[97473] in RedHat Linux List
Re: Dual Modems & Dial in connectivity.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lloyd Parsons)
Tue Nov 3 10:29:59 1998
From: "Lloyd Parsons" <lparsons@GlobalEyes.net>
To: <redhat-list@redhat.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Nov 1998 09:27:00 -0600
Resent-From: redhat-list@redhat.com
Reply-To: redhat-list@redhat.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Ramon Gandia <rfg@nook.net>
To: ccyr@home.com <ccyr@home.com>; redhat-list@redhat.com
<redhat-list@redhat.com>
Date: Tuesday, November 03, 1998 2:56 AM
Subject: Re: Dual Modems & Dial in connectivity.
>
>
>ccyr@home.com wrote:
>>
>> Hello, I am looking for information on two topics.
>>
>> 1) Dual/Piggy-backed modems:
>> I read some info somewhere about doing this, but am unsure of
where I saw it.
>> Linux is supposed to have a software version of this. I want the two
modems
>> to connect to the Internet and use the cumulative bandwidth for all
requests.
>> This should also be a dial on demand process which should all be
documented in
>> the PPP how-to (I didn't see the dual modems there).
>
>It must be set up at BOTH ends, of course. It is know as
>MultiLink-PPP. Originally for ISDN modems to get 128K, it
>also works, somewhat, for the 33.6K/56K modems. Livingston
>servers support it, but it has to be set up by the ISP for
>each user (or globally for all, I suppose).
>
I have used multilink off and on for awhile. But, I haven't figured out how
to do it in Linux, so I've been using Wingate on a win95 box to do this. Is
there somewhere to look for implementation of MLPPP?
>There is another gadget, which is a DUAL modem. It has
>ONE serial port, two telephone lines. At the ISP you have to
>install a similar unit. You of course have to pay for the
>phone lines at both ends because it dials the specific numbers
>for that particular modem. I can see how this is attractive
>to users, but as an ISP I am not thrilled at all.
>
>However, the Multilink PPP is viable, and it will work regardless
>of which phone line your call comes in on. In other words, the
>equipment at the ISP will recognize your second call as being
>the second half of the MLPPP and set it up that way.
>
>Beats me how you set up the user end in Win 95/Mac/Linux.....
>but the MLPPP protocol *is* available for Linux. This would
>probably work okay for a Linux box acting as a Gateway/Router
>for an office.
>
Where is this protocol available for Linux? I have not been able to find
out anything about it for Linux.
>Another approach, is to use the WebRamp M3 office router. This
>one has an ethernet hub on one side, a DHCP server, and it is
>set up via a Web interface. On the other side it has three
>serial ports where you can hook up one, two or three modems
>of the external 33.6K or 56K variety. Each modem and associated
>telco line is set up to dial an ISP. It could be the same ISP,
>with the same or different login name, or different ISP's.
>
>It does not do MLPPP, but what it does it takes your TCP/IP
>pertaining to one "socket" and routes it via one modem, and other
>requests go via other modems.
>
I have been using the M3t analog router from Rampnet as a test bed for our
clients. Now that I have finished, I have to say that it is a slick
solution, but now there is an even better solution. The Rampnet M3000E
(??). This is basically the same as the M3, but it does support multilink.
The only downside appears that both lines will always be up with any
internet traffic, if using multilink. On the routers that don't support
multilink, dialup was dynamic.
What I have found is that multilink is not necessarily the best way. It
does accelerate all things on the internet, but some things just don't need
it. For instance, mail and news [unless living in the binaries -:) ], do
not much benefit from this speed up.
My current configuration for aggregating phone lines is based upon 2
machines. My minimalistic machine is running Win95 with Rampnet's WebrampPC
software router and Wingate. For my needs this gets the job done. I can
use either machine for web surfing and so forth, with acceleration of the
Web all the time, and acceleration of other parts, when I need it.
I have my main box multi-os'd with Win98, WinNT, and Linux. This one just
points to the Wingate box. It autodials and drops lines as needed. On the
occasions that I want to speed up FTP, I switch to the WebRampPC software to
multilink.
While this is not the way I wanted to do things, it is what I can make work.
The Rampnet M3's are a bit more money than I want to spend, even though they
are the slickest and easiest way to set things up. The beauty of these
things is that I don't have to horse with PPP dialup on any box. So the use
of WebrampPC and Wingate has allowed me to do what I want to do easily and
inexpensively.
Unfortunately, for those that might be interested, it seems that Rampnet has
discontinued the WebrampPC product. I have looked on their site and it is
not even mentioned. I think it is because it won't install under win98.
You have to install it under W95 and then upgrade to W98.
Lloyd
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