Session steering

[#1]

One of the problems we see sometimes is that Plusnet say the system is out of balance, this is when some gateways are underused and others are overused. We then get a period of balancing when they kick users off the overused gateways. What is needed is the ability for Plusnet to make the BT system connect to the correct gateway when your router makes a connection; this is called session steering.
One ISP has cracked this: http://aaisp.blogspot.com/2009/10/tech-session-steering.html
Is Plusnet looking at this?

[#2]

As far as I know we're not.
I also believe that this is down to our number of 622 pipes - AAISP are probably running across a combo of 155's & 622's.
I'll ask Bob to see if there's any more information that I'm unaware of.

[#3]

I did wonder reading the post if it would work on Plusnet. AAISP seem to have a primary and a backup LTS. The solution seems to revolve around rejecting connections made to the wrong one until BT hit the right one. With the number of pipes you have that could take some time!

[#4]

Yep - From memory, if you have a 155Mbps pipe, there's two LTS' whereas we have 3 on each segment.
So we have lots of them

[#5]

... with up to four segments on each gateway - you have about 50 segments active currently I believe.
Edit: Your memory appears correct. From http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/equip2.htm

Quote

Home Gateway. The tunnel endpoints on which PPP sessions from the Colossus Network are terminated and where it joins the ISP Central Pipes is known as a home gateway. The Home Gateway is a cluster of LTS's (L2TP Tunnel Switches). The amount of switches required depends upon the size and type of Central Pipe used by the ISP - for example a 155 Mbps Central terminates on 2 LTS' whilst a 622 Mbps pipe will terminate on 12 LTS'. The test login bt_test_user@ispdomain.com is carried out at this level.