snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:
>> Here is the problem,
>> I have two telephone lines. I want to make both of these lines ADSL
>> connections to the internet and use these connections to provide
>> internet access to several wireless laptop computers. A maximum of
>> about 20 laptops would be connected to the system at once. I would
>> like the laptops to be able to use both lines simultaneously so that I
>> don't have one line overloaded and one underloaded (ie: I want to
>> balance the traffic on the lines at any given time).
>> Anyone have any suggestions on how to set up something like this?
>> -Jonathan
> Obtain a Linux server, connect each DSL line to a separate Ethernet
> card, and modify its route table to give equal weight to each line.
> You'll need a third card for your wireless AP or other LAN connections.
This approach only solves "part" of the problem, namely 'outgoing' traffic.
"> I know nothing about setting up a server, so please pardon my
ignorance. Is there any reason why it needs to be a linux server?
No, it *doesn't*have*to*be* "Linux".
Could it be Windows?
It _could_.
*BUT* the 'standard' routing code _in_the_kernel_ of most operating systems does =not= support multiple equal-priority routes to the same destination,
*with* rotating use of those routes on a per-packet basis.
Thus, you are _very_probably_ going to have to modify the relevant pieces of the O/S kernel to accomplish this 'ping-pong' load-balancing.
Doing those modification is _much_ easier if you have the source-code for the O/S available.
If you can get access from Microsoft, go for it.
Where can I get further information about setting up a server and
> modifying the route tables?
"If you have to ask ..." about basics like that, you should _not_ be attempting this on your own. This kind of exotic tweaking _does_ call for a "guru". Hire a professional to explain to you what this approach _will_ accomplish, and what it will *not* accomplish. There are a _lot_ of things to take into consideration that have not even been _touched_ on in this discussion, before concluding that this approach is viable for what you "really" want to accomplish. e.g. do you want to load-balance 'incoming' or 'outgoing' traffic, or "both"?
Also, what proportion of the total traffic will be 'incoming', and how much will be 'outgoing'? Also _where_ will the 'far end' of the traffic be going -- is it "anywhere on the Internet" (as in a 'Internet cafe' environment), or is it all to a _single_ place (as in a 'remote' office, just needing connectivity back to the big computers at 'headquarters')? Will this be TCP traffic, or UDP traffic? will TCP 'connections' be long-lived, or very transient?
*ALL* of those things affect the nature of the 'solution' to load-balancing traffic loads that is 'right' for
_your_ situation.
William Warren wrote:
>> snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:
>>> Here is the problem,
>>> I have two telephone lines. I want to make both of these lines ADSL
>>> connections to the internet and use these connections to provide
>>> internet access to several wireless laptop computers. A maximum of
>>> about 20 laptops would be connected to the system at once. I would
>>> like the laptops to be able to use both lines simultaneously so that I
>>> don't have one line overloaded and one underloaded (ie: I want to
>>> balance the traffic on the lines at any given time).
>>> Anyone have any suggestions on how to set up something like this?
>>> -Jonathan
>> Obtain a Linux server, connect each DSL line to a separate Ethernet
>> card, and modify its route table to give equal weight to each line.
>> You'll need a third card for your wireless AP or other LAN connections.
>> Best of luck.
>> William