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The TCP/IP Guide  9  TCP/IP Lower-Layer (Interface, Internet and Transport) Protocols (OSI Layers 2, 3 and 4)       9  TCP/IP Internet Layer (OSI Network Layer) Protocols            9  Internet Protocol (IP/IPv4, IPng/IPv6) and IP-Related Protocols (IP NAT, IPSec, Mobile IP)                 9  IP Network Address Translation (NAT) Protocol

IP Network Address Translation (NAT) Protocol 1 2 3 4 5 IP NAT Address Terminology

Overview of IP Network Address Translation (NAT)

A very similar technique can be used for connecting an organization's computers to the Internet. In TCP/IP networks, this technology was first formalized in RFC 1631, The IP Network Address Translator (NAT), adopted in May 1994. The word “translator” refers to the device (router) that implements NAT. More commonly, the technology as a whole is called IP Network Address Translation (IP NAT or NAT).

A basic implementation of NAT involves setting up an organization's internal network using one of the private addressing ranges set aside for local IP networks. One or more public (Internet) addresses are also assigned to the organization as well, and one or more NAT-capable routers are installed between the local network and the public Internet. The public IP addresses are like “outside lines” in the telephone system, and the private addresses are like “internal extensions”.

The NAT router plays the role of telephone system computer and receptionist. It maps internal extensions to outside lines as needed, and also handles "incoming calls" when required. It does this by not just routing IP datagrams but modifying them as needed, translating addresses in datagrams from the private network into public addresses for transmission on the Internet, and back again.

Over time, newer versions of NAT have also been created that solve other problems or provide additional capabilities. Port-Based NAT allows sharing of even more hosts on a limited number of IP addresses, by letting two or more devices share one IP address at a time. So-called “Twice NAT” helps with the implementation of virtual private networks (VPN) by translating both source and destination addresses in both incoming and outgoing datagrams.

IP Network Address Translation (NAT) Protocol 1 2 3 4 5 IP NAT Address Terminology