Load Balancing Router - Recommendations

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Alan3285

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Topic # 132186 11-Oct-2013 18:20

Hi All,

I am looking for recommendations for a load balancing router for use in a small business with 10 people.

We are looking at getting perhaps two ADSL connections on separate phone lines, to provide redundancy should one connection go down, and to increase the total bandwidth. We could also look at using a wireless connection (a la Woosh) or 3G I guess.

Therefore, we need only need two WAN ports (having more than two might be an advantage sometime in the future but presumably it will increase the cost of the unit substantially, so not a biggie right now).

It doesn't seem to matter (to me) whether the unit can natively connect to an ADSL line or not, as long as it comes with two WAN ethernet ports - we can connect those to the LAN side of the modems.

What questions / issues do I need to think about?

What do you recommend?

Thanks,

Alan.

insane

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Reply # 913834 11-Oct-2013 19:26

Question gets asked every other week

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=66&topicid=129404

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=66&topicid=130700

Alan3285

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Reply # 913989 12-Oct-2013 10:17

Cool - thanks.

I searched, but I used the term "load balancing" - and not much came up.

Perhaps that isn't the right technical term to use.

Thanks,

Alan.

Alan3285

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Reply # 913998 12-Oct-2013 10:33

Hi,

Essentially, there was only one hardware recommendation in those threads being the Mikrotik RB2011UAS.

It is only $215 on the Cambell.co.nz website though - that implies it is more of a home / very small office unit. Will it really meet the requirements I set out above with 10 users?

Has anyone here used one in that scenario?

PFSense on a PC with multiple NICs (presumably at least three) sounds interesting, but I am guessing the learning curve will be steeper than with a a hardware based solution?

Thanks,

Alan.

cyril7

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Reply # 914002 12-Oct-2013 11:04

Hi, you have underestimated the Mikrotik, I have deployed a modest number in commerical offices with 70 or so heavy users who push large documents and graphic files all over the place on the end of a 100Mb/s fibre link, they hardly raise a sweat.

We also deploy them in schools, infact they are supplied as standard kit for Watchdog filtered UFB connections to schools, and they use the slightly lower CPU spec models.

By default routerOS (what Mikrotiks run) will load balance by its default 5packet round robin scheduler which is probably all you will need, but beyond that there is some very powerful traffic managment features many I have not investigated in depth. If you go with Mikrotik there is a bit of a learning curve.

Cyril

Alan3285

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Reply # 914051 12-Oct-2013 12:18

Hi,

I guess that proves that price and quality don't always correlate!

Can I just check that I am heading towards getting the right unit:

http://shop.campbell.co.nz/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_57&products_id=670

Thanks,

Alan.

cyril7

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Reply # 914056 12-Oct-2013 12:26

Hi, I get mine from gowifi, I would go with this

http://www.gowifi.co.nz/coming-soon-new-products/mikrotik-rb/2011uas-rm.html

but the one you posted is fine, it includes the onboard display, you can get that model from gowifi also.

Cyril

Alan3285

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Reply # 914083 12-Oct-2013 13:39

Hi,

On that model from GoWifi, are the five Gigabit and five FastEthernet ports grouped together?

What is mean is, would all the Gigbit ports be, say, LAN side, and the Fast Ethernet be WAN side?

Thanks,

Alan.

cyril7

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Reply # 914106 12-Oct-2013 14:25

Hi, you can configure them as you like, the default config has Eth1 (which is a GigE port) as the WAN port and all others are bridged (ie appear as a switch) on the LAN side.

You can remove ports from the bridge and set them to seperate sub nets or vlans etc and create sub bridges, but as I recall there are limitatons around the grouping of the GE and FE ports

I would have thought for your needs a 750 or 750GL would be all you need, the 750 is also the unit supplied to schools on fibre. by default Eth1 is the WAN and the others are on the LAN, but you can break the bridge down and create subnet interfaces etc with the remainder.

I have used the little 750 with FE ports on offices with 40+ real estate agents who work fully with cloud based applications on a 100/50 fibre link, again it was never pushed for performance.

http://www.gowifi.co.nz/ethernet-adsl/mikrotik-routerboard-rb750-five-port-router.html

http://www.gowifi.co.nz/ethernet-adsl/mikrotik-routerboard-rb750gl-five-port-gigabit-router.html

Cyril

Alan3285

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Reply # 914136 12-Oct-2013 15:39

Hi,

Do you know what is the limit on the number of WAN side connections?

For example (and I am getting a little extreme here I realise!), could I configure it with:

WAN1 = ADSL1
WAN2 = ADSL2
WAN3 = Wireless (Woosh or something)
WAN4 = 3G Vodafone

LAN1 = SubNet1
LAN2 = SubNet2
LAN3 = SubNet3
LAN4 = SubNet4

The reason I ask this is that there is a possibility of getting together with some of the other tenants in the building, and effectively pooling the internet connections, but still maintaining separate subnets (indeed in at least two cases, physically separate LAN infrastructures). We might have to change some of the subnets, but that's not a biggie.

I guess it would fall down with respect to incoming services though? Just taking email as an example, we'll have packets coming in on Port 25, but how would the Mikrotik know which subnet to route them to?

Assuming each of the WAN side connections has a different (fixed) IP, would it be able to differentiate and foward a packet aimed at Port 25 that came in on ADSL1 (WAN1 in my example above) from a packet aimed at Port 25 on Woosh (WAN3 in my example above)?

Thanks,

Alan.

cyril7

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Reply # 914156 12-Oct-2013 16:45

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Hi, I dont know how many WANs is the limit but 2 are not uncommon, but why, just spend all the money on a decent UFB or VDSL circuits and be done with it. You can have as many subnets as you like, you can setup seperate port forwards for each WAN, which I think is what you are asking.

Cyril

Alan3285

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Reply # 914161 12-Oct-2013 17:00

Hi Cyril,

Yes - that answers my question.

Thank you for your assistance.

Alan.