BT 2700 HGV in bridged mode with SonicWALL...perhaps?

[garybrett]

Hi,

I have a new BT 2700 HGV with an external IP, behind this on LAN side I need to add our SonicWALL TZ170e to act as the Firewall and handle Site2Site VPNs with other SonicWALLs. Currrently this is achieved with a Cisco router passing all traffic through to the SonicWALLs externla IP on WAN port. I have been told if I put the 2700HGV into bridged mode it will become an ADSL modem only which is waht I want.

Firstly BT assure me assures me the 2wire will still handle the authentication [SonicWALL doesnt]. Should I leave the external IP configured on the WAN port of the 2wire, does that pass it through to the sonicwall WAN port or do I need to input my external IP directly into the SonicWALL interface?

I am a little confused, would I be correct to say the external IP is on the 2wire WAN port which then passes it through its LAN port and directly onto the SonicWALL WAN port? Does the SonicWALL need to have DHCP enabled, I thought the 2wire wouldnt distribute IPs in bridged mode? The sonicwall has choice of Static, DHCP, PPPoE, PPTP & L2TP. Would the SonicWALL in effect have the external IP visible from the internet then?

Any help appreciated as I really need to sort this before our leased line expires on saturday and Site2Site VPNs are a deal breaker for us?

[steph]

Hi Gary, 

If you put the 2WIRE into bridged mode it will act as a switch instead of a router and will no longer be able to authenticate which will mean it can no longer handle to connection to the internet.

It sounds like you only use one IP address, if that is the case then all you need to do is allow all applications on the firewall (DMZ Plus mode).

If, however, you were using multiple statics, I would advise against removing the Cisco as it is probably more capable of dealing with the ip addresses than the 2WIRE.

Let me know how you got on.

King regards,

Stephanie

[palf]

Hi Stephanie & Gary

I understand what you are saying, but it doesn't work. I currently have the same problem as Gary. I am trying to brigde a DSL connection to a SonicWAll TZ190 via a BT2700HGV. I spent an hour on the phone to BT Support about this today (to no avail). We went through the DMZ Plus Option (no joy), also tried putting it into bridge mode, but the SonicWall can't get through to authenticate with the BT.

When BT were talking me through the DMZ Plus mode they were of the opinion that the WAN port on the SonicWall should have the same IP Address as that of the static Address assigned to the BT2700HGV. When I configured the Sonicwall this was I got an error saying Invalid IP.

I have done this numerous times before with other routers and service providers. It is simple a case of putting the DSL router into Bridge mode, then configuring the SonicWall's WAN Port to use PPPoE, the username & password to connect to the SP, that way the SonicWall gets the static address.

Regards

Paul

[Kirok]

Bridged mode should work, atleast it has for me twice when configuring the BT/2-Wire 2700 HGV and many times with other routers.

I've not checked the ones with the new firmware so it may have been screwed up, also these options might be called something else but to enable it:

Turn off PVC Search

Set Connection Type to Direct IP/Bridged

Uncheck Enable Routing (Configure Services under Advanced)

While all ports are still active, only one will work. You'll need to configure the rest yourself depending on the network.

It use to be possible to do a proper DMZ and turn off the firewall etc on the 2700 but then they took away Telnet/SSH access.

I'd never replace anything with a 2700, I'd have to get it free and it would need to be the only option for me to use one.

Regarding static IPs, well it depends on the number, check any number of previous posts - I have been meaning to explain it with diagrams but part of me doesn't want to make BTs life easier especially for free. As for BT themselves knowing about them, I only have experience with the site in Dundee which gets the bulk of calls but no one there at any level knew how they worked, well some sort of knew how they worked with there own routers.

[gabi_cavaller]

Was  a solution found for this?

It's exaclty what I am encountering.

With bridged mode the sonicwall cannot authenticate, doesn't even communicate with the servers.

Any advice really appreciated.

Gabi.

[ilooli]

First, in bridging mode, as whats his name has said, your router will become a bridge, what they call ppoaoe, you'll need a ppp application to authenicate and secure a connection.

I'm on an adsl provider thats run over BT's infra structure and in bridging mode I get loads of errors, but I'm not sure thats down to the brigde or just the physical topolgy of BT, but in bridging mode the router no longer has control over your IP assignment, so if you got a static IP or even a couple, bridge mode removes the NAT and sends all your lovely packets straight to your internal interface without using the router aspect of your modem.

If your gonna run multiple servers behind one IP, then I'd let the router handle it, unless like me you want to see and play with what packets are comming in. Just get to router to port foreward. Try to avoid DMZ unless you want all the little packets out there and they include all the nasty ones, like straight pass through middle related data, your firewall on the router will do alot better job then you will, unless your a vatrain at it.

Always, set the router to bridging mode, install pppoe software, set sonicwall to pppoe and your good to go.

br aylu