Network setup feasibility with a 2516 router/hub

[lupidus]

I recently purchased a 2516 router/hub and am now realizing it was probably not the best model to start learning on. Nonetheless I would like to know whether the following network configuration would be feasible, or if there would be any other possible solutions/uses for the 2516.

Outside world <-> *nix (w/2 NICs) <-> 2516 <-> (other systems)

(The above scenario seems awfully strange when I look at it like that.. doing my packet filtering before it gets to the router)

From what I understand there is 14 eth ports on 2516 but it is all considered one virtual device. They simply act as eth repeaters. So it would not be feasible to expect the following to work(because there is not an ethernet interface on the 2516):

outside <-> 2516 <-> inside

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance

 

[flojr13]

Hi lupidus,

Well, according to this data sheet (

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/customer...233/products_data_sheet09186a0080092047.html)

the ethernert ports are wired as a hub. They aren't individually routed ethernet interfaces. Think of the 2516 as a normal 2500 series router - with only 1 ethernet interface, but that interface is connected to a hub. In the 2516's case, the hub just happens to be built in the same case.

If you want to use the 2516 to route between inside and outside, you'll have to use the &quot;router-on-a-stick&quot; method, also known as &quot;one-armed router&quot;. In this case you have everything plugged into the hub ports (internet link and inside devices). Routing is achieved by assigning a secondary ip address to the ethernet interface.

The danger is that your inside network is physically available to the outside world (vulnerable to ip-spoofing and such).