Changes

'''Network Address Translation''' (NAT) is the process of mapping multiple private IP addresses to a lesser number of public ones. Typically, this is used in such a way that a collection of devices on a [[Local area network|private network]] are connected to the [[Internet]] under a single [[IP address]].<ref>https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/ip/network-address-translation-nat/26704-nat-faq-00.html</ref>  This process was designed largely to slow the depletion of IPv4 addresses which could be publicly registered.<ref>http://www.ciscopress.com/articles/article.asp?p=25273</ref><ref>https://whatismyipaddress.com/nat</ref> Some parts of the world are now using IPv6 instead (which offers many more addressed than IPv4), but in many countries, IPv4 is still used, but almost exclusively with network address translation.

'''Network Address Translation''' (NAT) is the process of mapping multiple private IP addresses to a lesser number of public ones. Typically, this is used in such a way that a collection of devices on a [[Local area network|private network]] are connected to the [[Internet]] under a single [[IP address]].<ref name="cisco nat faq">https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/ip/network-address-translation-nat/26704-nat-faq-00.html</ref>  This process was designed largely to slow the depletion of IPv4 addresses which could be publicly registered.<ref name="ciscopress nat">http://www.ciscopress.com/articles/article.asp?p=25273</ref><ref name="whatosmyipaddress nat">https://whatismyipaddress.com/nat</ref> Some parts of the world are now using IPv6 instead (which offers many more addressed than IPv4), but in many countries, IPv4 is still used, but almost exclusively with network address translation.

==Process==

==Process==

# When another device also initiates a connection to the Internet, its requests are also sent to the router, which passes on those requests to the remote server using this device's unique port number.  This exchange with the router is easily differentiated from the other exchange using port numbers, and delivered to the requesting devices.

# When another device also initiates a connection to the Internet, its requests are also sent to the router, which passes on those requests to the remote server using this device's unique port number.  This exchange with the router is easily differentiated from the other exchange using port numbers, and delivered to the requesting devices.

# When unsolicited traffic comes to the router (a regular occurrence on the Internet), a NAT system alone will attempt to remap this traffic based on the port number is used. If no such port number is in use, it will either drop the packet (ignore it), or reply with an error code stating that the requested device could not be found. However most networks, including most of those behind cheap consumer routers, typically have a [[firewall]] which blocks this kind of traffic, when an internal device did not first contact that external device.

# When unsolicited traffic comes to the router (a regular occurrence on the Internet), a NAT system alone will attempt to remap this traffic based on the port number is used. If no such port number is in use, it will either drop the packet (ignore it), or reply with an error code stating that the requested device could not be found. However most networks, including most of those behind cheap consumer routers, typically have a [[firewall]] which blocks this kind of traffic, when an internal device did not first contact that external device.

 

==References==

==References==

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[[Category:Networking]]

[[Category:Networking]]