Thus, we are really talking about NAT on a single-router interface (but that's not as catchy, is it?).įor NAT to work, a packet has to be sent from an inside NAT interface to an outside NAT interface. As NAT is typically performed between two router interfaces, NAT on a stick is used to describe a NAT configuration where a single router interface is used and NAT is performed. What is NAT on a stick?įirst, the "stick" is just a single router interface. I recommend that you try one of the easier NAT configurations prior to NAT on a stick.įor more information on NAT, see the Cisco Systems white paper, " How NAT Works," in TechRepublic's white paper directory. I don't recommend that you configure NAT on a stick until you have a good understanding of NAT. PAT, and "NAT overload." You can learn about these terms and how NAT works, in my article, " Set up NAT using the Cisco IOS." Additionally, you should take a look at the " Cisco IOS NAT order of Operations." For example: the difference between inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global, NAT vs. When configuring NAT, there are a number of terms and concepts you need to know. NAT is performed by a router and is commonly used to translate private IP addresses used in homes and businesses into the public IP addresses that are used on the Internet. Network Address Translation (NAT) is used to translate IP addresses from one network into IP addresses for another network. In this article, learn what NAT on a stick is and how it can help you. A well known NAT configuration is called "NAT on a stick." Besides having a funny name, NAT on a stick can be very useful to network administrators.