What are the differences between packet forwarding and network address translation in layer 3?
Is packet forwarding done by a router between two networks that use public IP addresses?
Is network address translation done by some other device (NAT or still router) between a network using public IP addresses and a network using private IP addresses?
Is packet forwarding a many to many mapping?
Is network address translation a many to one mapping (from many private IP addresses to a public IP address)?
Is packet forwarding bidirectional?
Is network address translation uni-directional (from a private network to a public network, but not the other way around)?
Are they done by the same or different tables in the same or different devices (router or NAT)?
Thanks.