NAT in Networking

Network Address Translation (or NAT) allows a single device (such as a router) to act as an agent between the internet and a private network. As a result only one IP address is needed to represent all the devices on the private network to the internet.

The benefits of this are:

1. Security - the identity of the machine being used on the private network is hidden from the internet which cannot therefore connect to it directly.

2. Simpler network administration.

For a readable article on NAT, I'd check out this link:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk648/tk361/technologies_tech_note09186a0080094831.shtml

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Vulpes14y ago
Accepted answer
Network Address Translation (or NAT) allows a single device (such as a router) to act as an agent between the internet and a private network. As a result only one IP address is needed to represent all the devices on the private network to the internet.

The benefits of this are:

1. Security - the identity of the machine being used on the private network is hidden from the internet which cannot therefore connect to it directly.

2. Simpler network administration.

For a readable article on NAT, I'd check out this link:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk648/tk361/technologies_tech_note09186a0080094831.shtml