Windows 7 Connection Teaming, NLB, whatever

[digibucc]

I don't even know what they are calling it. It is the very best new feature in Windows 7 and I can't find any documentation on it.

In windows 7, if you have 2 different internet connections, it will put them together to increase download bandwidth, especially using software like Steam, or a download manager that separates downloads into sections.

2 weeks ago I got a new personal connection to supplement my existing work connection. Not knowing about this feature, I plugged it in to my second port. And Steam started going twice as fast! I have been looking for that capability for years!

anyway, a few days later it stopped working. both connections work individually. If I screw with the metric while it's downloading i can sometimes make it use both, but it no longer works automatically.

I am just wondering if anybody knows anything more than "plug it in and it works" ... because, it doesn't anymore!

as a note: I reinstalled windows last night thinking it would fix the problem. after first restart it worked, after second it didn't. checked installs, updates, etc ... can't figure out what's stopping it from working automatically...

 

[bpgt64]

interesting, Pfsense box's can do load balancing for multiple WANs if your really have two internet connections and need a good FW/Router/Load Balancer and have a spare computer(even really old ones work fine) lying about.

 

[digibucc]

yeah i have read a bit about that... the only spare pc i have atm is a good one, but only one ethernet port. I would need to buy two nics and set it all up ... which is better than nothing -

but i know windows should be doing it fine , my mission is windows 7 specifically for now.

what i have is 2 different cable accounts. one is my residential and one is business, but they are both coax cable. (to cable modem to ethernet)

i have learned how to trick it into working, for big files it is worth it. but download a bunch of small stuff it is not. if i start a download on connection 1 in my download manager, and then set the metric on the nics to make it use connection 2 for any new incoming - then make the download manager add more sections to the download (more connections) it will start on the second nic

this only takes about 30 seconds per download, but its still not something i will do regularly.