Configuring a Static IP Address with NAT Enabled
Using NAT to set up your SonicWall eliminates the need for public IP addresses for all computers on your LAN. It is a way to conserve IP addresses available from the pool of IPv4 addresses for the Internet. NAT also allows you to conceal the addressing scheme of your network. If you do not have enough individual IP addresses for all computers on your network, you can use NAT for your network configuration.
Essentially, NAT translates the IP addresses in one network into those for a different network. As a form of packet filtering for firewalls, it protects a network from outside intrusion from hackers by replacing the internal (LAN) IP address on packets passing through a SonicWall with a “fake” one from a fixed pool of addresses. The actual IP addresses of computers on the LAN are hidden from outside view.
This section describes configuring the SonicWall appliance in the NAT mode. If you are assigned a single IP address by your ISP, follow the instructions below.
