
Session Handling
52
The real solution to all of the issues with NAT is not ALGs, as they are simply not a scalable work-around for
problems. The solution is the use of IPv6, the current Internet Protocol version. The FireBrick is designed from
the ground up to support IPv6 and we recommend the use of IPv6 wherever possible.
Note
The FireBrick provides no ALGs whatsoever for any form of NAT or IP/port mapping. This is a
deliberate policy decision. However, there are a number features in the FireBrick that allow the correct
operation of many protoicols. These include the FireBrick SIP VoIP PABX server which allows it
to act as a proper SIP gateway between locally connected (e.g. on RFC1918 addresses) and external
SIP devices using the external IPv4 on PPPoE. The FireBrick also uses RFC recommended session
timeouts for UDP when NAT is applied to allow many protocols to continue to work with minimal
keep-alive packets. The use of customised session timeouts and port and IP mapping in the firewalling
rules also allow for special cases to be accomodated where necessary. In addition, support for NAT-
PMP and PCP allow port mapping and firewall holes to be created by devices on your network to
allow NAT traversal for devices that use these protocols (sucessors to uPnP).
7.4.3. Setting NAT in rules
The rules for firewalling allow a set-nat setting to be set true or false. Rules in later rule-sets can override this
setting just like any other setting in the firewall rules.
Note
The setting of the NAT flag causes NAT to be applied, and this will change the source IP and port
used for the session. However, unlike the explicit setting of a source IP or port in a rule, which causes
the next rule-set to see the new changed setting, the NAT setting does not actually make these changes
until the end of the processing of the rule-sets. i.e. a subsequent rule-set or rule cannot test the new
source-ip or source-port that NAT will apply.
7.4.4. What NAT does
What the NAT setting does is cause the FireBrick to change the source IP and port used for the session. It picks
an IP based on the interface to which the traffic will finally be sent, and uses the most appropriate IP address
that it can to try and ensure correct return traffic to that IP address.
The port that is chosen is picked from a pool of available source port addresses that are not currently in use.
This ensures that the reply traffic can be correctly matched with the specific session even if multiple sessions
are using the same original ports.
Note
It is possible to set the NAT attibute but also to explicitely set the source IP to be used. This will still
allocate an available port, but will use the chosen source IP address. Care must be taken to ensure
that the IP chosen is one that will allow the return traffic to be routed via the FireBrick to allow the
NAT to be reversed.
7.4.5. NAT with PPPoE
When using a PPPoE connection you may have a single IPv4 address assigned to the connection and so will
need to NAT traffic sent down that connection to the Internet. To accommodate this there is a nat setting which
can be enabled on the PPPoE configuration.
If this NAT setting is enabled then the default for all IPv4 traffic directed to the PPPoE session is for NAT to
be used. This default applies if the firewalling rules have not otherwise explicitely set the NAT setting for the
traffic in question. i.e. this can be overridden by specific firewalling rules.
Note
The NAT setting on PPPoE will not cause NAT to be set for IPv6 traffic.
Содержание FB6402
Страница 1: ...FireBrick FB6402 User Manual FB6000 Versatile Network Appliance...
Страница 2: ......