
Implementation Notes
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PPP Multilink
Multilink is a feature of PPP that you can enable for individual PPP links. Links
are logical communication channels between two routers. Typical links include
one ISDN B channel, one dial-up modem connection, and a leased T1 line.
Multilink enables you to:
• Group lines of different speeds
• Distribute traffic more evenly among the lines
• Restore packet sequence
• Monitor traffic volume (in the context of bandwidth-on-demand)
These features are particularly beneficial for adding bandwidth to relieve a
congested demand circuit. The router activates additional switched lines to relieve
congestion over a demand line.
When you enable multilink, you can group a set of lines between two routers into
a single bundle. Each bundle belongs to a separate circuit. Multilink distributes
traffic over each logical line in a bundle in an amount roughly proportional to the
effective bandwidth of the link.
The router sending information divides the outbound traffic among all the lines in
the bundle, keeping each packet intact. Once data reaches the destination router,
multilink resequences packets arriving on different lines.
Broadcast Traffic across Demand Circuits
Many of the routing protocols that you can select for a demand circuit send update
packets out to the network. Update packets maintain routing tables and gather
information about network resources. For dial-on-demand, the frequency of these
update packets forces the dial-up connection to remain permanent (unless you
configure a time of day to deactivate it). When routers exchange update packets,
the physical connection is established unless you create a filter.
To reduce this type of traffic, you can configure one of the following:
• Static routes
• RIP triggered updates and broadcast timers (for IP)
• RIP and SAP broadcast timers (for IPX)
• Traffic filters
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