VPN WIZARD Address Translation Exemption (Optional)

[lanadmin]

I am trying to figure out the difference in leaving this screen blank versus hitting the ANY button and configuring it on the right side to exempt....

When setting up a VPN remote access in the VPN Wizard of the PDM, one of the last screens asks if you want to configue an exemption for NAT.......

"By default, the PIX hides the internal network from outside users by Network Address Translation (NAT). You can make exemptions to NAT so that the real address of the whole or part of the internal network is exposed to remote users who have been authenticated and protected by VPN. Leaving the selection list blank implies the whole network behind the inside interface will be exposed to remote VPN users without NAT."

You can leave this blank and go to the next screen or you can change the settings. I am trying to igure out the difference if I leave it blank or if I hit the ANY button and tell it to exepmt ANY internally.

If I leave it blank, will all VPN users will be able to see the internal private IP addresses? If I tell it ANY then I am creating an exemption? If I do this, how will the VPN users view the IP addresses? I am just reading this wrong?

I guess I need a "lamans answer" as to what this is asking.

Thanks

[ebreniz]

It depends on your network scenario. If your internal network uses IP addresses that can be routed globally on the Internet, then you can either chose to use the same to communicate with the Internet hosts or chose to hide the original IP address and use the NATed address. But if your internal network used private addresses (such as 10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x or 192.168..x.x) then, you will have to use NAT to communicate to the outside world. For that you must obtain a globally routable IP address from your service provider.