Setting up a Multilink PPP Bridge

[vanguard1]

I will be connecting 2 sites. Each site will have a 2821 router with 2 port vwic. I want to set up a bridge between the 2 sites, and then want to bundle the T1's on each side to give them a total of 3mbps between the sites. My question is, would the bridge group be the same for all serial and ethernet interfaces. I would turn off ip routing, and set the bridge protocol group number for ieee. How would multilink come into play here. Would I create the multilink interface and assign it to the same bridge-group as the other interfaces. Would I need to assign each serial/ethernet interface to the same multilink group number. If anyone has any thoughts on this it would be greatly appreciated. Config examples, etc.

[Richard Burts]

If you really want it to only bridge from the Ethernet interfaces over the serial interfaces then you would turn off ip routing with the command ip routing. You would want to configure multilink and put both T1s into the multilink. You would want to configure a bridge group and put the bridge group number on the Ethernet interfaces and the multilink interface. You would not put the bridge group on the serial interfaces.

HTH

Rick

[vanguard1]

Thanks for the quick responses. In the past, I have put the bridge group number on both serial/ethernet interfaces. Different I take it when using multilink. If I understand this correctly, I would create, say, a multilink 10 interface. Assign this to the same bridge group as the ethernet interfaces only. To put the T1's into this multilink, I would just add the multilink 10 command under each serial interface? encap ppp would obviously be added under each serial interface as well. Let me know if that sounds right.

Do I need an ip address on the multilink interface?

Thanks again for the help.

[devang_etcom]

for Multilink PPP look at this link:http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/aggr/10000/10ksw/mlppos.htm

your scenario is very good... i have to look at some configuration and will back...

thanks

rate this post if it helps

regards

Devang

[devang_etcom]

look at this link it may be helpfull to you:

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/software/ios122/122cgcr/fdial_c/fnsprt9/dcdppp.htm

rate this post if it helps

regards

Devang

[vanguard1]

Thanks Devang. I am going over this right now to see what will help. If you come across anything else, let me know. Thanks again for the help.

Seems like to bundle the T1's, all I need to do is, under each serial interface, just enter the ppp multilink command. In addition to encap ppp. No ip addresses needed on the serial interfaces. I would think you would need to assign to the multilink interface number, but I do not see a command available to do it.

[devang_etcom]

yes you need to make each serial interface to be member of the mulitlink group...but you must have to configure the multilink group... you can creat mulitlink group as following:

create multilink gorup:

interface multilink 3

ppp chap hostname xyz

ip address a.b.c.d 255.255.255.0

add interface to multiple group :

interface serial x

encapsulation ppp

ppp multilink

multilink-group 3

ppp chap hostname xyz

hope this will help you

rate this post if it helps

regards

Devang

[Richard Burts]

In the original post he stated that he would turn off IP routing and just use bridging. If IP routing is turned off there might be reason to put an IP address on a single interface for management purposes. But I see no reason to put an IP address on the multilink if IP routing is disabled.

HTH

Rick

[vanguard1]

Gotcha. Makes sense. Thanks again for the help guys. Equipment and circuit will be in on Friday. I will let you know how it goes.

[vanguard1]

Everything looks good. Is there a way to verify that the traffic passing across the WAN is actually using both of the bonded T1's. Let me know. IP readiness check is tomorrow. Wish me luck.