STUN

STUN

STUN (Simple Traversal of UDP through NATs (Network Address Translation)) is a protocol for assisting devices behind a NAT firewall or router with their packet routing.

• STUN enables a device to find out its public IP address and the type of NAT service its sitting behind.
• STUN operates on TCP and UDP port 3478.
• STUN is not widely supported by VOIP devices yet.
• STUN may use DNS SRV records to find STUN servers attached to a domain. The service name is _stun._udp or _stun._tcp

Definitions (from the RFC)

• STUN Client: A STUN client (also just referred to as a client) is an entity that generates STUN requests. A STUN client can execute on an end system, such as a user's PC, or can run in a network element, such as a conferencing server.
• STUN Server: A STUN Server (also just referred to as a server) is an entity that receives STUN requests, and sends STUN responses. STUN servers are generally attached to the public Internet.

Various types of NAT (still according to the RFC)

• Full Cone: A full cone NAT is one where all requests from the same internal IP address and port are mapped to the same external IP address and port. Furthermore, any external host can send a packet to the internal host, by sending a packet to the mapped external address.
• Restricted Cone: A restricted cone NAT is one where all requests from the same internal IP address and port are mapped to the same external IP address and port. Unlike a full cone NAT, an external host (with IP address X) can send a packet to the internal host only if the internal host had previously sent a packet to IP address X.
• Port Restricted Cone: A port restricted cone NAT is like a restricted cone NAT, but the restriction includes port numbers. Specifically, an external host can send a packet, with source IP address X and source port P, to the internal host only if the internal host had previously sent a packet to IP address X and port P.
• Symmetric: A symmetric NAT is one where all requests from the same internal IP address and port, to a specific destination IP address and port, are mapped to the same external IP address and port. If the same host sends a packet with the same source address and port, but to a different destination, a different mapping is used. Furthermore, only the external host that receives a packet can send a UDP packet back to the internal host.