Network access apparatus

A network gateway device for facilitating network devices of a first computer network to communicate with each other and to communicate with devices of a second and other computer networks, wherein the network gateway device is to look for locally stored network device access information upon receipt of data which are destined to a destination network device in order to forward the received data to the destination network device;

• and wherein the network gateway device comprises a tunneling interface which is to send an inquiry to a designated network access apparatus which is outside of the first computer network when the device access information of the destination network device is not found locally in the first computer network.

A computer network system comprising a first computer network having a first network gateway device, a second computer network having a second network gateway device, and a network access apparatus;

• wherein the first computer network, the second computer network and the network access apparatus are to communicate via a public network such as the internet using a tunneling protocol;
• and wherein the network access apparatus comprises a tunneling interface to collect device access information of network devices of said first computer network and device access information of said second computer network, and wherein the network apparatus is to send device access information of network devices of said first computer network to said second computer network upon receipt of device access information inquiry from said second computer network, and vice versa.