Hiding Network Objects
Hide-mode NAT is used to hide an entire range of private addresses behind one routable address.
With hide-mode NAT, internal hosts are not accessible from external hosts, but internal hosts can still retain full access outward.
When configuring hide-mode NAT, you need to take ARP issues into account, and may have to add manual ARP entries to your firewall.
Static-mode NAT is used when internal hosts need to be accessible from the Internet.
With static-mode NAT, there is a one-to-one ratio between internal and external addresses.
There are ARP and routing issues to take into account when configuring static-mode NAT. You may need to add static routes if you have a router between your workstations and firewall, as well as static ARP entries.
NAT rules in FW-1 can be created manually via the NAT rulebase, or automatically via each network object s NAT tab.
Configuring FW-1 rules automatically may simplify your configuration tasks , and allow you to more easily visualize your environment.
Even when configuring NAT automatically, you need to keep the same ARP and routing considerations in mind.
FW-1 s global NAT properties help you to configure rule intersection behavior, determine where to perform destination translation, and perform automatic ARP configuration.
Automatic ARP configuration is an especially useful feature that eliminates the need for manual ARP entries on the firewall. FW-1 will create ARP entries for all required addresses.