How to merge multiple internet connections into one

Question

My PC has 2 wired cards. Both gigalan. It also has 2 wireless cards. One broadcom with proprietary drivers and ralink with open software (which works much better than broadcom). My cellphone can share its connection wirelessly to my PC. But I also have a wired connection. So I have multiple connections that I can use to have internet. How can I merge 2 or more connections together and balance them to enjoy one unified internet experience that it is the sum of all internet connections connected to it.

For example if I have a modem with an internet connection of 1024KB/Sec and another one that offers 512KB/Sec and one small one that offers 128KB/Sec, after load balancing and merging all connections (Bonding or Teaming), I could download at a speed of 1664KB/Sec using all 3 internet connections as one for example.

This question has always intrigued me.

Just to add some links:

Project for Teaming

Teaming Added to Kernel 3.3

Many Enhancements for Teaming in Kernel 3.5

Enhancements to Teaming in Kernel 3.6

Support for Bonding on IPv6 in Kernel 3.7

Bonding Network Interface (Planned)

Answer 1

I do something like that at work using Ubuntu 11.04. We run the Shorewall firewall configuration tool, which besides being excellent at its job, provides some rudimentary multiple ISP routing tools which might fit your needs. You can find some docs about it here: http://www.shorewall.net/MultiISP.html .

What it comes down to though, is you cant use multiple ISPs for a single connection... things are that simple. The best you can do is try to direct new connections evenly between the different providers.

It is a complex problem. You will probably end up beating your head against the wall (I certainly did) before you are done debugging every problem. So, as other posters have suggested, you might be wise to carefully consider how strong your desire is.

Answer 2

You could do it by using the package ifenslave that attaches and detaches slave network interfaces to a bonding device.

1. Install:

   sudo apt-get install ifenslave
   

2. Load bonding kernel module

   sudo modprobe bondingle
   

3. Configure your interfaces:

   sudo vi /etc/network/interfaces
   

   Example config, to combine eth0 and eth1 as slaves to your bonding interface:

   #eth0 is manually configured, and slave to the "bond0" bonded NIC
   auto eth0
   iface eth0 inet manual
   bond-master bond0
   
   #eth1 ditto, thus creating a 2-link bond.
   auto eth1
   iface eth1 inet manual
   bond-master bond0
   
   # bond0 is the bonded NIC and can be used like any other normal NIC.
   # bond0 is configured using static network information.
   auto bond0
   iface bond0 inet static
   address 192.168.1.10
   gateway 192.168.1.1
   netmask 255.255.255.0
   # bond0 uses standard IEEE 802.3ad LACP bonding protocol 
   bond-mode 802.3ad
   bond-miimon 100
   bond-lacp-rate 1
   bond-slaves none
   

4. Restart Network:

   sudo restart networking
   

5. Bringing up/down bounded interface:

   ifup bond0
   ifdown bond0
   

   There are several bonding modes as an example we use:

   bond-mode active-backup
   

   Description of active-backup bonding mode:

   Active-backup policy: Only one slave in the bond is active. A different slave becomes active if, and only if, the active slave fails. The bond's MAC address is externally visible on only one port (network adapter) to avoid confusing the switch. This mode provides fault tolerance. The primary option affects the behavior of this mode.

   • Description of all bonding modes.

   Source and more info at the Ubuntu community help wiki.

Bonding, means combining several network interfaces (NICs) to a single link, providing either high-availability, load-balancing, maximum throughput, or a combination of these. Source

Answer 3

There is already a thread on it: LINK

Check if you can use it for your requirement.