A firewall is a software or hardware combination which protects a local network from unwanted access to or from the "outside" (typically the Internet). Usually, a firewall will block most TCP/IP communications, but permit certain kinds, such as Web access. Firewall protection is often combined with special "proxy server" software whose job it is to relay the permitted traffic between the local network and the outside world, and vice versa.
If your network is protected by a firewall or proxy server, you will not be able to freely send messages to and from the Internet for three reasons:
Resolving the first issue simply requires the correct firewall configuration. TurboNote Relay Server is specifically designed to solve the remaining issues, with additional benefits such as automatic note queuing, activity logging, close control of who can send what content, and so on.
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