Subject: RE: (NAT) requested terminology changes to

From: Ian King <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 28 May 1999 14:12:03 -0700

I concur, and add: NAT does not imply any discretion regarding the route its
produced packets take.  While I believe there are routers that do NAT,
that's an additional function; I use NAT, and from that machine's
perspective, its connection to the next host is just that, another host
connection.  

And I agree that while the routing folks probably have a lot to add, if we
keep a clear focus on NAT functionality, we have a cleaner problem space --
unless someone can demonstrate an important intersection between these two
areas (and for myself, I cannot see one).  

On an American Airlines packet of nuts:
Instructions: open packet, eat nuts.
Ian King | Internet Bill Delivery & Payment | Microsoft

-----Original Message-----
From: Andy Heffernan [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Friday, May 28, 1999 1:30 PM
To: [email-masked]
Cc: [email-masked]
Subject: Re: (NAT) requested terminology changes to 

Michael P Digioia writes:
> >> Brian - A NAT device does routing. It forwards packets from one
> >> interface (belonging to one realm) to another interface
> >> (belonging to a different realm). Address translation is done prior
> >> to forwarding to ensure packet routability within each realm.
> 
> Well I have to agree that any device that supports NAT functionality,
routes
> packets.

That depends entirely on how you define the verb "route".

An address translator only has to receive a packet, change address
information in it, and send it out again.  This does not necessarily
entail IP routing, or IP forwarding even.

[...]
> Because of the many similarities between what needs to be implemented for
> any one routing protocol and any one NAT device, many of the people that
> participate on this list have good working backgrounds in routers and
> routing protocols as well. 

I have to admit that I don't see the similarities between a routing
protocol implementation and a NAT implementation.
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