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Bonded ADSL Linux Boot CD Image
What is this CD all about?
The Bonded ADSL Boot CD is a secure Linux router which is primarily designed to work with a multilink PPP bonded ADSL
service in the UK. It can be run entirely from a low cost USB Pen Drive or a CD/DVD drive on virtually any PC. It
does not require ANY knowledge of Linux as it is ready "out of the box" to boot, connect and
"bond" two or more ADSL lines. Furthermore, it's use is not limited to bonded ADSL, it can be used with only 1 ADSL line
where a more stable and feature rich router solution is desired than what is usually provided by conventional ADSL routers.
For bonded ADSL to work, your ISP MUST support multilink PPP (MLPPP) as documented by the IETF RFC 1990. In the UK we recommend you choose us as the ISP as we fully support the Bonded CD and optimise our ISP technology to work best with the Bonded CD.
The CD also features:
• Support for using public static IP addresses allocated to you by your ISP on your LAN
• OpenVPN VPN server, with clients for Windows, MAC OS X, and Linux
• Poptop PPTP VPN server
• An IPSec VPN server (Openswan)
• NAT (Network Address Translation) and port forwarding.
• Unlimited PPTP VPN pass through/tunnels over NAT
• A Web proxy cache server (Squid)
• A powerful, fully configurable packet filtering firewall (netfilter/iptables)
• Web based configuration (Webmin)
• Traffic shaping of outgoing traffic
• Proxy server can integrate with Windows Active Directory or an NT Domain for user authentication
• Proxy server can pass requests to Websense for content filtering
• A DHCP server
• Snort Intrusion Detection
• SNMP support
• The latest version of the Linux 2.6 kernel
How do I get the CD?
It is available as an ISO CD image, the latest version of which you can download from
the Release Announcements section of our forum,
and burn onto a CD. You can then either run the router software from your CD-ROM drive or,
for more reliable operation, install the software from the CD onto a USB Pen Drive
How much does it cost?
It is free to download the CD image and boot it up to have a look around but you need a
valid subscription for each ADSL card in your machine
in order to establish a WAN connection.
We provide a free 12 month subscription with each purchase of a Sangoma S518 ADSL card from us.
If you use the Bonded CD with DSL lines from us as the ISP, there are no subscription requirements at all while the lines
are with us.
How secure is it?
The firewall comes preset to block all incoming connections but to allow
forwarded (and related returning) traffic from your LAN using NAT.
It runs on a stripped down, very secure Linux operating system. There
aren't even any user accounts on the system so no one can log into
it! Any non-essential programs have been removed, further minimising
break-in points and resulting in a small CD image .
Plus, as it runs on the physically write-protectable USB Pen Drive or a read only CD/DVD,
it is physically impossible for a malicious attacker to modify any files stored on it.
What will I need for it to work?
• A 586 PC or higher (any modern PC) with sufficient PCI slots (1 per ADSL line you want to bond), 1 Ethernet port (either PCI or onboard) and
at least 64MB or RAM. You don't need a keyboard or mouse. Strictly speaking you don't need a monitor either,
although one will be useful to see what is going on during bootup.
• A Sangoma S518 PCI ADSL PCI Card for EACH ADSL line you want to bond. You can get these here.
• A USB Pen Drive with write protect switch, an SD Card with USB Card Reader, or an IDE CD-ROM drive
• An IDE or SATA hard disk (min. 9GB size) is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED but not essential to the running of the CD.
• A USB pen drive (does not need write protection) or a floppy disk drive for storing configuration files.
• Two or more ADSL lines with a UK ISP that supports MLPPP (see above). These can be any speed but must all be with the same ISP. You can run odd numbers as well (e.g. 3,5). Most people using the CD are running 2 or 4 lines quite happily but there is no technical limit to the number of lines that can be bonded.
Where can I find instructions on how to get it working?
There is a manual in PDF format containing everything you need to know about using the CD.
Download it here.
Can I use it with just 1 ADSL line?
Yes! You can run the CD with only 1 normal ADSL line with any ISP which will give you a more stable and feature rich router
solution that what is typically provided by conventional ADSL routers. For instructions on setting it it up for
use with 1 line see Appendix D of the manual.
How reliable will my connection be?
The CD uses Sangoma S518 ADSL PCI modems designed and built for high availability. These modems have a reputation for stability and are used worldwide in professional contexts, often as an alternative to Cisco equipment. Sangoma have 20 years of engineering and technical
expertise and a reputation for excellence. Here are some testimonials.
Sangoma's Linux drivers have their own built-in line monitoring which monitors each ADSL line independently at
the ATM level. If a line has any problems the modem will "retrain" the line to keep the connection up. Additionally,
the CD features its own connection checking software which checks each connection is up once every minute. If a line
goes down it will be brought back up and re-attached to the bonded bundle.
Has this been tested?
Please visit the forum where you will find many people (including us) who are using the CD
and enjoying higher upload and download speeds without the huge cost of Cisco equipment! Our main office connection
runs using the Bonded CD with 2 ADSL lines. Since we released the first version of the Bonded CD software
early in 2004, there are now hundreds of sites around the UK (and in other countries) using the Bonded CD.
How many lines can I bond?
The CD can bond as many lines as you want. However, your ISP may only support up to
a certain number of lines. Upstream Internet does not place a limit on the number of lines you can bond.
You will also need to ensure you have enough free PCI slots on the
PC you will be using. If you need extra PCI slots you could install a PCI expansion
device to expand the number of PCI slots on your motherboard. Currently, most people
using the CD have either 2 or 4 lines.
Is there any support available?
Customers of Upstream Internet who use the Bonded CD with ADSL lines from us can contact us
for technical support on the local rate phone number on our Contact Us page. There is also a helpdesk
system where Upstream customers can raise a ticket and get a prompt response.
Often, with the customer's permission, we are able to log into the Bonded CD web interface and fix issues
for our customers.
There is also an active forum where the CD author and others already using the CD
will try and help with any problems. All users, including those without DSL lines from Upstream Internet
are welcome to post on the forum.
Where can I find out more? My question isn't answered here.
Please see the forum which has all the latest information.
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Copyright © Upstream Internet Ltd, 2008.
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