• Updating my Milestone to Android 2.1… had to download the update from motorola.com… no over-the-air upgrade available? #
• Huh, Android 2.1 integrates Facebook data with my contact list. It fills in missing details, and adds profile pics. Love it. Usability++ #
• @kibmcz Thanks for the tip, I’ve installed Twitter for Android now. I’ll see if it displaces Twidroid as my favourite Twitter-on-the-go app. in reply to kibmcz #
• @aebletraet Jaiku? Isn’t that the microblogging platform… like StatusNet? in reply to aebletraet #

Post from: Chris @ Olstrom (.com)

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-09

© SiliconViper for Chris Olstrom (.com), 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: social media, twitter

• Updating my Milestone to Android 2.1… had to download the update from motorola.com… no over-the-air upgrade available? #
• Huh, Android 2.1 integrates Facebook data with my contact list. It fills in missing details, and adds profile pics. Love it. Usability++ #
• @kibmcz Thanks for the tip, I've installed Twitter for Android now. I'll see if it displaces Twidroid as my favourite Twitter-on-the-go app. in reply to kibmcz #
• @aebletraet Jaiku? Isn't that the microblogging platform… like StatusNet? in reply to aebletraet #

Post from: Chris @ Olstrom (.com)

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-09

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Post tags:

I’ve been told by more than one person that I take on too many projects. While there are elements of truth to that, I have no intention of stopping. Why?

I don’t like limitations.

Not that I don’t believe in them, but at any given time I can make a guess as to where my limits are and be wrong. If I sell myself short, I may have missed out by not trying. On the other hand, if I overestimate my reach, I may fail.

Given the choice, I’ll take failure over surrender every time. Why?

If I act and fail:

• I replace speculation with certainty. I know that I did not succeed.
• I gain the opportunity to assess what led to this outcome.
• Understanding how I failed, I can refine the skills required to succeed.
• I can change the actions¹ that led to failure, and succeed.

If I fail to act:

• I create doubt from uncertainty.
• I deny myself the ability to learn.
• I avoid risk, yet gain nothing.
• I still do not succeed.

So why do people give up before trying?

In a word, fear. The paralyzing fear that they are not good enough, that they may fail, and that they may have to face that as reality, rather than possibility. Anyone can claim anything, as long as no need for proof exists. When faced with an opportunity to prove those claims, fear begins to take hold, chipping away at confidence, sneaking questions in that serve no purpose: Can I really do this as well as I thought? If I can’t, what will people think of me?

Society has ground into us the (flawed) perception that failure is shameful. This suggests that it is something to avoid, when the truth is that facing failure head-on is an act of courage, one of self-reliance and trust in yourself.

We disguise this with clever terms like “risk management”, but a name doesn’t change what it is or what it means. To be ruled by fear is to accept that you will never be more than you are in this moment. And that is simply not acceptable.

Empower yourself.

“I can’t.”

A phrase that should never be uttered. “I won’t” is acceptable. It says “I choose not to”, accepting responsibility for the decision. If you are not confident in your ability to act, start by taking control of your decisions. Own your choices.

“I don’t have time.”

What you really mean when you say this is “I don’t want to make time”. If it were important enough, you would make time. You choose not to.

“It’s too hard.”

If a situation seems overwhelming, break it down into smaller elements and digest them one at a time. Establish a foundation and build from that. No problem is insurmountable, if you are willing to spend the time.

What about you? How do you handle self-doubt?

Post from: Chris @ Olstrom (.com)

On Limitations and Self Doubt

1. Very few opportunities never come again, despite what salesmen claim. It may take more effort, granted.

© SiliconViper for Chris Olstrom (.com), 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

I’ve been told by more than one person that I take on too many projects. While there are elements of truth to that, I have no intention of stopping. Why?

I don’t like limitations.

Not that I don’t believe in them, but at any given time I can make a guess as to where my limits are and be wrong. If I sell myself short, I may have missed out by not trying. On the other hand, if I overestimate my reach, I may fail.

Given the choice, I’ll take failure over surrender every time. Why?

