
Address translation: SNATs, NATs, and IP forwarding
BIG-IP® Reference Guide 4 - 133
The IP addresses that identify nodes on the BIG-IP internal network need
not be routable on the external network. This protects nodes from illegal
connection attempts, but it also prevents nodes (and other hosts on the
internal network) from receiving direct administrative connections, or from
initiating connections to clients, such as mail servers or databases, on the
BIG-IP external interface.
Using network address translation resolves this problem. Network address
translations (NATs) assign to a particular node a routable IP address that the
node can use as its source IP address when connecting to servers on the
BIG-IP external interface. You can use the NAT IP address to connect
directly to the node through the BIG-IP, rather than having the BIG-IP send
you to a random node according to the load balancing mode.
Note
In addition to these options, you can set up forwarding virtual servers that
allow you to selectively forward traffic to specific addresses. The BIG-IP
maintains statistics for forwarding virtual servers.
Defining a network address translation (NAT)
When you define standard network address translations (NATs), you need to
create a separate NAT for each node that requires a NAT. You also need to
use unique IP addresses for NAT addresses; a NAT IP address cannot match
an IP address used by any virtual or physical servers in your network. You
can configure a NAT with the Configuration utility or from the command
line.
To configure a NAT using the Configuration utility
1. In the navigation pane, click NATs.
The NATs screen opens.
2. Click the Add button.
The Add NAT screen opens.
3. In the Add NAT screen, fill in the fields to configure the NAT. For
additional information configuring a NAT, click the Help button.
To configure a NAT from the command line
A NAT definition maps the IP address of a node <orig_addr> to a routable
address on the external interface <trans_addr>. Use the following syntax to
define a NAT:
b nat <orig_addr> to <trans_addr> [vlans <vlan_list> disable | enable] [unit <unit ID>]
The vlans <vlan_list> parameter is used to disable the specified VLANs for
translation. By default, all VLANs are enabled.
Use the unit <unit ID> parameter to specify the BIG-IP to which this NAT
applies in an active-active redundant system.
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