Using Multiple NICs on different network connections

[ShaggyTDawg]

Hi,

My PC (not a server or anything, just a desktop) has two NIC's and I have access to two connections to the internet (two cable internet lines, one in my house, the other out in the guest house). I have a WRT54g repeating the wireless from the guest house which also allows me to hook up my PC through wired ethernet.

So I essentially have two connections to the outside internet (one is 3mbps, the other is 2mbps) and I want to be able to either combine the bandwidth globally for all programs/processes (so I effectively have 5Mbps) or be able to designate one connection be used by program(s) x, y, z and the other connection be used by program(s) a, b, c.

I'm guessing/hoping this will be a software solution if it is out there. For reference, I'm running Vista x64 business. All of my wireless routers are WRG54G's running DD-WRT.

Thanks!:D

[TollhouseFrank]

Try this registry hack i found that does a 'dumb load balancing' through the registry.

http://www.pctools.com/guides/registry/detail/951/

[ppe1700]

are both nic speeds connected at the same speed? either 100mb or 1gb?
if both are connected at the same speed, then your only going to use one one connection anyway. (if one nic was 100mb and the other was 1gb then the 1gb connection would be used ALL the time, even if THAT connection to the ISP was 2mb, and the other is 3mb)
let me know how you get on with the registry hack...

we have this scenario all the time. we will have a 2mb e1 line and an 8mb ADSL backup line. or sometimes two ADSL lines from different ISPs. instead of load balancing we use the backup as a purely backup solution, and have the main line monitored for a fail. when the network device detects a fail, it automatically changes the route in the routing table to then use the back up line.

the thing about two ISP connections is that you have two different public IPs. for instance, if you start an application or whatever and your source address is 79.x.x.x - you log in fine, or whatever, but as soon as data is sourced from the other connection eg 80.x.x.x it screws up because the other end doesnt know anything from that address.. you might find you have to log in again or reload the page or app...

what you can do, is put static entries to common destinations in your routing table, so say if you host half life, and play cod4 at the same time. you could put all the cod4 ip's with the next hop address as the gateway of your ISP-1, and all half life ip's with the next hop address as gateway of ISP-2..
as you can guess, its a pain in the bum...

you want something that can do a round robin on the two connections. it would be nice if there is software out there. ive never had an individual PC with two ISPs before.
hope the information i have provided helps you some what.
good luck
tony

[bLack0ut]

There's something called ForceBindIP, and it works (somewhat).

Honestly, save yourself some headaches and setup a hardware firewall (pfsense, monowall, etc).

[realtadiquantu]

+1 pfsense

[ppe1700]

+1 pfsense

whats that gonna do?