'UPnP' routers and the icon Internet-Gateway

[David Cook]

I recently ran into a new icon in Win-XP's "Network Connections"
section. It is called 'Internet Gateway' and has some settings similar
to those found inside external routers.

(There has also been msg traffic lately about this 'Internet Gateway'
icon DISAPPEARING and REAPPEARING randomly, along with
mentioning SP2.)

Is this Internet Gateway icon something new in SP2 or does it pre-date
SP2?

This is allso my first time hearing about 'UPnP routers'. I've been
installing
D-Link, NetGear, Siemens, and Linksys. And, just two days ago,
I installed my first Microsoft-router...a model MN-700.

Is the MN-700 a 'UPnP' variant?

I never use the CDROM that comes with these units. (Maybe I should
start using it?!)

Is there a cause-effect relationship between the concept of 'UPnP router'
and this 'Internet Gateway' icon in Network Connections, or did I just
happen upon this concepts accidently in the last few days?

TIA...

Dave

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

I recently ran into a new icon in Win-XP's "Network Connections"
section. It is called 'Internet Gateway' and has some settings similar
to those found inside external routers.

(There has also been msg traffic lately about this 'Internet Gateway'
icon DISAPPEARING and REAPPEARING randomly, along with
mentioning SP2.)

Is this Internet Gateway icon something new in SP2 or does it pre-date
SP2?

This is allso my first time hearing about 'UPnP routers'. I've been
installing
D-Link, NetGear, Siemens, and Linksys. And, just two days ago,
I installed my first Microsoft-router...a model MN-700.

Is the MN-700 a 'UPnP' variant?

I never use the CDROM that comes with these units. (Maybe I should
start using it?!)

Is there a cause-effect relationship between the concept of 'UPnP router'
and this 'Internet Gateway' icon in Network Connections, or did I just
happen upon this concepts accidently in the last few days?

Dave,

you guessed quite correctly. The icon shows the UPnP router and
calls it, with some justification, Internet Gateway. It's been
there on many computers even before SP2 if UPnP was enabled.
Your router is obviously UPnP capable.

I don't think you need to install the router software, except if
it contains special logging software and you want to obtain a
router log. I don't know your type of router, so I can't tell.

UPnP allows the software to open ports in the router firewall
automagically for certain kinds of incoming connection requests.
These are needed, for example, for peer-to-peer file sharing,
Internet chats, Internet gaming (though I haven't seen any
UPnP-capable games yet), for remote control and the like.

Now why that icon comes and goes, I don't know. It should always
be there in the network connections.

Hans-Georg