Question on multiple static IP's and Bridged mode

[CPUonNO2]

At my work we have a Verizon business class DSL line, and as part of the package we're given 5 static IPs. Our current configuration was set up by a former technician, and I'm being asked to clean it up. Unfortunately, I'm getting conflicting data on what the "proper" setup is. Currently, we have a Westell 7500 set to bridged mode. We then have a router and two servers physically connected to separate ports on the DSL modem, each configured with one of the available static IPs. It seems to function perfectly, but I'm being told by some people that when in bridged mode the modem cannot handle multiple connections, and that if I don't reconfigure everything to run through a router on one static IP, I'm "going to have all kinds of networking issues down the road". I called verizon and they were lost by what I was describing, and simply said if it works I should leave well enough alone. I'm hoping someone here can give me something definitive. TIA.

[bchur83]

It will work just fine the way it is. Either way you hook it up, the same amount of traffic will be flowing through the modem, whether it is connected to one port on the modem or 2+ ports.

[Incesticide]

The explanation you got for why it could be bad is wrong. There is nothing wrong with your setup.

The only reason I could think of is if the servers aren't hosting anything to the outside world, then there is no reason to have them on the outside of the router. The real concern is for security. What do the servers do exactly?

[gangaskan]

regardless, anything outside your router is a big no no, unless you absolutley have to have it out (like a firewall, mail server relay maybe?)


exposing something out onto the internet is bad mojo, we had a class experiment that ran a year with something like that, and you know what happened? it got turned into some guy's limewire server and they found all sorts of crap on it, finding nemo anyone?


its best to NAT these items out to the internet in my opinion :)

[VinnyTAMU]

So the Westell 7500 is a Verizon provided router that sits between Verizon's network and your businesses network? Does it function purely as a router? SPI? 1:1 NAT? It sounds as if you have an additional router on your side of the network why is that?

[CPUonNO2]

Thanks for the replies. Nothing integral is on the outside of our router/firewall/proxy. One of the outside lines is for the repair network to keep outside software/viruses off our internal network (it has it's own router and firewall) and the other is only hooked to a customer's linux imaging server when it's requested by phone. Obviously there's far better ways of setting these scenarios up, but for right now I've been told to change as little as possible until things are at least physically cleaned up. Sorry for not being more clear about the other two connections in my initial post, I was just trying to keep it simple so as to not detract from the question at hand. Thanks again.

[gangaskan]

So the Westell 7500 is a Verizon provided router that sits between Verizon's network and your businesses network? Does it function purely as a router? SPI? 1:1 NAT? It sounds as if you have an additional router on your side of the network why is that?


possibly a enterprise router is my guess. and they are using the westell 7500 as the modem from the verizon network?