NAT, Network Address Translation

NAT can be thought of as a central station that grants network access to other computers. Instead of contacting a user directly, it requires a computer to request access. NAT functions in numerous ways and has many variations. Static NAT is used to direct an unregistered IP address to one that is registered. This comes in handy when a computer needs to access another machine from outside the network. Dynamic NAT directs an unregistered IP address to one that is found in a collection of registered addresses. NAT also uses the overloading technique, a process where several unregistered IP addresses use various ports when directed to registered addresses. Many companies with their computers connected to the web make use of NAT. For instance, a university may have a large number of connected computers installed for the use of both students and staff. Until the introduction of IPv6 (Internet Protocol version six), NAT was considered as the most reliable method of network communication.