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To: questions@freebsd.org
From: Andrew Khoo - ArkSoft Systems <arksoft@geko.com.au>
Subject: Re: load balancing ppp
Cc: "Peter Stubbs" <PETERS@staidan.qld.edu.au>
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At 08:23 13/10/95 -1000, Peter Stubbs wrote:

>I am running 2.0.5R on a DX4 100 APTIVA with 16mb as a httpd proxy
>server & ip gateway in a school. Our connection to the net is across
>a ppp line on a netcom M11F. At the moment only staff have access to
>the net, so load levels are OK. Next year we will allow student
>access so there will be a potential for about 100 concurrent users.
>If I just add another ppp interface & modem to our ISP will freebsd
>perform some sort of load balancing between the two? I know that
>this won't be enough for 100 net-mad school kids, but it would be
>better!

You should be talking to your ISP about using as Ascend Pipeline 50 over
ISDN or something similar (read low-cost). You should be able to get an
Ascend Pipeline for approximately A$2,500.

>Does anyone have any other options? ISDN is VERY expensive here in
>Australia, thousands of dollars per month, and more than we can
>afford. 

Not really if you start doing the figures. The current cost for a BRI
installation by Telstra is A$360 and the annual "line rental" cost is A$912.
If both you and your ISP fall within zone 1 of the ISDN tariffing (i.e.
within 25km of each other I think) the cost of a semi-permanent connection
(virtually 64K fulltime) is approximately A$2,150 per year. IMHO infinitely
better than using a M11F :)

I don't work for Telstra :). I just quote these figures to my clients on a
near daily basis <grin>.