Network Address Translation (NAT)
Some experts began to notice that, if a DHCP server is providing the client with an IP address, there is no real reason why this address has to be an official, unique “legal” Internet address. As long as the router itself has an Internet-ready address, it can act as a proxy for clients on the network—receiving requests from clients and translating the requests to and from the Internet address space. Many router/DHCP devices today also perform a service known as Network Address Translation (NAT).
A NAT device obscures all details of the local network and, in fact, hides the existence of the local network. Figure 12.5 shows a NAT device. The NAT device serves as a gateway for computers on the local network to ...
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