How is NAT Implemented in NNMi?

NNMi manages NAT environments by identifying each Node using a Tenant/IP Address pair. NNMi administrators create a Tenant definition for each NAT address domain. The Tenant identifies a logical grouping of Nodes. For example, an Internet provider’s network might have multiple customers who implemented private IP addresses. Within NNMi, the Internet provider can assign each customer’s Nodes to a specific Tenant name that identifies each customer. Within that logical Tenant grouping:

• NNMi administrators use Discovery Seeds to identify the Tenant’s member Nodes using a Tenant/IP address pair.
• Subnet Connection Rules apply independently within each Tenant’s group of Nodes.
• Router Redundancy Groups are monitored within each Tenant, independently from any other Tenant’s group of Nodes.
• NNMi discovers L2 Connections only within each Tenant’s group of Nodes, and between that defined Tenant’s Nodes and Nodes assigned to a tenant named Default Tenant.
• Assign any infrastructure device that interconnects multiple NAT domains (such as the NAT gateway router) to the Default Tenant. This ensures that NNMi displays the Layer 2 connections your work group (and customers) need to see.
• Security Groups determine how many Tenants an NNMi user can see. The assigned Security Group can include Nodes from more than one Tenant. For more information, see NNMi Security and Multi-Tenancy Configuration.

Depending on which NAT protocol you are using, the NNMi implementation method and requirements vary. For example, use of dynamic NAT or PAT would require additional hardware and licenses. See the appropriate sections based on your type of NAT protocol:

• Static NAT Considerations
• Dynamic NAT and PAT Considerations

Then see Deploy NNMi in a Network Address Translation (NAT) Environment for details.