Question

Difficulty: MediumNAT and PAT Implementation

A network engineer is configuring address translation policies on an enterprise edge firewall. Match each specific technical mapping requirement on the left with its corresponding address translation implementation type on the right.

  • Providing a permanent, one-to-one mapping between a private IP address of an internal web server (10.1.10.5010.1.10.50) and a dedicated public IP address (203.0.113.50203.0.113.50).Static NAT
  • Allowing 200 internal workstations on a private subnet (192.168.1.0/24192.168.1.0/24) to access external resources simultaneously using a single public IP address (203.0.113.1203.0.113.1).Port Address Translation (PAT / NAT Overload)
  • Mapping internal hosts on demand to available external IP addresses from a pre-allocated public address pool (203.0.113.100203.0.113.110203.0.113.100 - 203.0.113.110) without port modification.Dynamic NAT
  • Redirecting inbound traffic sent to an external public IP on port 8080 (203.0.113.20:8080203.0.113.20:8080) to an internal database management interface (10.1.10.20:8010.1.10.20:80).Port Forwarding (Static PAT)

Answer

Static NAT pairs with permanent 1-to-1 server mapping; Port Address Translation (PAT / NAT Overload) pairs with many workstations sharing a single public IP address; Dynamic NAT pairs with mapping hosts to a pool of public IP addresses on demand; Port Forwarding (Static PAT) pairs with redirecting a specific external port to an internal IP address and port.
Each NAT implementation serves a distinct networking use case: Static NAT provides a fixed 1-to-1 mapping for external server accessibility; PAT multiplexes multiple private IP addresses onto one public IP using Layer 4 port tracking; Dynamic NAT draws 1-to-1 public IP mappings temporarily from a pool; and Port Forwarding directs specific inbound external port traffic to an internal target host.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the requirement for a permanent 1-to-1 server mapping
Identified Static NAT as the fixed one-to-one mapping mechanism required for public inbound access.
Static NAT maintains a persistent mapping between one private IP and one public IP.
2
Analyze the requirement for multiple workstations sharing a single public IP
Identified PAT (Port Address Translation / NAT Overload) as the solution.
PAT differentiates connections from multiple internal hosts sharing one IP by assigning unique Layer 4 source ports.
3
Analyze the requirement for on-demand allocation from a public IP pool without port translation
Identified Dynamic NAT as the matching translation mechanism.
Dynamic NAT allocates a public IP address from a defined pool to an internal host for the active session length.
4
Analyze the requirement for redirecting inbound traffic on a specific port to an internal IP and port
Identified Port Forwarding (Static PAT) as the solution.
Port Forwarding routes specific incoming public socket requests (IP:Port) to an internal host's designated socket.

Key Concept

NAT and PAT Implementation Types and Selection Criteria
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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