Watchguard Network Security Practice Test

For a dynamic IP address management scenario, which type of NAT allows the dynamic mapping of internal hosts to multiple public IP addresses?

1. Static NAT

2. Dynamic NAT

3. 1-to-1 NAT

4. Policy-based NAT

The correct answer is: Dynamic NAT

Dynamic NAT is the correct answer because it specifically allows for the dynamic mapping of multiple internal IP addresses to a pool of public IP addresses. With Dynamic NAT, when an internal host needs to communicate with an external network, the NAT device assigns it a public IP address from a predefined range. Once the session is complete, the public IP can be returned to the pool and made available for other internal hosts. This flexibility is essential for efficiently managing IP address usage in scenarios where multiple internal devices need to share a smaller number of public IP addresses. In contrast, static NAT involves a one-to-one mapping between a private and a public IP address, which does not support the dynamic allocation of multiple public addresses. Similarly, 1-to-1 NAT is another form of static NAT, reinforcing that a specific internal IP is permanently linked to a specific external IP. Policy-based NAT, on the other hand, applies rules to determine how to translate the IP addresses, but it is also not intended for dynamic mapping in the way Dynamic NAT is.