Verizon FiOS Distribution Switch

Wed Jan 19 21:07:57 UTC 2011

I have done this exact thing. We had a client with a block of public ips and they needed the actiontec router to stay connected for the cable boxes. Just put the switch between the ONT ethernet port and the actiontec WAN port and you should be fine. Just make sure the ethernet port is active on the ONT and that they dont just have the MoCA port active as I have seen this. If that's the case a simple phonecall to verizon should solve this... Assuming you get a capable tech on the line.

Good luck.

- Ed
-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Burwell <cburwell at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:56:15 
To: NANOG<nanog at nanog.org>
Subject: Verizon FiOS Distribution Switch

I have a question about a Verizon FiOS business connection with an
ethernet hand off and I am hoping that someone out there has done the
same thing.

We have a FiOS business connection coming into our building. This
includes an Ethernet hand off into the usual Actiontec router as well
as a block of 13 public IP addresses. The Actiontec router needs to
remain in place with its current Public IP address. We have some
devices from a vendor plugged into it for Internet access, as well as
numerous cable boxes across the building that get their guide
information through the coax interface on the router.

What we want to do is take the ethernet hand off out of the WAN
(RJ-45) interface on the Actiontec router and plug it into a hardened
Cisco switch such as a 2950. Our goal here is to use the Cisco switch
as a Internet distribution switch since we will have numerous test
devices that will need to have a direct connection to the Internet.
Our preference is also not to have all of the traffic from these other
devices traverse the Actiontec router.

I have a few concerns with this setup:

Some articles I have read indicate that the hand off from the Verizon
ONT may not be a direct Ethernet hand off so the interface it connects
to may require a different config (Dialer or something).

I am also concerned about any issues if the ONT or some down stream
Verizon device may cause if it sees multiple MAC addresses coming
across our link.

We're not trying to cheat the system or anything, just to modify the
Verizon setup to better suit our needs.

Any advice or tips would be helpful.

- Chris