Bonding Ethernet connections on WIndows

[Coswar]

Hi Guys, 

 

Looking for an easy software solution to bond 2 gigabit ports together on a media server PC to allow for extra bandwidth when backing up at the same time as streaming.

 

Is there anyway to do this that doesn't involve hardware changes? And would bridging the connections in windows be of any use?

 

thanks

[Beyondtech]

9 minutes ago, Coswar said:

Hi Guys, 

 

Looking for an easy software solution to bond 2 gigabit ports together on a media server PC to allow for extra bandwidth when backing up at the same time as streaming.

 

Is there anyway to do this that doesn't involve hardware changes? And would bridging the connections in windows be of any use?

 

thanks

 

When you say bonding, do you mean something along the line of LACP or Adaptive Load Balancing?

 

~BeyondTech

[Coswar]

1 minute ago, Beyondtech said:

 

When you say bonding, do you mean something along the line of LACP or Adaptive Load Balancing?

 

~BeyondTech

Effectively teaming them to achieve a 2Gbps theoretical connection, using whatever method is must useful 

[Beyondtech]

One last question... 

 

Are these two 1Gbps ports internal to the motherboard or are they on a NIC?

 

~BeyondTech

[Coswar]

1 internally and 1 one on a pci NIC

[Macronus]

This might be helpful but at the same not. I've tried it in the past and didn't work out well, but gives you a starting point. I am also not sure if it works with 2 ethernet connections

 

http://speedify.com/desktop/

[Coswar]

17 minutes ago, Macronus said:

This might be helpful but at the same not. I've tried it in the past and didn't work out well, but gives you a starting point. I am also not sure if it works with 2 ethernet connections

 

http://speedify.com/desktop/

I have seen it but it seemed to be very limited and then the only good version was paid..but thanks!

 

[Beyondtech]

Ok @Coswar,

 

I am not 100% sure you can do this with an integrated port and an external (to the motherboard) port. I only have every succeeded when using two ports from the same NIC. I however, can put you in the (what I think is correct...) right direction. 

 

I have linked you to a video of what I think you are trying to accomplish. Linus did this in a slightly bigger scale with 4 ports in this video, but the basics are the same. Knowing Linus, he didn't have the best of all luck, but it tells you what you need to know before scavenging much further.

 

I suggest you watch this video: 

 

~BeyondTech

 

[Sunshine1868]

1 hour ago, Coswar said:

Hi Guys, 

 

Looking for an easy software solution to bond 2 gigabit ports together on a media server PC to allow for extra bandwidth when backing up at the same time as streaming.

 

Is there anyway to do this that doesn't involve hardware changes? And would bridging the connections in windows be of any use?

 

thanks

It will require a hardware upgrade across the network. the NIC in your PC must support an aggregation protocol (such as LACP). THEN the switch that I'm assuming you have between your media server and PC must also support LACP (most consumer grade switches do not support LACP). then, the NIC in your media server must also support LACP.

 

long story short, 1Gbps is PLENTY for home use. If you really want to double that, then be prepared to lay down some serious money for it to be done properly.

[Bgordy2013]

The only time that I have ever used LACP was on my media server. I teamed two NICs so that all my clients in my house could stream 1080P no problem. LACP only increases bandwidth for multiple connections, no one client is going to get over 1GBps unless you have upgraded the hardware in that as well. I find LACP is only useful in cases like mine where you have multiple clients pulling off a single server.

[Coswar]

1 minute ago, Bgordy2013 said:

The only time that I have ever used LACP was on my media server. I teamed two NICs so that all my clients in my house could stream 1080P no problem. LACP only increases bandwidth for multiple connections, no one client is going to get over 1GBps unless you have upgraded the hardware in that as well. I find LACP is only useful in cases like mine where you have multiple clients pulling off a single server.

That is exactly my use case! I am running a plex media server shared with my friends. But I don't have the cash to invest in a new router or NICS atm, it will have to wait if there is no software solution

[Bgordy2013]

There is no good software soloution I'm afraid. Also, I assume that these friends are remote? Unless you have more than gigabit internet speeds externally (i.e. Google Fibre or other gigabit) than teaming NICs is not going to help you. For me my internet is only 50/50 so for external clients I would not need more than a 10/100 NIC because they can pull at maximum 50MBps.

