load balancing between MPLS router and Internet router?

saidfrh · ‎04-20-2008

We have offices on a managed MPLS network. Two of the sites have there own Internet connection. One of the sites has a T1 MPLS and T1 Internet connection. The challenge is that on one site, some hosts download 10+Mb files from HQ through the MPLS network. The download takes about 10 minutes. How is it possible to load balance, whereby some packets are received through the Internet router and some packets from the MPLS router? The following is the topology.

Internet router, T1> ASA firewall> LAN> MPLS router, T1>MPLS network

Thanks.

Collin Clark · ‎04-21-2008

Do you really want to load balance internet traffic or do you work traffic to go through MPLS and internet out to the local T1? What internal routing protocol are you using?

saidfrh · ‎04-21-2008

Prior to the implementing a MPLS network, one remote site had a point-t-point T1 connection with HQ that provided access to servers and the Internet. The complaint from the site was that downloading from the accounting server at HQ was slow. We find out that a T1 MPLS connection along with providing remote site's own T1 internet connection does not reduce the time to transfer files from the servers. We are bound by a 2 year contract for the MPLS network services. An option would be to increase the MPLS connection to a 3 MB bandwidth or look into load balancing between the MPLS and Internet connections.

We are using static routes in our own network. The managed network uses BGP.

Collin Clark · ‎04-22-2008

I don't think load balancing is really an option. You stated the following.

We find out that a T1 MPLS connection along with providing remote site's own T1 internet connection does not reduce the time to transfer files from the servers.

It sounds like you need to increase the MPLS link to get the accounting data and make them happy. Is a T1 good enough for web browsing? If so then send the default route out the T1, but make sure you add your private networks across MPLS first.