Episode 13 — NAT64 and IPv6 Interop: when it appears and what breaks
NAT64 appears in CloudNetX scenarios as an interoperability tool used when IPv6-enabled clients must reach IPv4-only destinations, and this episode explains how it works and why it introduces unique failure modes. It defines NAT64 as a translation mechanism that maps IPv6 traffic to IPv4 destinations by translating addresses and maintaining session state, allowing IPv6-only segments to consume legacy services. The episode also introduces the related DNS behavior often used in these designs, where name resolution can influence whether a client attempts an IPv6 path or an IPv4 path. The first paragraph focuses on the design motivations for NAT64, the dependencies it introduces, and the operational assumptions that must hold for it to function reliably. It emphasizes that NAT64 is a compromise that can simplify addressing but requires careful planning for policy enforcement, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
