Load balancing in Kuwait: internet lines, servers and cloud

A load-balancing router does not merge two lines into one faster line. It decides, connection by connection, which line each one uses.

Connections are shared, not split

With many users the connections spread over all lines and the total capacity adds up, but a single download still runs over one line and is no faster than that line.

Weights follow measured speed

A 500 Mbps fiber and a 200 Mbps 5G line get connections in that proportion. Equal weights on unequal lines leave the faster line half used.

Health checks decide when a line is down

Each line is tested against dependable addresses on the internet, not only the provider's equipment, which can answer while the internet behind it is gone.

Sessions stay on one line

Banking, government portals and VPNs log you out if your address changes mid-session, so they are kept on one line.

Different providers, different paths

Pair a fiber line with 5G from another operator, so one cut cable or provider outage never takes both down.

5G lines and incoming access

Mobile 5G usually shares public addresses with other customers, so port forwarding, site-to-site VPN and anything you host stay on the fiber or leased line.

Upload matters too

Cloud backups, video calls and remote camera viewing depend on upload speed, which differs a lot between lines; both directions are measured.

Layer 4 and Layer 7

Layer 4 balances TCP and UDP connections by address and port, fast and suited to databases and mail. Layer 7 reads the HTTP request, so it can route by site, path or cookie and end HTTPS on the load balancer.

Balancing methods

The method decides which server takes the next request.Round robin · Least connections · Weighted · Source-IP hash (same visitor, same server)

Health checks and maintenance

A failed server stops receiving traffic, so servers can be patched in working hours without visitors noticing.