Part 19 lab, NAT Configuration – The Technology That Makes the Internet Work

Описание: Before any packet reaches the Internet, something critical happens at the edge router.

Translation.

In this lab, I demonstrated how to configure NAT (Network Address Translation) using a structured enterprise-style topology:

• Multi-VLAN internal network (192.168.10/20/30)
• Layer-3 Switch handling inter-VLAN routing
• Edge Router (R1) performing NAT
• ISP Router simulating the Internet
• Public Server on 198.51.100.0/24

Key technical highlights:

✔ ip nat inside vs ip nat outside
✔ PAT (Port Address Translation) using overload
✔ ACL-based NAT control
✔ Proper WAN /30 addressing
✔ Default routing to ISP
✔ Verification using show ip nat translations

Why this matters:

NAT is foundational to:

Enterprise security architecture

Firewall policy design

Cloud networking (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Hybrid infrastructure

Cyber defense strategy

Every cybersecurity professional should understand how packets are translated at the edge.

Every cloud engineer should understand how private networks reach public services.

This is where networking, security, and cloud intersect.

If you're building a career in:
Cybersecurity
Networking
Cloud Engineering
AI Infrastructure

Master NAT.

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