Intranets: Connecting Local Area Networks to the Internet

Here are links you can follow for more information about intranets (that is, about local area networks that run Internet protocols and services, like web servers).

• The Intranet FAQ, at www.innergy.com/ifaq.html
• For information about firewalls, see the Internet Firewalls Frequently Asked Questions web site, at www.interhack.net/pubs/fwfaq.
• The Usenet newsgroup comp.infosystems.intranet discusses general intranet issues. You might also want to read the newsgroups in the comp.infosystems.www.servers hierarchy for information about Web servers, and the comp.security.misc newsgroup for intranet security. You can also read the com.security.firewalls newsgroup for information on connecting your intranet to the Internet through a firewall.
• Windows XP and ME come with Internet Connection Sharing, a simple proxy server that allows a small LAN to share one Internet connection. For example, one of the authors of this site has a six-computer LAN in her house, sharing one DSL line. For more information, get Window XP: The Complete Reference.
• WinGate (www.wingate.com) and WinProxy (www.winproxy.com) are both proxy servers that allow computers on a LAN to share one Internet connection.
• For lists of server software that runs on UNIX, Windows XP, Windows NT, and other platforms, visit the ServerWatch wWeb site at serverwatch.internet.com.