Crypto over NAT Overload Order of Operations – VPN and Cisco NAT Guide

cisconat;vpn

I have a Cisco router with Site to Site IPSec. I am wondering if you're able to split tunnel a single host inside, out to the internet, that is also referenced in the interesting traffic ACL?

How does the order of operations work for VPN interesting traffic versus NAT overload?

Example:

Interesting Traffic ACL: 10.1.1.0/24
PAT Host : 10.1.1.20

If the 10.1.1.20 sends traffic, will it hit the crypto ACL and transport across the ipsec tunnel, or will it PAT across the WAN using the NAT overload? It has just a single default static route out to the internet.

If it doesn't, do you have to break apart your interesting ACL to exclude the host, or dney it across the tunnel in the VPN interesting traffic ACL?

Best Answer

How does the order of operations work for VPN interesting traffic versus NAT overload?

Quoting from the order of IPSec operations in Cisco IOS, including both IPSec and NAT.

  • Inside to outside traffic:

    • If IPSec then check input access list decryption - for CET (Cisco Encryption Technology) or IPSec
    • check input access list
    • check input rate limits
    • input accounting
    • redirect to web cache
    • policy routing
    • routing
    • NAT inside to outside (local to global translation)
    • crypto (check map and mark for encryption)
    • check output access list
    • inspect (Context-based Access Control (CBAC))
    • TCP intercept
    • encryption
    • Queueing
  • Outside to Inside traffic:

    • If IPSec then check input access list
    • decryption - for CET or IPSec
    • check input access list
    • check input rate limits
    • input accounting
    • redirect to web cache
    • NAT outside to inside (global to local translation)
    • policy routing
    • routing
    • crypto (check map and mark for encryption)
    • check output access list
    • inspect CBAC
    • TCP intercept
    • encryption
    • Queueing

Regarding how to split traffic from a single host between the tunnel and the internet connection: you will need to include the destination at the other end of the tunnel in the ACL for interesting traffic and also make sure you have a route to this destination vía the interface where the crypto map is applied.