Things are getting a lot clearer. The BGP multihoming solution sounds like exactly what I want. I have more questions
Now I suppose I would get my allocation from RIPE as I am UK based?
Do I also need to apply for an AS number?
As the IP block is "mine", it is ISP independent. i.e. I can take it with me when I decide to use two completely different ISPs?
Is the obtaining of this IP block, what is referred to as PI space?
Of course internally I split the /24 up however I want - /28 for untrust range and maybe a routed DMZ block etc.?
Assuming I apply for IP block and AS number, whats involved and how long does it take to get these babies?
I know the SSG550's have BGP capabilites. As I have two of these in HA mode, does it make sense to do the BGP on these, or should I get dedicated BGP routers?
Fixing the internal routing policy so traffic is directed at the active BGP connection. Whats involved here, preferring one BGP link over the other?
Thanks again, I obviously need to do some reading of my own, but all the suggestions so far have been very valuable and definitely seem to be pointing in some
fruitful directions.
There are companies like packet exchange (www.packetexchange.net)
(whom i have personally used) who will do all of the legwork for you,
such as applying for the ASN, address space, transit agreements, and
get the tail connections directly to your building. You just need to
pay them and buy the equipment (which they can also provide). Probably
easier in the long run.
NOTE: I am not an employee, or paid affiliate of packet exchange... I
have used them for services and am promoting them due to my own good
experiences with their services.
There are companies like packet exchange (www.packetexchange.net)
(whom i have personally used) who will do all of the legwork for you,
such as applying for the ASN, address space, transit agreements, and
get the tail connections directly to your building. You just need to
pay them and buy the equipment (which they can also provide). Probably
easier in the long run.
Sure, if you want to hand over your entire profit margin to a 3rd party. Do you really want to give away the keys to your business, and rely entirely upon a third party organisation? Better to acquire the skills which are vital to your organisation yourself.
NOTE: I am not an employee, or paid affiliate of packet exchange... I
have used them for services and am promoting them due to my own good
experiences with their services.
I used to work for them. Then as now, I honestly can see little purpose in their productset.
Sure, if you want to hand over your entire profit margin to a 3rd party.
Do you really want to give away the keys to your business, and rely
entirely upon a third party organisation? Better to acquire the skills
which are vital to your organisation yourself.
Umm.. You did that *anyhow* the instant you paid somebody else to run the
cables to your location rather than dig your own ditches. Similarly for
electricity and everything else you don't create yourself.
> NOTE: I am not an employee, or paid affiliate of packet exchange... I
> have used them for services and am promoting them due to my own good
> experiences with their services.
>
I used to work for them. Then as now, I honestly can see little purpose
in their productset.
There's little purpose if you're an ISP that's supposed to be good at BGP
yourself. If however, your business is running a /24 worth of webservers that
sells your company's product, and Best Practices says you should be multi-homed
but the in-house skill set runs more to Apache than BGP, a well-designed BGP
appliance can be a ghodsend.
(I admit I missed the OP's statement of what business line they were in).
