In that case, how a single IP address can represent (be used by) multiple computers in order to allow them communication with the host on the Internet? The solution is to use NAT Overload.
NAT Overload
In this method, the major points described in previous lesson do not change. Still, the router will have configuration that allows is to distinguish the 'nat inside' and 'nat outside' interfaces.
Also, the router is going to replace an 'inside local' IP address with the 'inside global' (the one used on the interface connected to ISP). This time though, ALL inside local addresses (private ones; RFC 1918) will be represented by the same unique public IP address (e.g. 86.46.1.10). This will instigate the problem when the packets are sent back from the Internet. They all point to the SAME public IP. That is why, we need something else to distinguish between PC1 (e.g. 192.168.1.1) and PC2 (e.g. 192.168.1.2) that will be represented by the same address: 86.46.1.10.
What could be this distinguisher?
TCP/UDP ports of course! Recall, that each computer, while sending something out, picks a source port from the range above 1023, and the well-known destination port. These are enough to distinguish PC1 from PC2, since it is very unlikely they will pick the same source port. If that happens, the router will replace this source port in TCP or UDP header with something unique.
Here's what happens when PC1 sends packets towards www.ciscco.com.
Step 1
The packet from PC1 (src: 192.168.1.1) arrives at the 'nat inside' interface (f0/0). The router is instructed to read its source IP address as well as its source TCP port in the layer 4 header. Appropriate entry is created in the NAT table as per Pic. 1 (Inside Local). Note, that this time R1 makes a note of the source port: 192.168.1.1:2001
The IP source address is removed and replaced with the 86.46.1.10 (R1's 'nat outside' interface - S1/0). The entry in the NAT table is created under the 'Inside Global' column. Also, the 'Outside Local' and 'Outside Global' entries are populated as per Pic. 1. This record in the NAT database, will allow to translate the packet back when www.cisco.com is replying to the sender (PC1).
Notice!
The :2001 is the port number in the TCP header.
Step 2
When www.cisco.com (72.163.4.161) replies, the packet is delivered back to R1. The router, upon receiving the packet on the 'nat outside' interface, must now find the appropriate record in the NAT table, allowing it to locate the original sender's IP address and its source port (here: 192.168.1.1:2001). If there is no such entry, the packet is going to be dropped. Since in our case, the entry exists, the router is translating the packet back as shown in the pic. 2:
Pic. 2 - NAT Overload - PC1 Receives the Reply from www.cisco.com.
Icons designed by: Andrzej Szoblik - http://www.newo.pl
Suppose during this transmission, (PC1-to-www.cisco.com), PC2 is also going to send something towards the Internet. In order to simplify our discussion, PC2 is going to send the packet towards www.cisco.com as well (but this could be any host on the Internet).
Step 3
R1 receives another packet on its 'nat inside' interface (f0/0). It is sourced by IP address 192.168.1.2, the source TCP port 1408 this time. This port has not been used yet (does not exist in NAT table under 'inside local' column), so it is unique and can be used to send the packet out. Another entry is going to be created as per pic 3 below. Watch carefully the second record in the NAT table.
Step 4
The web server (www.cisco.com) is sending the reply back. Again, R1 will look for the appropriate entry in the NAT table ('inside global=86.46.1.10:1408), to find out which machine was the originator of the traffic flow. Translation back to the original values is performed (dst: 192.168.1.2:1408). PC2 receives the reply from the web server.
Pic. 2 - NAT Overload - PC2 Receives the Reply from www.cisco.com.
Icons designed by: Andrzej Szoblik - http://www.newo.pl
In case the source port has already been used by some computer (even though it is rare it can happen), the router is going to use a different port. Imagine that the PC2 has also chosen to use the port 2001. In such situation, the 'Inside Local' entry is going to look like this:
192.168.1.2:2001
But, then upon noticing the port is already in use, the router will pick some other port that has not been used yet. The corresponding entry in the 'Inside Global' will be be changed to this for instance:
86.46.1.10:2002
In such case, the cisco web server will be replying to two different destinations:
86.46.1.10:2001 translated back to: 192.168.1.1:2001
and
86.46.1.10:2002 translated back to:192.168.1.2:2001
I hope this will do for you. In my next post, I'm going to show you how to configure NAT using four different methods:
- Static NAT (one-to-one)
- Dynamic NAT using pool of addresses
- Dynamic NAT overload
- Dynamic NAT using pool of addresses with overload
