On Wed, 15 Oct 2003, Gaby Schilders wrote: > - packets coming in over both lines are correctly DNATted (the rules > match and their count goes up). these packets now have a src-ip of the > originating host but the private address of the DNATted server as dst-ip > and are routed to the internal interface. So far, so good. > - the return packets for connections over both lines go to the linux > box's internal interface with the private address of the DNATted server > as src-ip and the originating host as dst-ip. How must the Linux box > discern these packets and how does it decide to send the replies through > which line? Same goes for the ROUTE target: what matching criteria would > you use to discern the packets? Both packets come from the same src (at > that moment of matching, UnDNATting is the last step of all), both have > the same destination, both have the same incoming interface (the internal > interface). Do I understand the malfunction correctly? The router has external interfaces eth1 = 1.2.3.4 and eth2 = 2.3.4.5. A global internet client, let's say 128.97.4.125, connects to a certain port on 2.3.4.5. The connection is DNATted to an internal server, which replies to 128.97.4.125. The router un-DNATs it and now has a packet allegedly "from" 2.3.4.5's special port, "to" 128.97.4.125. The complaint is that the packet is then sent out eth1, when the incoming connection was on eth2. I think "that's not a bug, that's a feature" :-) If eth1 truly cannot reach 128.97.4.125, the route assigned through it should reflect the subnets that it can reach. If it's a cost or political issue which interface is used, I have no experience in the "right" way to deal with that (TOS?), but if you set a high metric on the less preferred route, that is definitely honored for ordinary packets. If the issue is load balancing, I've heard of people doing advanced routing stuff to make that happen, but again I have no experience myself. Another person suggested CONNMARKing the connection according to the incoming interface, and then using ROUTE (from P-O-M) to preempt the routing decision. It should work, but also should not be necessary -- nothing will actually break if different routes are used. Unless there are two other NAT boxes involved which depend on bidirectional traffic to recognize throughgoing connections. But that's really unlikely. James F. Carter Voice 310 825 2897 FAX 310 206 6673 UCLA-Mathnet; 6115 MSA; 405 Hilgard Ave.; Los Angeles, CA, USA 90095-1555 Email: jimc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.math.ucla.edu/~jimc (q.v. for PGP key)
