MSU_DEVICES and NAT Types Explained

Overview

What exactly NAT Types are, and the limitations that may occur with gaming on MSU_Devices

MSU_Devices and NAT Types Explained 

According to Cisco, NAT type is a Network Address Translation (NAT) designed to conserve the number of IP addresses. "It enables private IP networks that use unregistered IP addresses to connect to the Internet. NAT operates on a router, usually connecting two networks together, and translates the private (not globally unique) addresses in the internal network into legal addresses, before packets are forwarded to another network." For more information on what NAT types are, please visit this Cisco website.

When it comes to gaming, there are three levels of NAT Types, which are each there for increased/decreased security. The least secure NAT Type would be Open/1 and the most secure would be Strict/3. Of course, there is a middle level of security which is Moderate/2. NAT types, depending on your platform, will be called different things, but work functionally the same.

XBOX NAT Types

XBOX uses the NAT type naming of Open, Moderate, and Strict. Open NAT type can connect to any of the other NAT types with no restrictions. Strict NAT type can only connect to Open Nat type. A restriction on using the Strict NAT type means there may be some complications in how communications work within a game. Typically, you would not be able to access voice chat with other users or host a server, but normally you will be able to join open game lobbies. In order to ensure that most XBOX features work, certain ports can be enabled to allow these servers to communicate - which are enabled on the MSU_Devices network. These ports are  TCP 80, UDP 88, UDP 3074, TCP 3074, UDP 53, and TCP 53 among others. Below will be a graphic that illustrates how the different NAT types are able to communicate with each other.

Playstation NAT Types

Playstation uses Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3. Playstation defines its Type 1 NAT type as directly connected to the Internet. Both Type 2 and Type 3 are defined as connected to the Internet via a router, though of course, they have different levels of security. In order to see how these NAT Types communicate, you can look at the XBOX image above. Type 1 is the same as Open, Type 2 is the same as Moderate, and Type 3 is the same as Strict. Just like with XBOX, Playstation also has standard ports which can be enabled to allow servers to communicate - which are also enabled on MSU_Game. These ports are TCP 80, TCP 443, TCP 5223, UDP 3478, UDP 3479, and UDP 3658 among others.

Bottom Line

Unfortunately, the NAT type for MSU_DEVICES is set to Strict/Type 3 for best security practices and cannot be changed. If you run into any problems with a game involving NAT types, there is nothing that can be done to fix the issue. The ports that are most commonly used and are proven to be safe are enabled. If a game does not work due to a NAT type error, the game is using ports that are non-standard and game specific - which are usually also ports that may be vulnerable to malicious activity.

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