If I act and fail:

• I replace speculation with certainty. I know that I did not succeed.
• I gain the opportunity to assess what led to this outcome.
• Understanding how I failed, I can refine the skills required to succeed.
• I can change the actions¹ that led to failure, and succeed.

If I fail to act:

• I create doubt from uncertainty.
• I deny myself the ability to learn.
• I avoid risk, yet gain nothing.
• I still do not succeed.

So why do people give up before trying?

In a word, fear. The paralyzing fear that they are not good enough, that they may fail, and that they may have to face that as reality, rather than possibility. Anyone can claim anything, as long as no need for proof exists. When faced with an opportunity to prove those claims, fear begins to take hold, chipping away at confidence, sneaking questions in that serve no purpose: Can I really do this as well as I thought? If I can’t, what will people think of me?

Society has ground into us the (flawed) perception that failure is shameful. This suggests that it is something to avoid, when the truth is that facing failure head-on is an act of courage, one of self-reliance and trust in yourself.

We disguise this with clever terms like “risk management”, but a name doesn’t change what it is or what it means. To be ruled by fear is to accept that you will never be more than you are in this moment. And that is simply not acceptable.

Empower yourself.

“I can’t.”

A phrase that should never be uttered. “I won’t” is acceptable. It says “I choose not to”, accepting responsibility for the decision. If you are not confident in your ability to act, start by taking control of your decisions. Own your choices.

“I don’t have time.”

What you really mean when you say this is “I don’t want to make time”. If it were important enough, you would make time. You choose not to.

“It’s too hard.”

If a situation seems overwhelming, break it down into smaller elements and digest them one at a time. Establish a foundation and build from that. No problem is insurmountable, if you are willing to spend the time.

What about you? How do you handle self-doubt?

Post from: Chris @ Olstrom (.com)

On Limitations and Self Doubt

1. Very few opportunities never come again, despite what salesmen claim. It may take more effort, granted.

© SiliconViper for Chris Olstrom (.com), 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

• @JamieD81 Did you manage to get your Milestone rooted? If so, care to share? I've had no such luck. ;p #
• @JamieD81 su is my main interest for Android. There are a few interesting apps that require it… how'd you manage to root it? in reply to JamieD81 #

Post from: Chris @ Olstrom (.com)

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-03-18

© SiliconViper for Chris Olstrom (.com), 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: social media, twitter

• Glad to see @Aviary opened up their tools for free now. Thanks! http://bit.ly/bya9pJ #

Post from: Chris @ Olstrom (.com)

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-03-07

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Post tags: social media, twitter

• Requesting an invite for Tweetboard Alpha (http://tweetboard.com) by @140ware, for my site: http://chris.olstrom.com #
• Not sure I agree with their invite request method, but it does seem like an interesting idea. #
• Not sure I agree with @140ware's invite request method, but their software does seem interesting. Might be worth experimenting with. #
• @drakeshipway I had some concerns about the keyboard on the demo unit too. The actual handset is nicer, and the keys do have some "click". in reply to drakeshipway #

Post from: Chris @ Olstrom (.com)

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-28

© SiliconViper for Chris Olstrom (.com), 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: social media, twitter

This article presents a straightforward approach to Dual WAN configuration with Linux (using multiple independent internet connections on one system). While the examples provided are for multiple ethernet connections, they could easily apply to a mixed ethernet/wireless system with some minor changes.

Requirements

• PC or router running GNU/Linux (tested on Debian/Ubuntu/Gentoo)
• Multiple WAN Connections, either from the same ISP or different ones
• A dedicated ethernet adapter for each connection.

Assumptions

Configuration of your interfaces is outside the scope of this guide. It assumes that you have multiple network connections connected and configured (being a dual WAN guide, this should make sense). Preset IP addresses are also assumed (either static IPs or a predictable DHCP setup, such as one that assigns a consistent IP to a given MAC address).

The interfaces must also be active (not stopped). Thanks for Mickael Maddison pointing out that I hadn’t mentioned that.

Example Setup

In this example, I have a 10MBit Cable connection via Shaw on eth1, and a 15MBit ADSL2 connection via TELUS on eth2.

