I'm curious if it's typical for larger ISPs to not provide routed public IP addresses. My secondary ISP requires us to manage our own router for the public IPs. Is this something I should be concerned about? Should I consider switching to another ISP to avoid maintaining this separate router? I have the ability to assign my transit IP on the WAN, but then I need to route other WANs behind it, which complicates things.
5 Answers
There are different types of internet services. Typically, there's Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) and transit. DIA often gives you a dynamic IP, with options to upgrade to a static or a static block. If you want to use your own IPs and ASN, you'd usually go for IP transit. You essentially get the bandwidth you need to advertise your own IPs.
Sounds like you might not have the right service. Most ISPs typically provide a managed router for free with their circuit connection. It’s worth checking what service level you signed up for.
Managing your own IPs can actually be beneficial. It helps keep the same addresses no matter which ISP you switch to. However, I get that it might not be cost-effective unless you're a big enterprise. Some smaller setups can struggle with renting their own space.
Then again, if your ISP isn't routing them for you, that's unusual. Usually, ISPs manage that, and you just assign it to your firewall on the WAN.
Are you sure you're not behind Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT)?
No, I think I have IP transit instead.
So it’s not CGNAT, got it.
Looks like there's a mix-up with terms. Your secondary ISP is likely giving you a routed subnet, which is commonly referred to as Provider-Aggregatable (PA) space. You might need to clarify that with them.
Exactly, renting is pricey unless you're massive. The sysadmin community has a mix of business sizes, after all.