[Bgordy2013]

Also remember, you will need two Gigabit NICs but the most expensive part will be the managed switch that supports LACP. I haven't seen a good one for leess than $100 so keep that in mind as well.

[Coswar]

1 minute ago, Bgordy2013 said:

Also remember, you will need two Gigabit NICs but the most expensive part will be the managed switch that supports LACP. I haven't seen a good one for leess than $100 so keep that in mind as well.

A Combination of lan and remote clients, as well as personal backups over the network! Yes I'll look into it but It would involve replacing my isp router with a modem as well due to the fiber connection I have. Perhaps in the future. Thanks for your help!

 

[Sunshine1868]

1 minute ago, Coswar said:

A Combination of lan and remote clients, as well as personal backups over the network! Yes I'll look into it but It would involve replacing my isp router with a modem as well due to the fiber connection I have. Perhaps in the future. Thanks for your help!

 

NIC teaming won't help your remote clients unless your ISP uplink is >1Gbps. 

Just remember, any device that this data flows through MUST be LACP compatible. Even if your server has a multi-port NIC set up with LACP, if all of those ports plug into a non-LACP switch/router, nothing will happen. (you may actually wind up with a broadcast/flood storm on a cheaper switch/router)

 

Link aggregation looks easier than it is, as a lot of things have to play nicely together to get it to work. If you are willing to spend a lot of money and time, go for it, but otherwise it isn't worth it. 

 

Also, be very mindful of opening your LAN up to the internet...it is a great way to put yourself in a world of stolen personal information.

[Bgordy2013]

1 minute ago, Sunshine1868 said:

Also, be very mindful of opening your LAN up to the internet...it is a great way to put yourself in a world of stolen personal information.

Plex is pretty locked down. I don't believe that you can connect directly to it via an IP address externally. In my experience you have to use the MyPlex app which requires authentication. I have had Plex forwarded externally for quite a while and never had any issues. I would also advise OP to setup PlexWatch or PlexPy so that he can make sure that only the people he has given access to are using it. I have had users give access to other people and severely slow down my server. 

[Sunshine1868]

1 minute ago, Bgordy2013 said:

Plex is pretty locked down. I don't believe that you can connect directly to it via an IP address externally. In my experience you have to use the MyPlex app which requires authentication. I have had Plex forwarded externally for quite a while and never had any issues. I would also advise OP to setup PlexWatch or PlexPy so that he can make sure that only the people he has given access to are using it. I have had users give access to other people and severely slow down my server. 

Plex itself is secure (they added SSL encryption I believe), but anytime you do any kind of port forwarding you put yourself in harms way.

Ports can be scanned to see if they are open and then malicious software can sneak right through. And for the people who say "the odds of this are slim" yes, that is true. But there are many computers across the world just itching to find one single "chink in the armor". 

[Coswar]

5 hours ago, Bgordy2013 said:

Plex is pretty locked down. I don't believe that you can connect directly to it via an IP address externally. In my experience you have to use the MyPlex app which requires authentication. I have had Plex forwarded externally for quite a while and never had any issues. I would also advise OP to setup PlexWatch or PlexPy so that he can make sure that only the people he has given access to are using it. I have had users give access to other people and severely slow down my server. 

Plex has a built in feature that allows me to see the users from within the plex app ( Status> Now playing) and also the devices that have accessed it. What advantages do the plugins have?

 

5 hours ago, Sunshine1868 said:

Plex itself is secure (they added SSL encryption I believe), but anytime you do any kind of port forwarding you put yourself in harms way.

Ports can be scanned to see if they are open and then malicious software can sneak right through. And for the people who say "the odds of this are slim" yes, that is true. But there are many computers across the world just itching to find one single "chink in the armor". 

Regarding security, I have tried to access the forwarded port when away from home to check this and was given a "Not authorised" prompt. So perhaps plex secures it? Do you think opening a port for remote desktop is a security risk?

[Sunshine1868]

15 hours ago, Coswar said:

Regarding security, I have tried to access the forwarded port when away from home to check this and was given a "Not authorised" prompt. So perhaps plex secures it? Do you think opening a port for remote desktop is a security risk?

No. Plex has no way to secure a forwarded port. A forwarded port is like putting a virtual wire between your public IP and a certain machine when accessed from outside of your LAN. 

 

forwarding ports nowadays is never a good idea as port spoofing is a very real and very prevalent threat.