A Networking Question

okay, I know this is pretty broad, but can you guys list some pros and cons of using nat punchthrough? I am new to networking and am not quite sure why you would disable NAT and would just like to know if there is any downside to it

 

NAT traversal is pretty much required for any modern internet game. Without it, players often won't be able to connect with one another because they are behind different firewalls.

 

Yes, but that's not what he's asking...
He is asking about the pros and cons for the other end, the server end where you need punchthrough to connect the server.

1 con: Nat punchthrough doesn't allways work, some modems don't support it.
And if that's the case, there is no way to connect to it.

 

Its not so much about whether to nat or not to nat.. Its all about flexibility. You should be able to support all variances or nat, non-nat, proxies, etc. Putting in place the necessary checks from the perspective of each device to ascertain which method of communications will work best for your deployment is important and then registering that configuration to something like XMPP for tracking, messages, presence and most importantly on the internal side.. what each devices current method of connectivity, so you can handle any necessary back end modifications to ensure successful delivery or your game data.

 

Thanks for the help peoples!