Team Intel Pro/1000 MT

[6Foot2]

Hi.

 

I have searched the forums and the wider web and I can't find anything of use to help with this.

 

I have a number of servers with two network cards. I have not been able to connect both cards in the past, as I did not have enough Gigabit switch ports available in the server room. That has now changed and I want to be able to connect all of the servers so that they can work at their full potential. Just connecting the cards was disastrous, as it made a real mess of DNS and DHCP [Duplicate IP addresses for the same station and individual IP addresses being handed out to multiple stations: I think the record was one IP address handed out to four stations. Chaos as you can imagine]

 

That aside I want to connect these cards now and I think I need to team them. I can’t find any guidance on this anywhere. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance.

 

Server OS: Windows 2003 SP1.

 

Cards: Intel Pro/1000 MT.

[andyrite]

You need to download the teaming software for the network cards. Install it and configure a team.

[plexer]

http://www.intel.com/support/network/sb/cs-009747.htm

 

Ben

[DMcCoy]

What switches do you have?

[leon]

Edit: Sorry just reread your post, can't be awake yet.

 

Originally posted some gibberish about giving your servers statics. I don't see how teaming will address you dhcp oddities...

[mattx]

Give your servers have static addresses?

 

Don't you have a scope for servers and another for DHCP devices ?

If not, I think a move towards this way would help.... [ Just my 2 pennies worth ]

[6Foot2]

What switches do you have?

 

Sadly they are all 3Com switches.

[6Foot2]

Give your servers have static addresses?

 

Don't you have a scope for servers and another for DHCP devices ?

If not, I think a move towards this way would help.... [ Just my 2 pennies worth ]

 

Our scope is one large scope for all stations and servers, but the servers are at the bottom of the range, static and taken from a reserved list. The switches are on a private range.

[DMcCoy]

What switches do you have?

 

Sadly they are all 3Com switches.

 

Do they support 802.3ad?

[6Foot2]

What switches do you have?

 

Sadly they are all 3Com switches.

 

Do they support 802.3ad?

 

I don't know off the top of my head, I would have to dig out the handbooks. Why would that help?

[6Foot2]

You need to download the teaming software for the network cards. Install it and configure a team.

 

I just tried that and it killed my server. Got it back now though. I guess I must have downloaded the wrong drivers, but it looked like the right stuff!

[DMcCoy]

What switches do you have?

 

Sadly they are all 3Com switches.

 

Do they support 802.3ad?

 

I don't know off the top of my head, I would have to dig out the handbooks. Why would that help?

 

The switch *and* the NIC have to support teaming.

[6Foot2]

The switch *and* the NIC have to support teaming.

 

Ah all becomes clear now. In that case it is supported by our existing switches, as I have som cards teamed already. These are connected to the switch put in at install time. I will have to check if my new 12 port Gigabit switch also supports 802.3ad. Looking through the handbook now.

[Butuz]

Put simply is the switch a managed switch? I.e it has a web interface and lots of settings that you can configure? If so then chances are the switch supports teaming / trunking, if it is not managed then there is no way your going to be able to team your server cards.

 

Andrew

[6Foot2]

Put simply is the switch a managed switch?

 

Andrew

 

That's easy then. All of our switches are managed.

[m25man]

You can only do this if your NIC's support teaming as mentioned previously.

Not all servers have team capable adaptors. It's not uncommon to find different onboard NIC's such as an Intel 1000 MT and a Marvel Yukon (which is a Broadcom chip I believe) available.

 

The new HP's have 2 NIC's however one is attached to the iLO and is not available for use by the OS or Teaming.

 

Never use multiple Nic's in a DC unless teamed, otherwise your services will have a binding crisis!

 

Some switches will recognise the team immediately and simply work, others will need link aggregation setup.

 

Another valid implementation of the team is to form part of an arbitary loop providing OSPF routing and failover.

 

I believe the limit for teaming is 8 Nics, which is handy as this seems to be the limit to the number of ports my switches will happily let me link aggregate!

Handy if you have a monster server and want to feed 8Gig into your backbone!

 

Your server throughput will dramatically increase as the server is then able to hold 8 individual conversations at the same time! But be careful it can easily move a network bottleneck straight onto your Disk Queue

 

The real reason for having two NIC's seems to stem from the server designers.

The same Server Mobo may be installed in a Large pedestal server with enough space to host several expansion cards, a dozen fans and an average travellers site with 3 Caravans, two transits and a stolen HiLux Pickup truck......

or

a skinny 1 or 2u rack server with a single riser card thats needed for SCSI attached devices.

So a second onboard NIC suddenly becomes dead useful!

Unlike the travellers site

[Geoff]

Not all servers have team capable adaptors. It's not uncommon to find different onboard NIC's such as an Intel 1000 MT and a Marvel Yukon (which is a Broadcom chip I believe) available.

 

Er, nearly. That is a limitation of your Operating System. Linux will quite happily team whatever the hell you want together. Be it a 10mbit card, a 100mbit and a 1Gbit card from different manufacturers. Or something more sensible.

[spc-rocket]

Hi,

 

I believe the intel pro set software (now accessible using the device manager) also supports other network cards as well, but it needs to be all running on the same speed i believe.

 

If the Adaptive Load Balacing is selected as the load balance option then this does work with any swictches and does not require the 802.3ad (aggregation or LACP).

 

Other modes will require the switch to support the 802.3ad i.e. if using the LACP or PAgP.

 

In all cases you need to download the pro-set software in order to create the team. Essentially what this will do is it will create three adpaters in Network Connections section where (if using two physical adapters and teaming them) 2 will be the physical interfaces and a third connection will be the team connection. It is the third i.e. the Team connection that you will be assigning the IP address on and not the the physical connections.

 

We have been using this for the past 3 year with the exact cards Intel Pro/1000 MT Dual port server adapters and never had any problems.

 

We are using cisco switches.

 

Ash.