• eth1 – IP 192.168.254.100 / Gateway 192.168.254.1
• eth2 – IP 192.168.1.100 / Gateway 192.168.1.254

Simple Configuration
First, we need to add two lines to /etc/iproute2/rt_tables

1 Shaw
2 TELUS

And then set up the routing for those tables.

# ip route add 192.168.254.0/24 dev eth1 src 192.168.254.100 table Shaw
# ip route add default via 192.168.254.1 table Shaw
# ip route add 192.168.1.0/24 dev eth2 src 192.168.1.100 table TELUS
# ip route add default via 192.168.1.254 table TELUS
# ip rule add from 192.168.254.100 table Shaw
# ip rule add from 192.168.1.100 table TELUS


Set up evenly weighted round-robin routing for the interfaces.

# ip route add default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 1 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 1


The concepts outlined here also work for dual WAN configurations using virtual interfaces (aliases). This allows us to configure multiple IPs on a single interface. While this doesn’t have a lot of practical advantages for desktop users, there is significant value for servers. Thanks to Mickael Maddison for testing this.

Keep in mind that multiple virtual interfaces would still be a single physical connection though, so the maximum throughput would stay the same. This could also be used to allow a single ethernet card to span multiple subnets.

Fixes and workarounds
In the event that you receive a “RTNETLINK answers: File exists” error, replace the last entry with…

# ip route append default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 1 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 1

Then remove the earlier route:

# ip route del


Alternatively, omitting both

# ip route add default via 192.168.254.1 table Shaw
# ip route add default via 192.168.1.254 table TELUS

should prevent this as well.

Slightly more complex configurations
In addition to the basic setup here, we can weight the interfaces differently, to favour one over the other (useful if one is a larger pipe, as in my setup here).


# ip route append default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 2 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 3


In the case of IP-bound services (example: a GigaNews account, which does not allow simultaneous connections from different IPs), a static route is simple to configure:


# ip route add 216.196.97.131 via 192.168.1.254


If one of your ISP blocks DNS queries from non-subscribers, then you will need to make sure that your primary DNS server is ISP-agnostic. Google Public DNS is a great solution for this. Add the following entries to /etc/resolv.conf:

nameserver 8.8.8.8
nameserver 8.8.4.4

Sources

• http://lartc.org/howto/lartc.rpdb.multiple-links.html
• http://www.linuxquestions.org/linux/answers/Networking/Spanning_Multiple_DSLs
• http://mailman.icsi.berkeley.edu/pipermail/xorp-users/2004-October/000266.html

Post from: Chris @ Olstrom (.com)

Dual WAN Configuration with Linux

© SiliconViper for Chris Olstrom (.com), 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

• No Motorola Milestone in at the Telus Mobility store in Brentwood Mall, Burnaby (Smart Communications). Might check Willowbrook tonight. #
• Got to the Telus store at Brentwood as they were unloading the shipment of Motorola Milestones. Got the first one they unpacked. ^_^ #
• Looking for a good Android SSH client. ConnectBot seems highly rated… anyone on Twitter have a favourite? #
• @terrdry @Bradley_Young @draxil: Alright then, ConnectBot it is! Downloaded and installed. Thanks! #
• @Bradley_Young I'm on the Telus Network (HSPA) in Vancouver. Good signal strength and coverage where I use it. in reply to Bradley_Young #
• @abaph I fully intend to root it when I get home. I don't think there's an OTA "get root" app for Android yet though, is there? Marketplace? in reply to abaph #
• @lysana Thanks for passing my question on. It's appreciated. in reply to lysana #
• @abaph Just got a shiny new Motorola Milestone. Any known problems with that? in reply to abaph #
• @lysana Unix geeks are awesome. ^_~ in reply to lysana #
• @abaph Herm, I appear to be running 2.0.1… guess that's stock for Milestones? I'll give that guide a spin when I get home. Thanks! in reply to abaph #

Post from: Chris @ Olstrom (.com)

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-21

© SiliconViper for Chris Olstrom (.com), 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: social media, twitter

Sometimes, we need to build a package from source. For performance reasons (architecture-specific optimizations), memory reasons (removing features we don’t need), or just for kicks. In Ubuntu (or any other Debian derivative, for that matter), this can often pose a problem, as such hand-built packages are no longer managed by our Package Manager. Removal is rarely clean, and updates are no longer tracked.

