Internet access issues with BT Net Dedicated Fibre Line

[jastreet1]

Hi all, really hope you can help with a problem I have.

So I signed up for a dedicated fibre optic line at a huge cost because the speed and 100% uptime is so important to my business.

After 6 emails BT failed to confirm a managed service within the network and so I was forced to set up the system myself.

Basically, we are looking for some guidance to a problem we have. The internet comes into the building via a dedicated fibre connection. This connection is connected to a small box, which then connects to another box converting the fibre to ethernet connections. This then connects to a BT managed Cisco 2921 Router (which we cannot get access to, to fix problem I will highlight shortly) which connects to a switch and then to PC's,devices etc.

The issue is to connect to the internet I have set up a Gateway, DNS etc and I have 5 IP addresses which must be used to access the internet. Now I have 10+ PC's running on the system so it is not possible to give each PC an IP address. I need to use DHCP to assign internal IP addresses which connect through a system which is using one of the 5 assigned IP addresses which has been correctly configured for internet access on all of the PC's.

Thing is, how do I do this? I have called out a few company's to look at this but no body seems to know what they heck to do!

Does anyone have a simple solution or perhaps have a company they can recommend (near Leicester) as I am now pulling my hair out!

Thanks guys

 

[serverhouse]

Hi,

It's not a big issue to work around.

Just buy a "cable modem"

Plug the WAN side into your BT Cisco router (It'll pick up or you can configure a BT provided IP address)

Plug everything else into the switch ports on the cable modem (you can plug switches into the cable modem for extra ports)

The cable modem will then run DHCP dish out NAT 192.* address's for 254 PC's
The cable modem will also provide a firewall (which it sounds like you don't currently have)

BT really should provide you with enough IPs for what you need so you could try asking them for more?

BT fibre isn't 100% guaranteed (nothing is) nor is it normally very competitive. There are many other ways to establishing good reliable internet for a lot less

 

[ccsleedsltd]

BT really should provide you with enough IPs for what you need so you could try asking them for more?

Sounds to me like this chap only really needs one IP and NAT, yet your implication is to ask BT for a larger routable block and almost hints at putting a public on every device...

 

[serverhouse]

Sorry didn't mean to mis-lead

I wasn't suggesting he waste IP address's or choose a specific addressing policy just providing him with two alternatives.

1). Buy a router to NAT stuff
2). Get BT to give him more IPs

As I'm sure you know it depends on the application.

The impression I got was he's a little in the dark so option 1 will probably be his best bet (as it'll provide a firewall too).

But it's possible he's hosting off the end of the line and BT have incorrectly told him he can't justify having more IP space which is not the case.

 

[jastreet1]

Right we are on to company number 3 who has come our, scratched their head and gone unsolved. Excellent.

 

[serverhouse]

Truly amazing.

Keep us updated

 

[ccsleedsltd]

Right we are on to company number 3 who has come our, scratched their head and gone unsolved. Excellent.

Hiya.

What are they scratching their heads about? Can they not get it working, i.e. is there possibly a fault with the leased line in the first instance or do they just not know how to setup a basic router?

Honestly, you could have this done yourself in five minutes..

 

[jastreet1]

They don't know what they are doing (leased line is fine - in fact I am using it now on a static IP directly into the router).

I wouldn't trust me and unfortunately if I cock things up we are in trouble..... I am staying away from this one.

 

[ccsleedsltd]

If you are really stuck finding someone with a clue, I would happily arrange to pre-configure a router here and ship it to you, it really isn't a difficult job.

Sadly we are Leeds based and a drive to Leicester just isn't cost effective (for you).

 

[jastreet1]

Sure PM me an quote and if this last guy can't do it I will seriously consider the offer.

 

[KM-Tiger]

... (leased line is fine - in fact I am using it now on a static IP directly into the router).

Do be careful with that. If there is no firewall your PC is exposed to the internet, and you must expect the world, and his wife, to try and hack their way in.

 

[NetwiseHosting]

Hi there,

Did you resolve this? By the sounds of it you have a Leased Line with a Public IP Address subnet configured on this which gives you 5 useable IP Addresses.

You then have a NAT set up on the router which is assigning a maximum of 5 Internal IP Addresses via DHCP.

You do not need more Public IP Addresses from BT unless you are using these for web facing services but what you do need is to expand your Internal NAT'ed Subnet from it's current range.

I could be wrong on the above, but that's what it sounds like to me after reading your post a couple of times as you have suggested both Public and Private networking.

You have three options; either contact BT and ask them to remotely reconfigure your router to expand the private NAT'ed subnet, or connect a cable router to the cisco router whereby you could configure a new Net'ed subnet or lastly have an external cisco competent engineer to configure the Cisco router for you.

Drop me a PM if you would like one of my engineers to talk you through any of the above in further detail.
All the best,

Matthew

 

[KM-Tiger]

I could be wrong on the above, but that's what it sounds like to me after reading your post a couple of times as you have suggested both Public and Private networking.

I did wonder that as well, though 5 usable would be spot on for a public block of 8, after you have taken away the network, broadcast and router addresses.

To the OP: You could clarify this by telling us the first two octets of these five addresses. E.g if the address is 123.123.123.123 then tell us 123.123.*.* .

That will identify them as public or private beyond doubt, but keep the actual addresses away from prying eyes.

 

[jastreet1]

Update: all fixed in about 1 hour easy as pie. Installed a firewall device networked it up, job done made it look easy. Big thank you to Aurora Technologies!

 

[ccsleedsltd]

Excellent news - and so it should have been. A really simple little job in all honesty.