Redundant Internet Access

[mjhagen]

Is there a way to get redundat inbound internet access to our email system without running BGP. We currently have a T/1 to an ISP. In the event that this ISP fails would there be a way to access out email system via the internet without adding a second ISP and running BGP

[svermill]

You can run multiple static routes to the same ISP without BGP. But unless you truely diversify the WAN connectivity to your ISP, all of your circuits are likely to go down at the same time. Was that your question?

[mjhagen]

I was looking for a way in if our ISP were to go down. I was wondering if there was a way to possibly use DSL or ISDN as a backup solution.

[svermill]

Oh. If you are looking for complete ISP redundancy, you will probably need to run BGP with them. If you are looking for redundancy to the same ISP using a backup technology, of course, it wouldn't be necessary.

Your original question still leaves me feeling like I am not addressing your concern. If your entire ISP fails, in order to access the internet, you need someone else to provide access. By doing so, that organization would meet the technical definition of an Internet Service Provider - via whatever layer 2 WAN technology that might be implemented to your location. If that other ISP isn't advertising your prefixes to the world, traffic will never make it back to you. If they are advertising your prefixes, but traffic can't get to you over a standby ISDN connection or something, you have a problem there too.

Maybe somebody else has a better idea?