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Contents 3
Introduction 1
Gateway Industry Trends 2
Common Types of Gateway Devices 6
The Microsoft Strategy for Gateway Devices 8
Windows CE 5.0 Network Gateway Platform Overview 11
Additional Benefits of Windows CE 5.0 27
Summary 29
For More Information 30
Introduction
Network communication and Internet connectivity are increasingly important in daily activities and the economy. Whether at work or at home, people rely on digital devices—from personal computers and laptops to mobile and handheld devices, telephones, digital media devices, and game consoles—that are connected to public networks (such as the Internet) and private networks (such as enterprise Intranets and home networks) to accomplish daily tasks. Gateway devices are at the center of the trend toward connectivity. By offering dedicated network protection services, gateways can help secure and provide access to an expanding range of information. Gateways can also give users access to compelling services and applications over public and private networks.
This white paper discusses trends in the gateway industry and provides an overview of common types of gateway devices. It also discusses Microsoft’s strategy for network gateway devices, based on the highly customizable, reliable, ready-to-use components of Windows CE 5.0. The latest version of the Windows CE operating system software enables OEMs to quickly design and bring to market gateways that are easy for end users to set up and configure, and that give users access to a range of services offered by network operators and service providers.
Gateway Industry Trends
Home and business computing gained popularity throughout the 1980s when personal computers emerged as a prominent device category. In the 1990s, an increasing number of other digital devices became popular—such as laptops, handheld devices, digital cameras, TVs, entertainment systems, and gaming systems. As with personal computers, however, these devices usually operated in isolation from home or business networks.
The increasing number of corporate networks and the rapid emergence of the Internet initially offered simple network services, such as e-mail and Web browsing, to personal-computer users. With the recent growth in broadband access, more comprehensive network services, such as e-commerce and multimedia services, are becoming available to the public, along with an increasing number of digital devices.
The Roles of Gateway Devices
A gateway is typically an always-on appliance that connects devices in a small office or home to create a local area network (LAN). A gateway also connects a LAN to other LANs and to wide area networks (WANs) such as the Internet or a corporate intranet. A gateway device allows users to protect, share, store, and access data over any available network.
In the trend toward a digitally connected world, gateway devices fulfill two primary functions:
Connecting devices to each other (local area network, LAN). Many homes and small businesses use more than one personal computer, in addition to a variety of peripheral devices such as printers and scanners. A gateway connects devices to help users store, share, and protect information within a home or small business network. For example, family members can store items such as photos, videos, music, and schedules on a gateway device to share the files with others. Some gateways provide advanced authentication and user-preference features that enable users to access personal collections of content, such as favorite music and photos, from any device connected to the network or even from the public Internet.
Connecting networked devices to other networks and services (wide area network, WAN). Gateways enable users to not only connect devices to each other, but also to simultaneously connect their devices to public and private networks. Having access to the network infrastructure allows users to access a broad variety of remote applications and services. For example, users can reserve airline tickets over the Internet or shop online, employees can access corporate e-mail from home and mobile devices, and homeowners can remotely access automated home control systems while at work or on vacation.
Figure 1. Example of a Basic Setup of a LAN Connected to a WAN
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