Network address translator: Difference between revisions

From Citizendium
Jump to navigation Jump to search
imported>Howard C. Berkowitz
No edit summary
imported>Howard C. Berkowitz
mNo edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
{{subpages}}
{{subpages}}
A '''network address translator (NAT)''' is a device, or often a software function, which maps [[Internet Protocol]] addresses between two different address spaces, most often, in an [[Internet Protocol version 4]] context, the nonroutable "private" address space and the "public" space in which [[Internet Service Provider]]s communicate. NATs are not ideal solutions for many of their uses, and one of the design goals for [[Internet Protocol version 6]] was to do away with the need for a NAT function. Deployment experience suggests there will still be needs for some NAT-like functions in IPv6, but it is realistic to assume that they will be far less common in an all-IPv6 world.
A '''network address translator (NAT)''' is a device, or often a software function, which maps [[Internet Protocol]] addresses between two different address spaces, most often, in an [[Internet Protocol version 4]] context, the nonroutable "private" address space and the "public" space in which [[Internet Service Provider]]s communicate. NATs are not ideal solutions for many of their uses, and one of the design goals for [[Internet Protocol version 6]] was to do away with the need for a NAT function. Deployment experience suggests there will still be needs for some NAT-like functions in IPv6, but it is realistic to assume that they will be far less common in an all-IPv6 world.
 
Introduced in 1994, a NAT is a controlled violation of the "end-to-end" architectural principle of the Internet, which assumes addresses are unique from end host to end host. <ref name=RFC1631>{{citation
Introduced in 1994, a NAT is a controlled violation of the "end-to-end" architectural principle of the Internet, which assumes addresses are unique from end host to end host. <ref name=RFC1631>{{citation
  | id = RFC1631  
  | id = RFC1631  

Revision as of 12:32, 12 February 2009

This article is developing and not approved.
Main Article
Discussion
Definition [?]
Related Articles  [?]
Bibliography  [?]
External Links  [?]
Citable Version  [?]
 
This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

A network address translator (NAT) is a device, or often a software function, which maps Internet Protocol addresses between two different address spaces, most often, in an Internet Protocol version 4 context, the nonroutable "private" address space and the "public" space in which Internet Service Providers communicate. NATs are not ideal solutions for many of their uses, and one of the design goals for Internet Protocol version 6 was to do away with the need for a NAT function. Deployment experience suggests there will still be needs for some NAT-like functions in IPv6, but it is realistic to assume that they will be far less common in an all-IPv6 world.

Introduced in 1994, a NAT is a controlled violation of the "end-to-end" architectural principle of the Internet, which assumes addresses are unique from end host to end host. [1] While NAT functions have been extremely useful, they also have created a variety of operational challenges, and one of the goals in developing Internet Protocol version 6 was to do away with the need for NAT service.

References

  1. K. Egevang, P. Francis. (May 1994), The IP Network Address Translator (NAT), RFC1631