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webrtcnatstunturn
Thabet Sabha
Thabet Sabha

Reputation: 171

WebRTC: do we need a TURN server if one peer is always using Full Cone Or Address Restricted (but not Port Restricted) NAT?

I have been reading a bit about WebRTC, and I'm not getting why we need a Turn Server if only 1 peer is using Symmetric NAT, and the other is using neither Symmetric nor Port Restricted NAT, so let’s say A is using Full Cone NAT, B is using Symmetric NAT:

  1. STUN SERVER will send the correct IP address of B to A, and the correct IP + Port address of A to B.

  2. A tries to connect to B (now A will be able to accept messages from B since it’s in the Dest Address Column).

  3. B tries to connect to A, which will allow requests from A going to B (ofc A needs to update the port to the one received from B instead of the Sdp).

am I missing something, or is this correct (and implemented), or is this too complicated to be implemented?

And if this is correct, then theoretically, if I’m peer A and I'm using Full Cone NAT, any peer B can connect to me (as long as I send the connection request first), without needing a TURN server.

Thanks

Upvotes: 5

Views: 1528

Answers (2)

Sean DuBois
Sean DuBois

Reputation: 4242

This question is a little easier if you think in terms of Mapping/Filtering. The other NAT terms don't do a good job of describing how things actually work. My answer comes from RFC 4787 and WebRTC for the Curious: Connecting

Mapping is when your NAT allocates a IP/Port for an outbound packet. A remote peer can the send traffic to this mapping. Filtering are the rules around who can use these mappings.

Filtering and Mappings can then be address dependent and independent. If a mapping is address dependent it means a new mapping is created for each time you contact a new IP/Port. If a mapping is address independent it means it is re-used no matter where you send traffic. These same rules apply to filtering.

If one peer is address + filtering independent I don't believe a TURN server would provide a benefit.

If you want TCP connectivity deploying a TURN server is a good idea. Some WebRTC servers support TCP, but I don't believe any browsers generate passive TCP candidates.

Upvotes: 2

selbie
selbie

Reputation: 104539

If the symmetric NAT environment only changes the port, you would be correct with regarding connectivity to Full Cone NAT. The hole punching step would work.

But many enterprise and mobile environments have complex routing schemes and crazy network environments that are different from a legacy home network router. These environments aren't just a little router box that hooks up to a cable modem. It's a complex array of routers and load balancers using a bank of IP addresses. And each outbound connection might get an IP address different from a previous connection. So it's technically "symmetric NAT".

And so after a node within this environment obtains an external IP/port pair from a STUN server, subsequent sends to a peer address might change both both the port and the IP address as well.

As such, the NATs see completely different IP addresses than expected when the UDP packets arrive during the hole punching step. Hence, a relay address (TURN) is needed here.

Upvotes: 1

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