Configuring OPT1 as WAN2 so we can set up a gateway group later on.
In computer networking, load balancing is a method for distributing workloads across multiple computers or a computer cluster, network links, CPUs, storage devices, or other resources. When load balancing is employed, we are looking not just to distribute workloads but to optimize resource use, maximize throughput, minimize response time, and avoid overhead. Using multiple components with load balancing instead of a single company can also increase reliability through redundancy. Load balancing has implicit failover capabilities, since load balancing software is capable of detecting when a resource (e.g. network interface, hard drive) is down and excludes it from the group. Load balancing is usually provided by dedicated software or hardware, such as a multilayer switch or a Domain Name System process, or, as we shall soon see, through pfSense. In this article, I will begin our look at pfSense load balancing.
pfSense Load Balancing: Gateway Configuration
As an example, let’s assume we want to set up multiple WAN interfaces and use load balancing on the group. A default WAN gateway was already created when pfSense was set up. In this example, we will use OPT1 as an additional gateway, and then add both the default interface and OPT1 to a newly-created gateway group, which will employ pfSense load balancing to distribute the workload in round-robin fashion.
The first part of our configuration follows the steps outlined in my <a href=”http://pfsensesetup.com/pfsense-gateways/”>article on gateways</a>. In order to set up our second gateway, first browse to System -> Routing. Click on the “Gateway” tab, if it is not already selected. Click on the “plus” button to add a new gateway. At “Interface”, select OPT1 in the drop-down box. At “Name”, type a name, such as “WAN2″. At “Gateway”, type in the IP address of the network interface (in this case, 192.168.3.1). Check “Default Gateway”, and at “Description”, add a description. Then press the “Save” button to save changes, and, if necessary, press the “Apply changes” button on the next screen.
Next, we will make some changes to the WAN interface (the one described as “Interface WAN Dynamic Gateway”). From the Gateways tab, click on the “edit” button. We can leave “Interface and Name” unchanged, but at “Gateway” we will type an IP address (in this case, 192.168.3.11). Click on “Default Gateway” and change the description to something appropriate (e.g. “WAN gateway). Then press the “Save” button to save the changes, and press the “Apply Changes” button if necessary.
Now we have the two interfaces configured correctly. In part two of this series on pfSense load balancing, we will take our newly-configured WAN interfaces and add them to a gateway group, and configure load balancing for the group.
Erratum: The Original Instructions I Posted Contained an Error, and Here’s Why
It occurred to me when composing Part Two of this article that I made a mistake. I set the WAN gateway to 192.168.4.1 originally; however, since WAN2 is on the 192.168.3.0 subnet, and both WAN gateways will likely be connecting to the same network, they should be on the same subnet. Therefore, I amended the instructions for Part One so that WAN is set to 192.168.3.11. I apologize for any confusion I may have caused.
Other Articles in This Series
pfSense Load Balancing: Part Two
pfSense Load Balancing: Part Three (Web Server Failover)
External Links:
Setup Incoming pfSense Load Balancing at doc.pfsense.org
Multi-WAN Load Balancing at pfsensesolution.blogspot.com
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