[e2e] 100% NAT - a DoS proof internet

[Saikat Guha]

On Wed, 2006-02-22 at 08:24 -0800, rick jones wrote:
> On Feb 22, 2006, at 12:32 AM, Saikat Guha wrote:
> > NATs (not counting firewalls) are used to extend the IPv4 address 
> > space.
> > The address space for "names" is infinite. Is there a motivation behind
> > designing or deploying name-translation devices?
> 
> names (in the DNS or something like it I presume?) may be essentially 
> infinite, but are they "free?"  IIRC even with IPv4 ISP's were/are 
> offering multiple IPs to customers - for a price

I imagine that price stems from the scarcity of IPs in the ISP's address
block. ISP's routinely offer customers multiple free email addresses.

> I also thought that NAT's were used to provide some (small) measure of 
> anonymity.

Names need not betray organizational topology, nor prevent anonymity.
NATs are a hack to circumvent IP routing without changing endhosts. A
name-based routing would require changing endhosts anyway. It would also
allow implementing these "services" that NATs provides now, at the
endhosts themselves. Clever name-based routing protocols (i3 for
example) can reach the destination without requiring NATs in the middle
for anonymity and topology hiding.

-- 
Saikat
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