At least two solutions exist, each suited to a different purpose.

apt-build

The first method relies on the apt-build package, which fetches the latest source available in the repositories listed in your /etc/apt/sources.list file. This source is then compiled into a package (generally the same configuration as if you had installed the binary, unless you specify otherwise) and installed. Updates should still be managed as normal.

Note: This method is ideal if the package has source available in one of the repositories you have configured.

To install apt-build:

$ sudo apt-get install apt-build


This should add a local repository to /etc/apt/sources.list for any built packages. To make sure that the package manager is aware of this:


$ sudo apt-get update


Building a package with the default options is as simple as installing a precompiled binary package. For example, to build Prism:


$ sudo apt-build install prism


checkinstall

On occasion, the need may arise for an application that is not included in the standard repositories (or any supplemental ones configured). This is common with niche software, software with licensing complications that prevent it from being hosted in one of the repositories, abandonware, and applications that are have no maintainer beyond the upstream developers.

For cases like these, checkinstall is an ideal solution, as it allows us to build a .deb package for easy removal later. This package will not have updates tracked, but does offer the most flexibility.

To install checkinstall:


$ sudo apt-get install checkinstall


With it installed, building from source follows the usual documentation for a package, with one minor adjustment: We substitute the checkinstall command in place of make install. For example:


$ tar xjf package-source.tar.bz2
$ cd package-source
$ ./configure
$ make
$ sudo checkinstall


At this point, checkinstall will ask you for a few details about the application being built (package name, version number and such), and build a .deb package with the relevant metadata. It is automatically, and the package-name.deb will remain in the current directory for convenience. You can back it up or remove it, depending on your need. Reinstalling it is as simple as:


$ sudo dpkg -i package-name.deb


Removal follows the typical style:


$ sudo apt-get remove --purge package-name


Where package-name is the name provided to checkinstall when it asked for it.

Again, it is important to note that packages built with checkinstall are not tracked for updates. You need to stay aware of any important updates for packages built like this, as updates are not built automatically. Many applications have RSS feeds or mailing lists for releases and updates, and subscribing to these could allow you to patch a vulnerable application before it becomes a problem.

Post from: Chris @ Olstrom (.com)

Building .deb Packages from Source in Ubuntu (or Debian)

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Post tags:

This article presents a straightforward approach to Dual WAN configuration with Linux (using multiple independent internet connections on one system). While the examples provided are for multiple ethernet connections, they could easily apply to a mixed ethernet/wireless system with some minor changes.

Requirements

• PC or router running GNU/Linux (tested on Debian/Ubuntu/Gentoo)
• Multiple WAN Connections, either from the same ISP or different ones
• A dedicated ethernet adapter for each connection.

Assumptions

Configuration of your interfaces is outside the scope of this guide. It assumes that you have multiple network connections connected and configured (being a dual WAN guide, this should make sense). Preset IP addresses are also assumed (either static IPs or a predictable DHCP setup, such as one that assigns a consistent IP to a given MAC address).

The interfaces must also be active (not stopped). Thanks for Mickael Maddison pointing out that I hadn’t mentioned that.

Example Setup

In this example, I have a 10MBit Cable connection via Shaw on eth1, and a 15MBit ADSL2 connection via TELUS on eth2.

• eth1 – IP 192.168.254.100 / Gateway 192.168.254.1
• eth2 – IP 192.168.1.100 / Gateway 192.168.1.254

Simple Configuration
First, we need to add two lines to /etc/iproute2/rt_tables

1 Shaw
2 TELUS

And then set up the routing for those tables.

# ip route add 192.168.254.0/24 dev eth1 src 192.168.254.100 table Shaw
# ip route add default via 192.168.254.1 table Shaw
# ip route add 192.168.1.0/24 dev eth2 src 192.168.1.100 table TELUS
# ip route add default via 192.168.1.254 table TELUS
# ip rule add from 192.168.254.100 table Shaw
# ip rule add from 192.168.1.100 table TELUS


Set up evenly weighted round-robin routing for the interfaces.

