an internetwork device comprises a receiving module , an inter - device packet transfer interface , an inter - device packet transfer controller , an address translation module , and a transmission module . the receiving module receives a packet from a first network . the inter - device packet transfer interface carries out inter - device packet transfer involving transfer of a packet to or from another internetwork device . the inter - device packet transfer controller controls the inter - device packet transfers such that multiple fragmented packets created from a same original packet are collected by the same internetwork device , the fragmented packets being packets created by dividing a single original packet into multiple parts . the address translation module translates between a local address used within a specific network and a global address used across multiple networks , for at least one of a source address and a destination address of a packet . the transmission module transmits an address - translated packet to a second network .