This 350-401 practice question tests your understanding of nat and dhcp. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A network engineer runs the following command on Router R5:
R5# show ip nat translations
Pro Inside global Inside local Outside local Outside global
udp 192.0.2.20:1234 10.0.0.20:1234 203.0.113.1:53 203.0.113.1:53
tcp 192.0.2.20:5678 10.0.0.20:5678 198.51.100.1:80 198.51.100.1:80
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The router is performing Port Address Translation (PAT) for multiple sessions from the same internal host.
The output shows two translations using the same inside global address (192.0.2.20) but different ports, which is characteristic of PAT. One translation is UDP (DNS) and one is TCP (HTTP).
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
The router is configured with static NAT for two internal hosts.
Why it's wrong here
Static NAT would not show ports; this is PAT with dynamic translations.
✓
The router is performing Port Address Translation (PAT) for multiple sessions from the same internal host.
Why this is correct
Same inside global IP with different ports indicates PAT.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
The router is performing destination NAT.
Why it's wrong here
Destination NAT would show different outside local/global pairs; here they match.
✗
The inside local address 10.0.0.20 is using two different global addresses.
Why it's wrong here
Both translations use the same inside global address 192.0.2.20.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Static NAT would not show ports; this is PAT with dynamic translations.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related 350-401 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
NAT and DHCP — This question tests NAT and DHCP — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The router is performing Port Address Translation (PAT) for multiple sessions from the same internal host. — The output shows two translations using the same inside global address (192.0.2.20) but different ports, which is characteristic of PAT. One translation is UDP (DNS) and one is TCP (HTTP).
What should I do if I get this 350-401 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related 350-401 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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