Description:

In many cases the bandwidth of a single DSL connection will not meet your needs. If the provider has no way of increasing the speed of the DSL connection, additional Internet connections will be required. To optimize data transmission, it is possible to bundle two or more DSL connections by means of MLPPPoE (Multilink PPPoE).

This document describes the channel bundling of multiple DSL lines by employing MLPPPoE in LANCOM routers.

MLPPPoE is used to bundle multiple DSL connections to a single provider. For example, two DSL 6000 connections can be bundled to form a (fictitious) DSL 12000 connection. This can be done by combining the integrated ADSL/VDSL modem with external DSL modems connected at the Ethernet ports.

Although DSL connections of different speeds can be bundled, each line is forced to operate at the speed of the slowest connection. Bundling a DSL 6000 and a DSL 2000 connection would only result in the bandwidth of a single DSL 4000 connection.

MLPPPoE is significantly different from the load balancing technology used in LANCOM routers. The load balancer, which combines the lines into a single remote site, distributes the load statistically. A session is randomly distributed to one of the lines defined in the load balancer. However, each session can only use the maximum throughput available on the respective target line. Using MLPPPOE, on the other hand, different lines are combined into a single entity, which provides the overall capacity of all of the lines.

Requirements:



Scenario:

1) Using a router with an integrated ADSL/VDSL modem:

  • Two external modems and the internal DSL modem are to be operated with MLPPPoE channel bundling.
  • Three DSL 16000 connections are available.


2) Using a router without an integrated ADSL/VDSL modem:

  • Three external DSL modems are to operate with MLPPPoE channel bundling.
  • Three DSL 16000 connections are available.



Procedure:

The configuration is basically the same for both scenarios. A few parameters are configured differently for the scenario without an integrated DSL modem.   

1) Using a router with an integrated ADSL/VDSL modem:

You only need to set up one Internet connection as your provider gives you just one user name and password for MLPPPoE .

1.2) Open the configuration for the router in LANconfig and switch to the menu item Interfaces → LAN → Ethernet ports .

This image displays a technical interface screen with configuration settings for Ethernet switches, including options for snooping, LAN badge settings, and bridge parameters for different LAN ports.

1.3) Assign one DSL port each to two Ethernet ports so that the two external DSL modems can be connected to them (in this example, the interface DSL-1 is assigned to the port  ETH1 and the interface DSL-2 is assigned to the port ETH2).

Image of a technical configuration interface displaying various settings including Ethernet ports, DSL, transfer modes, and data communication options.  Image showing a technical configuration interface with options related to Ethernet ports, transfer modes, and data communication settings.

1.4) Navigate to the menu Interfaces → WAN → Interface settings .

Image displaying a configuration menu for WAN interfaces with options like management, synchronization status, and mobile settings.

1.5) Adjust the interface settings for the DSL interfaces assigned in step 1.3 as follows:

Interface settings - DSL-1:

  • Make sure the checkmark is set for DSL interface enabled .
  • Downstream rate: Set the download bandwidth of the Internet connection.
  • Upstream rate: Set the upload bandwidth of the Internet connection.

Screenshot of a technical configuration interface showing settings for DSL with fields related to downstream rate and external overhead.

Interface settings - DSL-2:

  • Set a checkmark for DSL interface enabled .
  • Downstream rate: Set the download bandwidth of the Internet connection.
  • Upstream rate : Set the upload bandwidth of the Internet connection.
Image showing a fragment of a complex technical user interface with various configuration settings, including DSL interface options and network-related parameters.
1.6) Switch to the menu Communication → General → Communication layers .
The image shows a complex technical user interface for managing data transfer protocols and monitoring connections, featuring sections on protocol grouping and bandwidth management.

1.7) Edit the communication layer created by the Setup Wizard in step 1.1 (in this example the layer INTERNET) and adjust the following parameter:

  • Options: From the drop-down menu, select Channel bundling .

A VDSL connection will also work with these settings ( Encapsulation = LLC-MUX and Layer-1 = ADSL), because they are ignored when operating VDSL.

Screenshot of a technical configuration interface showing communication layers including PPP, PPPoE, and ADSL settings.

1.8) Switch to the menu Communication → Remote sites → Remote sites (DSL).

Image of a complex technical configuration menu displaying various settings including communication protocols, general configurations, and call management options.

1.9) Edit the remote site created by the Setup Wizard in step 1.1 (in this example the layer INTERNET) and adjust the following parameter:

  • DSL ports : Set the DSL interfaces used by the integrated DSL modem (in this case 0) and by the external DSL modems (see step 1.3). 

Screenshot of a technical configuration interface with options for DSL editing, access concentrators, service settings, and priority mappings.

1.10) This concludes the configuration. Write the configuration back to the router.


2) Using a router without an integrated ADSL/VDSL modem:

The settings described in the following differ from those in scenario 1.

2.1)  Use the Setup Internet access wizard to install the Internet connection.

You only need to set up one Internet connection as your provider gives you just one user name and password for MLPPPoE .

2.2) In the menu Interfaces → LAN → Ethernet ports , assign one DSL interface each to three Ethernet ports.

Screenshot of a technical configuration menu for network management, showing options for managing MAC addresses, interface settings, Internet sessions, NAT activation, time settings, and network connection types including LAN and Ethernet configurations.

2.3) Activate the DSL interfaces assigned in step 2.2 in the menu Interfaces  → WAN → Interface settings and set the upstream and downstream rates.

Image of a technical interface displaying settings related to DSL, software overlays, and external overhead with partial, blurred text.  Image showing a complex and partial view of a technical settings interface with garbled and incomplete text labels.  Image showing a technical user interface with various settings related to DSL, interface screen options, data transfer rates, and overhead byte management.   

2.4) In the menu Communication → General → Communication layers , adjust the layer created by the Setup Wizard in the step 2.1 (in this example the layer INTERNET):

  • Options: From the drop-down menu, select Channel bundling.

2.5) In the menu Communication → Remote Sites → Remote sites (DSL), adjust the remote site created by the Setup Wizard in step 2.1 (in this example the remote site INTERNET):

  • DSL ports : Set the DSL interfaces used for the external DSL modems (see step 2.3).   

                       

Screenshot of a technical configuration menu with various network settings options, including MAC address type, VLAN priority mapping, and IPv profile selection.

2.6) This concludes the configuration. Write the configuration back to the router.