At present, there are two different ways in which an IWS solution can be implemented. These can be briefly described as an “off-site gateway” solution and an “on-site gateway” solution.
With the “off-site gateway” solution, the gateway software required for communication between the WAP enabled cellular phone and the combined IGSS server/Web server is located on a server owned and maintained by a commercial service provider offering communication services between WAP devices and the Internet. Access to the combined IGSS server/Web server is thus gained via the equipment owned and maintained by the service provider.
The “on-site gateway” solution bypasses the need for an external service provider because the software required for communication between the WAP enabled cellular phone and the combined IGSS server/Web server is installed on the latter. Access to the combined IGSS server/Web server is gained directly via a modem attached to the combined IGSS server/Web server.
The following table gives an overview of the differences between the two scenarios with respect to the software and hardware necessary for implementation.
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Off-site Gateway |
On-site Gateway |
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1. IGSS server not connected to Internet because WAP phone access occurs through a modem. (Modem installation required.) |
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2. Internet Information Server/Services (IIS), or other 3rd party www server s/w must be installed on IGSS server to give it Internet server functionality. |
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3. Gateway s/w between WAP and Internet protocols installed directly on IGSS server, which is obtained from 3rd party. |
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4. IP address randomly chosen because IGSS server not connected to Internet. WAP phone access to IGSS server via modem. |
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5. Configuration of Win NT4/ Windows 2000 network parameters. |
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6. RAS server (NT) or incoming connection (Win2000) must be installed with defined users because WAP phone access to IGSS server via modem. |