connecting to multiple hotspots

On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 12:55:02 +0000, in alt.internet.wireless , Stuart
Millington <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>The POTS/ISDN version of this (which
>you cut) was all done *on* the client machine *in software*.

I cut it because its an entirely different situation. In the pots/isdn
example, you're taking two virtual serial ports, bonding them and providing
an IP layer over the low-level bonded interface. In the current case,
you've got two already-provided IP interfaces, and you need to bond them.
It would only be analagous to the POTS example if you were doing this
inside the wireless router, which happened to have two or more ADSL wan
ports you planned to bond.

> A quick Google suggests the following would be able to (under
>Windows) handle the connection load-sharing over 2 WiFi NIC's:
>http://www.vicomsoft.com/vig/spec/vi...n.html#Teaming

Interesting, but if you read the spec, you'll note that the WAN side must
be a TAPI /serial device, not another IP network. Its wireless only on the
lan side.

What is needed here is a way (in software) to bond two separate IP networks
so as to present a single network to the client. I'm no expert but I'm not
at all sure whether this could be done on a single machine - it would end
up with three IP addresses, one for each incoming wireless network, and one
for the resulting bonded one. I guess it would be possible to build routing
tables to inform the OS which IP to direct traffic to, but this might be
pretty complex. And then we're back to my original point

>>> I haven't seen anything recently for Windows and WiFi connections,
>>>but if the laptop connected via a Linux box running squid with
>>>multiple WiFi NIC's it should be useable.
>>
>>Possibly.
>
> More than possibly.

SYS

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CLC readme: <http://www.ungerhu.com/jxh/clc.welcome.txt>

yes, you ca

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On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 12:06:07 +0000, Mark McIntyre
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 12:55:02 +0000, in alt.internet.wireless , Stuart
>Millington <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>>The POTS/ISDN version of this (which
>>you cut) was all done *on* the client machine *in software*.
>
>I cut it because its an entirely different situation. In the pots/isdn

It's different because you're talking about bonding - which is not
viable over 2 connections to 2 different ISP's (unless the OP and his
neighbour use the same ISP, this is the situation he will be in) - as
it requires the ISP's kit to (a) support it and (b) authorise it. The
later is certainly not going to happen with your neighbour's account
;-)

What I'm talking about is load-balancing (or teaming as the
software mentioned calls it) over two disparate connections. Bonding
was standard in ISDN TA's/routers of the day, whilst the
load-balancing was, and is, used to combine multiple POTS lines or
when ISPs did not allow dual channel ML-PPP ISDN connections.

The software (proxy/router) presents one connection to the user,
whilst the actual Internet connection uses multiple connections - this
is the same with both POTS/ISDN and multiple IP interfaces. The only
difference being that the latter is simpler as no modem/TA drivers are
involved, just native IP interfaces. The front-end software, which is
essentially what this thread is about, is the same.

>> A quick Google suggests the following would be able to (under
>>Windows) handle the connection load-sharing over 2 WiFi NIC's:
>>http://www.vicomsoft.com/vig/spec/vi...n.html#Teaming
>
>Interesting, but if you read the spec, you'll note that the WAN side must
>be a TAPI /serial device, not another IP network. Its wireless only on the
>lan side.

The manual and configuration screens, appear to disagree with you.
Most of the WAN connections documented are connected via standard NIC
interfaces (e.g. DSL, Cable, etc.) - the same presentation that the
software would see with a pair of WiFi NIC interfaces.

>What is needed here is a way (in software) to bond two separate IP networks
>so as to present a single network to the client. I'm no expert but I'm not
>at all sure whether this could be done on a single machine - it would end

The mechanism is essentially the same for client presentation of
two load-balanced POTS connections as it is for two load-balanced
LAN/WAN connections.

>up with three IP addresses, one for each incoming wireless network, and one
>for the resulting bonded one. I guess it would be possible to build routing

The client only sees (and cares) about the one gateway address. The
software proxy/router handles the rest. The "hardware" devices that do
this are only called "hardware" devices because they are in a separate
box. The software that they run is similar to the software required to
do the lot on one machine.

The major difference between the two is the market. There are very
few SOHO users who need to load-balance over two "broadband"
connections on one machine. Hence, the solutions for this tend to be
high priced, aimed at multi-user LANs and sold in separate boxes to
justify the price. That does not negate the fact that the mechanics
and the software are substantially similar for a single user on a
single machine as for 1,000 users on a LAN.

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