# ip route add default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 1 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 1


The concepts outlined here also work for dual WAN configurations using virtual interfaces (aliases). This allows us to configure multiple IPs on a single interface. While this doesn’t have a lot of practical advantages for desktop users, there is significant value for servers. Thanks to Mickael Maddison for testing this.

Keep in mind that multiple virtual interfaces would still be a single physical connection though, so the maximum throughput would stay the same. This could also be used to allow a single ethernet card to span multiple subnets.

Fixes and workarounds
In the event that you receive a “RTNETLINK answers: File exists” error, replace the last entry with…

# ip route append default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 1 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 1

Then remove the earlier route:

# ip route del


Alternatively, omitting both

# ip route add default via 192.168.254.1 table Shaw
# ip route add default via 192.168.1.254 table TELUS

should prevent this as well.

Slightly more complex configurations
In addition to the basic setup here, we can weight the interfaces differently, to favour one over the other (useful if one is a larger pipe, as in my setup here).


# ip route append default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 2 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 3


In the case of IP-bound services (example: a GigaNews account, which does not allow simultaneous connections from different IPs), a static route is simple to configure:


# ip route add 216.196.97.131 via 192.168.1.254


If one of your ISP blocks DNS queries from non-subscribers, then you will need to make sure that your primary DNS server is ISP-agnostic. Google Public DNS is a great solution for this. Add the following entries to /etc/resolv.conf:

nameserver 8.8.8.8
nameserver 8.8.4.4

Sources

• http://lartc.org/howto/lartc.rpdb.multiple-links.html
• http://www.linuxquestions.org/linux/answers/Networking/Spanning_Multiple_DSLs
• http://mailman.icsi.berkeley.edu/pipermail/xorp-users/2004-October/000266.html

Post from: Chris @ Olstrom (.com)

Dual WAN Configuration with Linux

© SiliconViper for Chris Olstrom (.com), 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

This article presents a straightforward approach to Dual WAN configuration with Linux (using multiple independent internet connections on one system). While the examples provided are for multiple ethernet connections, they could easily apply to a mixed ethernet/wireless system with some minor changes.

Requirements

• PC or router running GNU/Linux (tested on Debian/Ubuntu/Gentoo)
• Multiple WAN Connections, either from the same ISP or different ones
• A dedicated ethernet adapter for each connection.

Assumptions

Configuration of your interfaces is outside the scope of this guide. It assumes that you have multiple network connections connected and configured (being a dual WAN guide, this should make sense). Preset IP addresses are also assumed (either static IPs or a predictable DHCP setup, such as one that assigns a consistent IP to a given MAC address).

The interfaces must also be active (not stopped). Thanks for Mickael Maddison pointing out that I hadn’t mentioned that.

Example Setup

In this example, I have a 10MBit Cable connection via Shaw on eth1, and a 15MBit ADSL2 connection via TELUS on eth2.

• eth1 – IP 192.168.254.100 / Gateway 192.168.254.1
• eth2 – IP 192.168.1.100 / Gateway 192.168.1.254

Simple Configuration
First, we need to add two lines to /etc/iproute2/rt_tables

1 Shaw
2 TELUS

And then set up the routing for those tables.

# ip route add 192.168.254.0/24 dev eth1 src 192.168.254.100 table Shaw
# ip route add default via 192.168.254.1 table Shaw
# ip route add 192.168.1.0/24 dev eth2 src 192.168.1.100 table TELUS
# ip route add default via 192.168.1.254 table TELUS
# ip rule add from 192.168.254.100 table Shaw
# ip rule add from 192.168.1.100 table TELUS


Set up evenly weighted round-robin routing for the interfaces.

# ip route add default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 1 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 1


The concepts outlined here also work for dual WAN configurations using virtual interfaces (aliases). This allows us to configure multiple IPs on a single interface. While this doesn’t have a lot of practical advantages for desktop users, there is significant value for servers. Thanks to Mickael Maddison for testing this.

Keep in mind that multiple virtual interfaces would still be a single physical connection though, so the maximum throughput would stay the same. This could also be used to allow a single ethernet card to span multiple subnets.

