To do true load balancing, upstream and downstream, you have to be able to announce yourself via BGP. As an end-user/customer that just ain't gonna happen.
That's basically the conclusion I came to. I ended up setting up a Freesco router using some old parts and have the DSL line going into that, while the cable is going into the Symantec VPN router. Our main linux server is doing the dhcp serving for this setup. Anyway, this gives us manual load balancing by switching between dhcp or manual through the Freesco as needed.
Put both circuits on the same router. Then you can do some poor-man's routing. IOW, let the router try to do a 50/50 outbound balance.
If there are particularly higher-bandwith network applications that you use, you could manually create routing entries in the router to force access to those servers (IP blocks) via the higher-bandwidth circuit.
BTW, what's BGP?
Border Gateway Protocol. It is the language used by routers to create routing tables between NSPs/ISPs. Customers connect to ISPs, and ISPs use BGP to exchange customer and ISP routes.
In your specific case, you'd have circuits coming in from different ISPs. So your router would have to speak Interior BGP (IBGP) to each ISP to create the proper routing information -- announce your public IP block, via your gateway (interface) IPs, as being available via two different routes. That way inbound packets would be sent via the least loaded circuit.
The catch: If you have that type of access, you can damage the ISPs network (perhaps even knock them off the Internet) simply by screwing up a setting in your router. :) oops.
- Dan.
-- MaX-list is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and...
/ Buy books, CDs, videos, and more from Amazon.com \ / <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/lowendmac> \
Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html>
MaX-list info: <http://lowendmac.com/linux/max.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/max-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/>
Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
