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port forwarding Last modified: Wednesday, December 13, 2006
In home networking, port forwarding, also called port mapping or punch-through, enables you to create a permanent translation entry that maps a protocol port on your gateway machine to an IP address and protocol port on your private LAN. It's a transparent process, meaning network clients cannot see that port forwarding is being done. This process enables you to run a public Internet service on a machine that is otherwise hidden from the Internet by your gateway.  Port forwarding may also be used to aggregate traffic from an application that uses several ports for transactions and consolidate it into one port for reporting the total traffic identified with that application. Also see Well-Known TCP Port Numbers in the Quick Reference section of Webopedia.
How to Map a Port in ICS Using an .inf File This article describes how to create a new port mapping for Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) by using an .inf file. Port Forward: What is Port Forwarding? The more you know about port forwarding easier it will be to get your ports from point A to point B. PracticallyNetworked.com PracticallyNetworked.com provides easy-to-understand help for small-network builders. The site contains how-to information for setting up and debugging home-office and small-business networks. Users can also find extensive troubleshooting information, tips on getting applications to work through firewalls, product reviews on network hardware and software, and more. PracticallyNetworked: Handling Special Applications A "special application" is one that doesn't work with the default settings of your Internet sharing method. PracticallyNetworked: Special Applications - Opening Ports There are many ways to share a connection and consequently just about as many ways to open holes in a NAT-based firewall. Because of this, this section is not an exact how-to guide, but instead is a reference that is intended to save time when you are trying to get your special application to work.	Related Categories Networks Security Related Terms firewall IP address NAT PAT port port address translation port knocking port replicator port scan port scanning stateful inspection