Working With 2 ISPs For Home Networking?

An anonymous reader writes "This is, I think, a simple question — but one which I can't get the answer to. As a typical, but perhaps high-demand home user I would like to use 2 separate ISPs. ADSL is pretty cheap nowadays, and 2 x ADSL seems a better value than one fast one — especially in terms of reliability. If one breaks, at least the other will work. Using an old box as a router/firewall, how can I configure a system to use two completely separate ISPs in a sensible manner? Ideally, I'd like the load of my browsing to be balanced, but at the minimum, I'd want some kind of 'fail-over.' If I leave torrents running over night, I'd like the router to use whichever connection doesn't block the traffic — and preferably for it to reset the errant connection. Ideas?"

Re:DSL+Cable

[wolf12886]

and even if you have ups's for both, your house could be destroyed, better have a back up house,

but make sure its not in the same neihborhood as your primary...

Re:DSL+Cable

[brusk]

Hence the need for two power systems, preferably from two different utilities.

It's easy

[Slashcrap]

You just get a Linux box with 2 NICs and start adding static routes :

route add 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.255 eth0
route add 1.1.1.2 255.255.255.255 eth1
route add 1.1.1.3 255.255.255.255 eth0

Etc, etc....

It might seem like a big job, but there's huge ranges of reserved addresses you can skip. Let us know how you get on.

Re:DSL+Cable

[Anonymous Coward]

And if the continent sinks, you're still fucked.

Get 2 houses with 2 power lines and 2 ADSL providers each on 3 different continents.

Of course, if aliens destroy the planet...

And don't forget the solar system...

And wasn't Milky Way about to collide with an another galaxy anyway?

Re:Point of failure

[Anonymous Coward]

If he has got backhoe what the hell would he be doing fooling around on the internet? He'd be cooling out on the backhoe!

Re:DSL+Cable

[dotancohen]

and even if you have ups's for both, your house could be destroyed, better have a back up house

Or, you know, a laptop.

Re:Get an older computer.

[Anonymous Coward]

Thats easy .. get your own autonomous system number, network block and have both ISPs toss a BGP session your way.

It'll be easier than figuring out the iptables commands necessary to implement what you want...

Besides you would be doing the Internet a service...more route flap and increased CIDR fragmentation is just a preview of what IPv6 will digress into after having been deployed for a few years.

Re:Point of failure

[Toam]

Your life probably will not end if you're not online 24x7x365.

But why risk it?

Re:Point of failure

[Anonymous Coward]

Mate, there is a reason why some of us (read: Most non-USA'ians) refer to the US as a developing country ...