This tutorial explains Static NAT configuration in detail. Learn how configure static NAT, map address (inside local address, outside local address, inside global address and outside global address), debug and verify Static NAT translation step by step with practical examples in packet tracer.
In order to configure NAT we have to understand four basic terms; inside local, inside global, outside local and outside global. These terms define which address will be mapped with which address.
| Term | Description |
| Inside Local IP Address | Before translation source IP address located inside the local network. |
| Inside Global IP Address | After translation source IP address located outside the local network. |
| Outside Global IP Address | Before translation destination IP address located outside the remote network. |
| Outside Local IP Address | After translation destination IP address located inside the remote network. |
For this tutorial I assume that you are familiar with these basic terms. If you want to learn these terms in detail please go through the first part of this article which explains them in details with examples.
This tutorial is the second part of our article “Learn NAT (Network Address Translation) Step by Step in Easy Language with Examples”. You can read other parts of this article here.
Basic Concepts of NAT Exaplained in Easy Language
This tutorial is the first part of this article. This tutorial explains basic concepts of static nat, dynamic nat, pat inside local, outside local, inside global and outside global in detail with examples.
How to Configure Dynamic NAT in Cisco Router
This tutorial is the third part of this article. This tutorial explains how to configure Dynamic NAT (Network Address Translation) in Cisco Router step by step with packet tracer examples.
Configure PAT in Cisco Router with Examples
This tutorial is the last part of this article. This tutorial explains how to configure PAT (Port Address Translation) in Cisco Router step by step with packet tracer examples.
Static NAT Practice LAB Setup
To explain Static NAT Configuration, I will use packet tracer network simulator software. You can use any network simulator software or can use real Cisco devices to follow this guide. There is no difference in output as long as your selected software contains the commands explained in this tutorial.
Create a practice lab as shown in following figure or download this pre-created practice lab and load in packet tracer
Download NAT Practice LAB with initial IP configuration
If require, you can download the latest as well as earlier version of Packet Tracer from here. Download Packet Tracer
Initial IP Configuration
| Device / Interface | IP Address | Connected With |
| Laotop0 | 10.0.0.10/8 | Fa0/0 of R0 |
| Laptop1 | 10.0.0.20/8 | Fa0/0 of R0 |
| Laptop2 | 10.0.0.30/8 | Fa0/0 of R0 |
| Server0 | 192.168.1.10/24 | Fa0/0 of R1 |
| Serial 0/0/0 of R1 | 100.0.0.1/8 | Serial 0/0/0 of R2 |
| Serial 0/0/0 of R2 | 100.0.0.2/8 | Serial 0/0/0 of R2 |
If you are following this tutorial on my practice topology, skip this IP configuration section as that topology is already configured with this initial IP configuration
To assign IP address in Laptop click Laptop and click Desktop and IP configuration and Select Static and set IP address as given in above table.
Following same way configure IP address in Server.
To configure IP address in Router1 click Router1 and select CLI and press Enter key.
Two interfaces of Router1 are used in topology; FastEthernet0/0 and Serial 0/0/0.
By default interfaces on router are remain administratively down during the start up. We need to configure IP address and other parameters on interfaces before we could actually use them for routing. Interface mode is used to assign the IP address and other parameters. Interface mode can be accessed from global configuration mode. Following commands are used to access the global configuration mode.
Router>enable Router# configure terminal Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z. Router(config)#
Before we configure IP address in interfaces let’s assign a unique descriptive name to router.
Router(config)#hostname R1 R1#
Now execute the following commands to set IP address in FastEthernet 0/0 interface.
R1(config)#interface FastEthernet0/0 R1(config-if)#ip address 10.0.0.1 255.0.0.0 R1(config-if)#no shutdown R1(config-if)#exit
interface FastEthernet 0/0 command is used to enter in interface mode.
ip address 10.0.0.1 255.0.0.0 command assigns IP address to interface.
no shutdown command is used to bring the interface up.
exit command is used to return in global configuration mode.
Serial interface needs two additional parameters clock rate and bandwidth. Every serial cable has two ends DTE and DCE. These parameters are always configured at DCE end.
We can use show controllers interface command from privilege mode to check the cable’s end.
R1(config)#exit R1#show controllers serial 0/0/0 Interface Serial0/0/0 Hardware is PowerQUICC MPC860 DCE V.35, clock rate 2000000 [Output omitted]
Fourth line of output confirms that DCE end of serial cable is attached. If you see DTE here instead of DCE skip these parameters.
Now we have necessary information let’s assign IP address to serial interface.
R1#configure terminal R1(config)#interface Serial0/0/0 R1(config-if)#ip address 100.0.0.1 255.0.0.0 R1(config-if)#clock rate 64000 R1(config-if)#bandwidth 64 R1(config-if)#no shutdown R1(config-if)#exit R1(config)#
Router#configure terminal Command is used to enter in global configuration mode.
Router(config)#interface serial 0/0/0 Command is used to enter in interface mode.
Router(config-if)#ip address 100.0.0.1 255.0.0.0 Command assigns IP address to interface.
Router(config-if)#clock rate 64000
In real life environment this parameter controls the data flow between serial links and need to be set at service provider’s end. In lab environment we need not to worry about this value. We can use any valid rate here.
Router(config-if)#bandwidth 64
Bandwidth works as an influencer. It is used to influence the metric calculation of EIGRP or any other routing protocol which uses bandwidth parameter in route selection process.