Fixes and workarounds
In the event that you receive a “RTNETLINK answers: File exists” error, replace the last entry with…

# ip route append default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 1 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 1

Then remove the earlier route:

# ip route del


Alternatively, omitting both

# ip route add default via 192.168.254.1 table Shaw
# ip route add default via 192.168.1.254 table TELUS

should prevent this as well.

Slightly more complex configurations
In addition to the basic setup here, we can weight the interfaces differently, to favour one over the other (useful if one is a larger pipe, as in my setup here).


# ip route append default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 2 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 3


In the case of IP-bound services (example: a GigaNews account, which does not allow simultaneous connections from different IPs), a static route is simple to configure:


# ip route add 216.196.97.131 via 192.168.1.254


If one of your ISP blocks DNS queries from non-subscribers, then you will need to make sure that your primary DNS server is ISP-agnostic. Google Public DNS is a great solution for this. Add the following entries to /etc/resolv.conf:

nameserver 8.8.8.8
nameserver 8.8.4.4

Sources

• http://lartc.org/howto/lartc.rpdb.multiple-links.html
• http://www.linuxquestions.org/linux/answers/Networking/Spanning_Multiple_DSLs
• http://mailman.icsi.berkeley.edu/pipermail/xorp-users/2004-October/000266.html

Post from: Chris @ Olstrom (.com)

Dual WAN Configuration with Linux

© SiliconViper for Chris Olstrom (.com), 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

This article presents a reasonably straightforward approach to using two independent internet connections on one system. While the examples are for multiple ethernet connections, some minor changes could apply the methods to a mixed ethernet/wireless system.

Update: The concepts outlined here also work with virtual interfaces (aliases). This allows us to configure multiple IPs on a single interface. While this doesn’t have a lot of practical advantages for desktop users, there is significant value for servers. Thanks to Mickael Maddison for testing this.

Keep in mind that multiple virtual interfaces would still be a single physical connection though, so the maximum throughput would stay the same. This could also be used to allow a single ethernet card to span multiple subnets.

Requirements

• PC or router running GNU/Linux
• Multiple WAN Connections, either from the same ISP or different ones
• A dedicated ethernet adapter for each connection.

Update: This example does not cover configuration of interfaces, and assumes that all ones in use are already configured. It assumes preset IPs (either static or with a predictable DHCP setup) , though minor changes could account for variable IPs. The interfaces must also be active (not stopped). Thanks for Mickael Maddison pointing out that I hadn’t mentioned that.

Example Setup
In this example, I have a 10MBit Cable connection via Shaw on eth1, and a 15MBit ADSL connection via TELUS on eth2.

• eth1 – IP 192.168.254.100 / Gateway 192.168.254.1
• eth2 – IP 192.168.1.100 / Gateway 192.168.1.254

Simple Configuration
First, we need to add two lines to /etc/iproute2/rt_tables

1 Shaw
2 TELUS

And then set up the routing for those tables.

# ip route add 192.168.254.0/24 dev eth1 src 192.168.254.100 table Shaw
# ip route add default via 192.168.254.1 table Shaw
# ip route add 192.168.1.0/24 dev eth2 src 192.168.1.100 table TELUS
# ip route add default via 192.168.1.254 table TELUS
# ip rule add from 192.168.254.100 table Shaw
# ip rule add from 192.168.1.100 table TELUS


Set up evenly weighted round-robin routing for the interfaces.

# ip route add default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 1 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 1


Fixes and workarounds
In the event that you receive a “RTNETLINK answers: File exists” error, replace the last entry with…

# ip route append default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 1 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 1

Then remove the earlier route:

# ip route del


Alternatively, omiting both

# ip route add default via 192.168.254.1 table Shaw
# ip route add default via 192.168.1.254 table TELUS

should prevent this as well.

Slightly more complex configurations
In addition to the basic setup here, we can weight the interfaces differently, to favour one over the other (useful if one is a larger pipe, as in my setup here).


