Question from a rookie about connecting a router to a firewall

[mike.hatfield1]

Hi,

I am somewhat of a rookie and in a weird situation in my job where I was hired as an I.T. Specialist, but an I.T. Management service does all of the help desk and I am a liaison/babysitter. My question is on our Cisco 2800 Router being wired in correctly. The router has a line from the Adtran Total Access 1424s-CE WAN device from its front panel, GE7, to the back panel FE00 of the router. The FE01 on the back of the router is connected to port 1 of a Dell Power Connect 6248 switch that is not stacked and the only other connection is from port 3 of the same switch to the far right rear number zero Ethernet port on the back of a Cisco ASA5510 Adaptive Security Appliance/Firewall. The only other line from the Security Appliance/Firewall is from port number one on the back panel to the number 1 port on another Dell Power Connect 6428 switch that IS stacked with another 6428 and a Dell Power Connect 6224.

I am trying to figure out why someone used the switch that is not stacked instead of just connecting the WAN, which is not secured, to the number one jack on the Firewall, or second from the right, and then the secure line from the far right jack number zero, from the firewall to the top stacked switch port 1. I would like to be able to use the switch with only the port 1 and 3 being used for more connections in the building, and I think I could by just moving the wires to the correct ports and connecting the other switch into the stack. Either way according to the setup for the Firewall the unsecured network is supposed to be on the left and the secured network in the far right jack number zero.

I highly doubt that any of this makes sense to anyone, but the highly skilled who can see this in their mind, so I am not expecting much of an answer, but will take any help I can get!

Thanks  

[pwwiddicombe]

For normal operations, the Dell switch could be bypassed and it should work.  The following reasons are potentials for why it might be there:

1.  It may actually have configuration on it for speed, duplex, or media matching - I.e. the ASA has a Gig port (although this should be able to run at 100 Meg, unless it's fiber).

2.  It might be there for troubleshooting / management / monitoring purposes.

3.  It could provide Internet access; for either future guest wireless access, videoconference, or otherwise restricted software downloads.

4.  Is the 2800 yours or the provider's ?  The first poweredge might be provided by the provider as part of the package - a "demarcation point".