Technical data

ServerIron ADX NAT64 Configuration Guide 9

53-1002288-02

DRAFT: BROCADE CONFIDENTIAL

Chapter*

IPv6-only client to IPv4 resource

Overview

A NAT64 gateway enables IPv6-only clients and IPv4 resources to communicate with each other via

address and packet translation. This translation operation is performed on the NAT64 gateway

using stateful sessions. This mode requires the following components:

• NAT64 Prefix – The NAT64 prefix converts the IPv4 address of the IPv4-only resource to an IPv6

address that the IPv6 client can send a request to. It is created by defining an IPv6 prefix that

is then concatenated to the beginning of the IPv4 address of the IPv4 resource.

• DNS server – This component (not supplied by Brocade) is responsible for providing the IPv6

client with the IPv6 address (defined using the NAT64 prefix required) to reach the IPv4

resource.

• NAT64 gateway – This component is installed on a ServerIron ADX. It is reached by the IPv6

client using the IPv6 address supplied to it by the DNS server. When packets from the IPv6

server reach the NAT64 gateway a stateful session is created during which the IPv6 destination

address sent by the client to an IPv4 resource has its IPv6 prefix stripped and the packet is

forwarded to the IPv4-only resource. Because the state is maintained, packets returned from

the IPv4-only resource to the IPv6-only client are able to use the same session to perform the

reverse translation required.

Operation of NAT64 for IPv6-only client to IPv4 resource

Figure 2 provides a high-level view of the IPv6-only client to IPv4 resource NAT64 configuration. As

shown, the client resides in an IPv6 only network and the server (resource) resides in an IPv4 only

network. The DNS64 server and the ServerIron ADX (configured as a NAT64 gateway) communicate

with both the IPv4 and IPv6 networks.

FIGURE 2 IPv6-only client to IPv4 resource overview

IPv4

ServerIron ADX

with NAT64

DNS 64 Server

IPv6-only Client

IPv6

IPv6 + IPv4

NAT64 Prex:

2001:db8::/96

NAT64 IPv4 address pool

192.0.2.1 - 192.0.2.10

IPv4 address:

100.1.1.1

IPv4-only Server

IPv6 address:

2001:db8:ccc::1