Network load sharing - best method?

Hi,

There seem to be several ways to implement Load sharing in Linux - I am used
to SGI where this is a matter of simply installing a "Network load
balancing" module to get this to work, however I am a bit puzzled in how to
do the same in Linux.

I have a box running Debian woody patchet to kernel 2.4.18 and several LAN
based exits (fiber connection end a couple of DSL lines) - I want to be able
to share these lines transparantly to the users that is NAT'ed behind this
gateway.

I have implemented bandwidth and traffic shaping using iptables but what
should I use to make the best transparent Load sharing using several public
IP adresses?

DNS, SMTP and NNTP is not the issue, I have that running through all the DSL
and the fiber connection by including the DSL public IP's in my definition
of what I see as my backbone (we have a class C network on a fiberconnection
besides the DSL lines).

I have looked a bit on 4 possible solutions but are unsure on what path to
follow - there may be even more:

1)
Using the "ip" command should allow me to create several default gateways,
simply by:
ip route add default scope global nexthop dev eth0 \
nexthop dev eth1 \
nexthop dev eth2........

But will this provide the load sharing as desired?

2)
"Beowulf Ethernet Channel Bonding" uses "ifenslave" for the purpose - is
this the way to search?

3)
Using iptables it would be possible to implement several queues, one for
each interface.

4)
Someone mentioned "Gated" Is this the road to read more about?

Any input is welcome.

/Niels
DjurslandS.net
Denmark

"[8550] Niels Chr. Sørensen" <ncs[at]pc[dot]dk> wrote in message
news:40382206$0$289$(E-Mail Removed). ..
> Hi,
>
> There seem to be several ways to implement Load sharing in Linux - I am
used
> to SGI where this is a matter of simply installing a "Network load
> balancing" module to get this to work, however I am a bit puzzled in how
to
> do the same in Linux.
>
> I have a box running Debian woody patchet to kernel 2.4.18 and several LAN
> based exits (fiber connection end a couple of DSL lines) - I want to be
able
> to share these lines transparantly to the users that is NAT'ed behind this
> gateway.
>
> I have implemented bandwidth and traffic shaping using iptables but what
> should I use to make the best transparent Load sharing using several
public
> IP adresses?
>
> DNS, SMTP and NNTP is not the issue, I have that running through all the
DSL
> and the fiber connection by including the DSL public IP's in my definition
> of what I see as my backbone (we have a class C network on a
fiberconnection
> besides the DSL lines).
>
> I have looked a bit on 4 possible solutions but are unsure on what path to
> follow - there may be even more:
>
> 1)
> Using the "ip" command should allow me to create several default gateways,
> simply by:
> ip route add default scope global nexthop dev eth0 \
> nexthop dev eth1 \
> nexthop dev eth2........
>
> But will this provide the load sharing as desired?
>
> 2)
> "Beowulf Ethernet Channel Bonding" uses "ifenslave" for the purpose - is
> this the way to search?
>
> 3)
> Using iptables it would be possible to implement several queues, one for
> each interface.
>
> 4)
> Someone mentioned "Gated" Is this the road to read more about?
>
> Any input is welcome.
>
> /Niels
> DjurslandS.net
> Denmark

Here is a followup (No answers yet but a night with google seem to have
brought me closer to solving my problem):

The following is only good for LAN's with several users (as is my case), not
for modem or single users with several exits to the internet:

"lartc" is the place to look - the entire document is recommendable but
especially 4.2 is a must read:
http://lartc.org/howto/lartc.rpdb.mu...ks.html#AEN298

In the end you will find a link to Julian Anastasov's patches:
http://www.ssi.bg/~ja/#routes
They should be applied to any kernel for more features.

Julian links to a "Nano-Howto to use more than one independent Internet
connection" by Christoph Simon: http://www.ssi.bg/~ja/nano.txt
Warning: it takes more than one cup of coffee to read it all but it IS worth
reading.

After this I am now in the process of building my first multipath router - I
will advertice the result in a couple of days.

/Niels
DjurslandS.net