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300-410 Practice Question: Which THREE statements about NAT and PAT behavior…
Which THREE statements about NAT and PAT behavior in Cisco IOS are true? (Choose THREE.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between static NAT and PAT, where candidates mistakenly think 'ip nat inside source static' can automatically perform PAT, but it only creates a fixed one-to-one mapping without port multiplexing.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
PAT allows multiple inside hosts to share a single public IP address by using unique source port numbers.
PAT (Port Address Translation) extends NAT by using unique source port numbers to multiplex multiple inside hosts over a single public IP address. This allows many internal devices to share one external IP, with the router tracking each session by the combination of inside global IP and port.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
PAT allows multiple inside hosts to share a single public IP address by using unique source port numbers.
Why this is correct
Correct. PAT multiplexes many inside addresses to one outside address by differentiating TCP/UDP ports.
- ✓
The NAT translation table for PAT includes the inside global IP and port, and the outside global IP and port.
Why this is correct
Correct. The full entry includes inside local, inside global, outside local, and outside global addresses and ports.
- ✓
The command 'ip nat inside source list 1 interface GigabitEthernet0/0 overload' enables PAT using the interface IP.
Why this is correct
Correct. This is the standard command for PAT where the interface IP is used as the inside global address.
- ✗
The 'ip nat inside source static' command automatically enables PAT when multiple inside hosts are configured.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Static NAT creates a one-to-one mapping and does not use PAT; each inside host requires a separate public IP.
- ✗
The 'ip nat pool' command is required for all PAT configurations.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. PAT can use a single interface IP without a pool; a pool is only needed when using a range of addresses.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on 300-410
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which TWO statements about NAT overload (PAT) are true? (Choose TWO.)
medium- ✓ A.PAT allows multiple inside hosts to share a single public IP address by using unique source port numbers.
- B.PAT is only supported with a single public IP address configured on the outside interface.
- ✓ C.PAT is also known as NAT overload and is defined in RFC 2663.
- D.PAT cannot translate traffic for protocols that use static port numbers, such as DNS or HTTP.
- E.PAT requires the ip nat inside source list command with the overload keyword.
Why A: A is correct because PAT (Port Address Translation) allows multiple internal hosts to share a single public IP address by assigning unique source port numbers to each session. This multiplexing technique enables many concurrent connections from different inside hosts to appear as if they originate from the same public IP, with the NAT device tracking each session by the combination of source IP and source port.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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