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Internet Connection Sharing
Internet connection sharing or Internet sharing is a term used to describe the technology that allows users to share a single Internet connection among two or more computers. When there are more than two computers at home, the Internet connection can be shared among the systems, rather than get a new connection for every system. The Internet connection may be dial-up, cable modem, DSL, ISDN, leased line or T1. A higher bandwidth, for example in a cable modem or DSL provides an added advantage in Internet sharing, because there is enough bandwidth to share. But there are some problems associated with Internet sharing. The MSO may provide only one IP address with the cable modem service. If you need more than one IP address, you may have to pay more. Also, most cable modems do not have routing capabilities. To use more than one IP address on the local LAN, address translation is needed. In case of a commercial environment a secure Internet server may be essential for efficient Internet sharing.
Connecting one computer to the Internet, and dynamically routing traffic between the Internet and LAN-based computers through this computer accomplish Internet connection sharing/Internet sharing.
What are the advantages of Internet connection sharing?
- Internet sharing/Internet Connection sharing reduces costs (since there is only one Internet account)
- Internet sharing/Internet Connection sharing protects data by putting the network behind a firewall.
- Internet sharing/Internet Connection sharing selectively enables users to access Internet services and resources.
For a simple setup for a casual user, specific Internet sharing software is not needed. For a larger setup, special software may be needed.
Network Address Translation (NAT)
Network Address Translation (NAT) is a technology that substitutes one network address for another when routing Internet Protocol (IP) traffic from one network to another. In brief it is a process which involves re-writing the source and/or destination addresses of IP packets as they pass through a router or firewall. Why do we need such a Network Address Translation technology? One reason is that there are not enough public IP addresses to allocate one per system. Public IP addresses are expensive. Using private IP addresses on the LAN, and translating them to a single public address when accessing the Internet would be an economical choice. Security is another reason. Here again a secure Internet server plays an important role.
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