow the agreed style of communication, then they are unlikely to be understood. Protocol includes such things as greeting a server, logging on with a name and password, requesting and sending information, and saying good bye when closing the connection. This is a similar idea as when one writes a letter. First one writes ones own details, then the recipients name and address, then you greet them with their correct title. Then the bulk of the letter is written. At the end, a suitable sign off such as Your sincerely and then a signature close the communication. Proxy servers typically need one proxy per supported protocol. Examples of Protocols are POP3 Post office protocol and http hypertext transfer protocol.

Proxy

The normal meaning of the word proxy is someone who does something on behalf of someone else, e.g. voting by proxy. The Internet use of the word means basically the same thing, in relation to a software program. WinGate does things on behalf of other software programs. Specifically WinGate makes Internet requests on behalf of Internet clients to Internet servers.

Proxy Request

This is the action taken when a proxy aware program talks to a proxy and asks for a resource.

R

RAS

Remote access service. An NT term, more or less the same as DUN. This is the modem controlling software in Windows.

Resource

A resource is a term used to mean any data item or hardware processing/storage. On a machine, resources are the memory, disk space, or processing time. An Internet resource is a Graphic, an HTML page, a downloadable file, live streaming video or any other available data. WinGate has internal resources, images, used to display the FTP listings in browsers.

Rights

WinGate rights and policies are available to allow the Administrator to control who can do what operations with WinGate configuration or access.

S

Scope

A Scope is a range of IP addresses sharing common properties. The DHCP servers Auto mode will use the 192.168.0.1 wingate200090001.gif192.168.0.254 scope. A DHCP scope comprises a group of computers running DHCP clients in a subnet.

Server

A machine and/or software that is set up to provide a service to assist you. Examples are FTP, Email, or Web servers.

Service

A service is something that helps or serves you. In WinGate, the proxies are services provided to help you connect to the internet.

SMTP

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is the method used on the internet for sending mail. WinGate uses a Mapped link to facilitate SMTP.

Subnet

A subnet is a group of computers that are directly connected via coax or a hub. A computer with two network adapters will be on 2 subnets.

T

TCP/IP

TCP/IP is essential if you want to use the Internet. TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol. TCP/IP (usually called TCP) is the standard method of sending data on the Internet. It is based on data packets that have a set format, including to and from addresses, similar to a letter. If you want to use the Internet or WinGate, it needs to be installed on every machine on your LAN.

Actually TCP and IP are different protocols, but they are so tied up that they are usually referred to in this way.

Telnet

Telnet is a command line program used to access remote computer and run programs on them. Telnet was the method by which the internet was first used. WinGate has a Telnet proxy.

Terminator

A small device used at each end of a coaxial cabled network. Terminators are essential.

U

Unix

Unix is an operating system like Dos, that developed originally from a project at Berkley. Really it is a collection of operating systems that range from being identical to similar to totally incompatible. There are a number of Official or common Unix systems. It is a OS used on typically large computers. While it is now recognised as being buggy clunky and ugly, it is more flexible and can be more secure than most other available OSs. Because of the differences in some systems, certain Protocols were established. These protocols were like an intermediary language that both computers could use so they would understand each other. These Protocols were a Standard that could be published, and anyone could write a program that could use that protocol, and it would understand any other program that used that protocol.

Users

With WinGate 2, you have the ability to create user names (eg Tim, Ben, Adrien). This gives you control over who is able to access WinGate, what access they have, see how much data each user has used, and who can configure WinGate. These are users just as in Windows. There are two default users that can not be removed: Administrator and Guest.