Thursday, January 28, 2021

Dual-Internet Connection "Bonding" via OpenVPN

Hi all :)

I've an interesting problem/requirement that I wanted to see if anyone had any ideas as to how to implement it. If this sort of thing isn't destined for this sub, suggestions as to where/who may be able to provide input would be most appreciated.

I've a setup consisting of 2 vDSL internet connections, 2 different suppliers, both with static IPs. Quoted the standard 80Mbps DL/20Mbps UL which I get on both connections without issue. It's nothing special, just your standard BT-Infinity-esque equivalent. Currently load balanced via a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter 4 and I can happily get 143Mbps - 145Mbps DL and 30Mbps - 45Mbps UL. Everything on that front works very well. Weighting is 45%/55% and gets changed as things get busier.

I've also a dedicated server in the cloud that has a 1Gbps symmetric connection that I often connect to and sshfs mount for transferring files and running jobs etc.

I've a couple OpenVPN connections coming into the property too from other sites that share resources across the network, but that's just to paint a slightly bigger picture of where I may use this "solution".

Staying with the dedicated server for a second, what I'd like to know, is there a way that anyone can think (perhaps via OpenVPN or some related tech) to establish a tunnel between the server and each of the 2 vDSL connections, then "bond" them across the tunnel so each end sees the 2 tunnels as one, giving me the full potential of both connections. I've considered creating 2 connections into the network from outside and using EIGRP to advertise the same network across the 2 OpenVPN tunnels, but this seems overkill and I don't think it would "bond" the interfaces in the way I'm expecting.

As you'd expect, at present, whenever I create an ssh connection to the dedicated server, it only does so over a single vDSL connection, decided by the router as to whatever isn't busiest at the time. But I'd like to be able to connect to the server via both connections and get 140Mbps down from the server as opposed to just the 70 on one connection.

It's not a critical of course but would certainly be a nice to have and something that could be used in the future for a couple of sites I manage that have multiple internet connections via the same/different carriers.

All comments and questions welcome,

Thanks in advance :)



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