# ip route append default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 3 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 5

In the case of IP-bound services (example: a GigaNews account, which does not allow simultaneous connections from different IPs), a static route is simple to configure:


# ip route add 216.196.97.131 via 192.168.1.254


If one of your ISP blocks DNS queries from non-subscribers, then you will need to make sure that your primary DNS server is ISP-agnostic. Google Public DNS is a great solution for this. Add the following entries to /etc/resolv.conf

nameserver 8.8.8.8
nameserver 8.8.4.4

Sources

• http://lartc.org/howto/lartc.rpdb.multiple-links.html
• http://www.linuxquestions.org/linux/answers/Networking/Spanning_Multiple_DSLs
• http://mailman.icsi.berkeley.edu/pipermail/xorp-users/2004-October/000266.html

Post from: Chris @ Olstrom (.com)

Dual WAN Setup under GNU/Linux

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This article presents a reasonably straightforward approach to using two independent internet connections on one system. While the examples are for multiple ethernet connections, some minor changes could apply the methods to a mixed ethernet/wireless system.

Update: The concepts outlined here also work with virtual interfaces (aliases). This allows us to configure multiple IPs on a single interface. While this doesn’t have a lot of practical advantages for desktop users, there is significant value for servers. Thanks to Mickael Maddison for testing this.

Keep in mind that multiple virtual interfaces would still be a single physical connection though, so the maximum throughput would stay the same. This could also be used to allow a single ethernet card to span multiple subnets.

Requirements

• PC or router running GNU/Linux
• Multiple WAN Connections, either from the same ISP or different ones
• A dedicated ethernet adapter for each connection.

Update: This example does not cover configuration of interfaces, and assumes that all ones in use are already configured. It assumes preset IPs (either static or with a predictable DHCP setup) , though minor changes could account for variable IPs. The interfaces must also be active (not stopped). Thanks for Mickael Maddison pointing out that I hadn’t mentioned that.

Example Setup
In this example, I have a 10MBit Cable connection via Shaw on eth1, and a 15MBit ADSL connection via TELUS on eth2.

• eth1 – IP 192.168.254.100 / Gateway 192.168.254.1
• eth2 – IP 192.168.1.100 / Gateway 192.168.1.254

Simple Configuration
First, we need to add two lines to /etc/iproute2/rt_tables

1 Shaw
2 TELUS

And then set up the routing for those tables.

# ip route add 192.168.254.0/24 dev eth1 src 192.168.254.100 table Shaw
# ip route add default via 192.168.254.1 table Shaw
# ip route add 192.168.1.0/24 dev eth2 src 192.168.1.100 table TELUS
# ip route add default via 192.168.1.254 table TELUS
# ip rule add from 192.168.254.100 table Shaw
# ip rule add from 192.168.1.100 table TELUS


Set up evenly weighted round-robin routing for the interfaces.

# ip route add default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 1 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 1


Fixes and workarounds
In the event that you receive a “RTNETLINK answers: File exists” error, replace the last entry with…

# ip route append default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 1 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 1

Then remove the earlier route:

# ip route del


Alternatively, omiting both

# ip route add default via 192.168.254.1 table Shaw
# ip route add default via 192.168.1.254 table TELUS

should prevent this as well.

Slightly more complex configurations
In addition to the basic setup here, we can weight the interfaces differently, to favour one over the other (useful if one is a larger pipe, as in my setup here).


# ip route append default scope global nexthop via 192.168.254.1 dev eth1 weight 3 nexthop via 192.168.1.254 dev eth2 weight 5

In the case of IP-bound services (example: a GigaNews account, which does not allow simultaneous connections from different IPs), a static route is simple to configure:


# ip route add 216.196.97.131 via 192.168.1.254


If one of your ISP blocks DNS queries from non-subscribers, then you will need to make sure that your primary DNS server is ISP-agnostic. Google Public DNS is a great solution for this. Add the following entries to /etc/resolv.conf

nameserver 8.8.8.8
nameserver 8.8.4.4

Sources

• http://lartc.org/howto/lartc.rpdb.multiple-links.html
• http://www.linuxquestions.org/linux/answers/Networking/Spanning_Multiple_DSLs
• http://mailman.icsi.berkeley.edu/pipermail/xorp-users/2004-October/000266.html

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Dual WAN Setup under GNU/Linux

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