Router(config-if)#no shutdown Command brings interface up.
Router(config-if)#exit Command is used to return in global configuration mode.
We will use same commands to assign IP addresses on interfaces of Router2. We need to provided clock rate and bandwidth only on DCE side of serial interface. Following command will assign IP addresses on interface of Router2.
Initial IP configuration in R2
Router>enable Router#configure terminal Router(config)#hostname R2 R2(config)#interface FastEthernet0/0 R2(config-if)#ip address 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0 R2(config-if)#no shutdown R2(config-if)#exit R2(config)#interface Serial0/0/0 R2(config-if)#ip address 100.0.0.2 255.0.0.0 R2(config-if)#no shutdown R2(config-if)#exit R2(config)#
That’s all initial IP configuration we need. Now this topology is ready for the practice of static nat.
Configure Static NAT
Static NAT configuration requires three steps: -
- Define IP address mapping
- Define inside local interface
- Define inside global interface
Since static NAT use manual translation, we have to map each inside local IP address (which needs a translation) with inside global IP address. Following command is used to map the inside local IP address with inside global IP address.
Router(config)#ip nat inside source static [inside local ip address] [inside global IP address]
For example in our lab Laptop1 is configured with IP address 10.0.0.10. To map it with 50.0.0.10 IP address we will use following command
Router(config)#ip nat inside source static 10.0.0.10 50.0.0.10
In second step we have to define which interface is connected with local the network. On both routers interface Fa0/0 is connected with the local network which need IP translation.
Following command will define interface Fa0/0 as inside local.
Router(config-if)#ip nat inside
In third step we have to define which interface is connected with the global network. On both routers serial 0/0/0 interface is connected with the global network. Following command will define interface Serial0/0/0 as inside global.
Router(config-if)#ip nat outside
Following figure illustrates these terms.
Let’s implement all these commands together and configure the static NAT.
R1 Static NAT Configuration
R1(config)#ip nat inside source static 10.0.0.10 50.0.0.10 R1(config)#interface FastEthernet 0/0 R1(config-if)#ip nat inside R1(config-if)#exit R1(config)# R1(config)#interface Serial 0/0/0 R1(config-if)#ip nat outside R1(config-if)#exit
For testing purpose I configured only one static translation. You may use following commands to configure the translation for remaining address.
R1(config)#ip nat inside source static 10.0.0.20 50.0.0.20 R1(config)#ip nat inside source static 10.0.0.30 50.0.0.30
R2 Static NAT Configuration
R2(config)#ip nat inside source static 192.168.1.10 200.0.0.10 R2(config)#interface FastEthernet 0/0 R2(config-if)#ip nat inside R2(config-if)#exit R2(config)# R2(config)#interface Serial 0/0/0 R2(config-if)#ip nat outside R2(config-if)#exit
Before we test this lab we need to configure the IP routing. IP routing is the process which allows router to route the packet between different networks. Following tutorial explain routing in detail with examples
Routing concepts Explained with Examples
Configure static routing in R1
R1(config)#ip route 200.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 100.0.0.2
Configure static routing in R2
R2(config)#ip route 50.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 100.0.0.1
Testing Static NAT Configuration
In this lab we configured static NAT on R1 and R2. On R1 we mapped inside local IP address 10.0.0.10 with inside global address 50.0.0.10 while on R2 we mapped inside local IP address 192.168.1.10 with inside global IP address 200.0.0.10.
| Device | Inside Local IP Address | Inside Global IP Address |
| Laptop0 | 10.0.0.10 | 50.0.0.10 |
| Server | 192.168.1.10 | 200.0.0.10 |
To test this setup click Laptop0 and Desktop and click Command Prompt.
- Run ipconfig command.
- Run ping 200.0.0.10 command.
- Run ping 192.168.1.10 command.
First command verifies that we are testing from correct NAT device.
Second command checks whether we are able to access the remote device or not. A ping reply confirms that we are able to connect with remote device on this IP address.
Third command checks whether we are able to access the remote device on its actual IP address or not. A ping error confirms that we are not able to connect with remote device on this IP address.
Let’s do one more testing. Click Laptop0 and click Desktop and click Web Browser and access 200.0.0.10.
Above figure confirms that host 10.0.0.10 is able to access the 200.0.0.10.
Now run ping 200.0.0.10 command from Laptop1.
Why we are not able to connect with the remote device from this host?
Because we configured NAT only for one host (Laptop0) which IP address is 10.0.0.10. So only the host 10.0.0.10 will be able to access the remote device.
To confirm it again, let’s try to access web service from this host.
If you followed this tutorial step by step, you should get the same output of testing. Although it’s very rare but some time you may get different output. To figure out what went wrong you can use my practice topology with all above configuration. Download my practice topology
Download NAT Practice LAB with Static NAT configuration
We can also verify this translation on router with show ip nat translation command.
Following figure illustrate this translation on router R1.
Following figure illustrate this translation on router R2
Pay a little bit extra attention on outside local address filed. Have you noticed one interesting feature of NAT in above output? Why actual outside local IP address is not listed in this filed?
The actual IP address is not listed here because router is receiving packets after the translation. From R1’s point of view remote device’s IP address is 200.0.0.10 while from R2’s point of view end device’s IP address is 50.0.0.10.
This way if NAT is enabled we would not be able to trace the actual end device.
That’s all for this tutorial. In next part we will learn dynamic NAT configuration step by step with examples.
