[Pc_Support] Re: Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable?

[Bryan J. Smith <b.j.smith at ieee.org>]

From: Damien McKenna <dmckenna at thelimucompany.com>
> Does anyone know anything about "bonding" multiple ADSL or ADSL + cable?
> We need to increase our bandwidth at work are are running out of options
> on how to do it affordably.  Thanks.

The Linux kernel's built-in iprouting can "round robin" outgoing connections.
I.e., it can alternate between sending data over two or more interfaces.
The return data will then come back in on the same interface it was sent out,
which is an outgoing-only load balance.

As far as incoming, you're talking getting an ASN and using BGP -- i.e., $$$.
There is no way to "bond" incoming in a transparent way without the rest of
the world knowing that you are using more than one physical network with
an ASN, and publishing those multiple routes via BGP.

Another, possibly better, option would be to use quality-of-service and other
traffic shapping at the gateway.  IPCop has some basic options built-in,
although you can get more creative, depending on how much hacking you
want to do.

Most of the time bandwidth is not the problem, but usage and priority.
IIRC, IPCop 1.4, out-of-the-box, reduces the priority of many protocols that
are "abused" by employees -- such as audio and other multimedia streams.



--
Bryan J. Smith   mailto:b.j.smith at ieee.org