Dual ISP connections on router

[Networksupport4]

Hello,

Can we terminate 2 different ISP (e.g. 10+10 Mbps) on one router to achieve 10 Mbps in load sharing/load balancing and high availability both ?

Option 1: - Internet connectivity

Option 2: - Point to Point connectivity (leased link)

[Networksupport4]

Hello, In starting, we had options in our mind which i had put on.

Now we have finalized to buy a dedicated P2P circuit from ISP, in which they will just open a port for us at A and B end MUX to connect the sites.

Now it is our choice whether how to connect both sites.

1. Through routing (may be ospf between router or static routing)

2. Just connecting them as Layer 2 trunk to make it as a extended LAN site.

your feedback is awaited on above options.

[Richard Burts]

Thank you for the clarification. There may be some aspects of your situation that we do not know which might affect the recommendation of which approach to use. But based on the little bit that we know at this point I would suggest making the 2 links operate as layer 3 links and using a routing protocol to forward traffic between sites. My reasons for this include:

- layer 2 links would forward broadcast traffic from one site to the other site, using capacity of the link for traffic that the other site probably does not really need, and potentially impacting hosts at the other site as they have to process broadcast traffic that they do not need.

- layer 2 links used for trunking and especially for EtherChannel assume similar operating characteristics of both links. But going through 2 ISP they will be using divergent physical paths, one may be longer path inside the provider producing longer transit times.

HTH

Rick