What does the command "show ip nat translations" help a network administrator to determine?

The command "show ip nat translations" provides a network administrator with information about active NAT (Network Address Translation) translations and mappings. This command lists the IP address translations currently in use, showing the original (inside) addresses and their corresponding translated (outside) addresses.

Understanding active NAT translations is crucial for troubleshooting connectivity issues, verifying that NAT is functioning correctly, and ensuring that internal network resources can communicate with external networks. The output of this command typically includes details such as the protocol (TCP/UDP), the inside local address, the inside global address, the outside local address, and the outside global address involved in the translation.

By analyzing this information, administrators can track how internal addresses are being translated to external addresses, which is fundamental in managing and securing network traffic effectively.