Introdution
NIC teaming is a new feature in Windows
Server 2012 that enables administrators to combine the bandwidth of multiple
network interface adapters, providing increased performance and fault
tolerance. Virtualization enables administrators to separate vital network
functions on different systems without having to purchase a separate physical
computer for each one. However, one of the drawbacks of this practice is that a
single server hosting multiple VMs is still a single point of failure for all
of them. A single malfunctioning network adapter, a faulty switch, or even an
unplugged cable can bring down a host server and all its VMs.
■ Switch Independent
Mode All the network adapters are
connected to different switches, providing alternative routes through the
network.
■ Switch Dependent
Mode All the network adapters are
connected to the same switch, providing a single interface with their combined
bandwidth.
In Switch Independent Mode, you can
choose between two configurations. The active/active configuration leaves all
the network adapters functional, providing increased throughput. If one adapter
fails, all the traffic is shunted to the remaining adapters. In the active/standby
configuration, one adapter is left offline to function as a failover in the
event the active adapter fails. In active/active mode, an adapter failure
causes a performance reduction; in active/standby mode, the performance remains
the same before and after an adapter failure.
In Switch Dependent Mode, you can
choose static teaming, a generic mode that balances the traffic between the
adapters in the team, or you can opt to use the Link Aggregation Control
Protocol defined in IEEE 802.3ax, assuming that your equipment supports it.
There is one significant limitation to
NIC teaming. If your traffic consists of large TCP sequences, such as a Hyper-V
live migration, the system will avoid using multiple adapters for those sequences
to minimize the number of lost and out-of-order TCP segments. You will therefore
not realize any performance increase for large file transfers using TCP. You
can create and manage NIC teams by using Server Manager or Windows PowerShell.
To create a NIC team by using Server
Manager, follow these steps…
Model Solutions
WINDOWS NIC TEAMING USING SERVER
MANAGER
1.
Open run, type ncpa.cpl
and press enter.
2.
Change NIC’s name to NIC
1 and NIC 2
3.
Open Server Manager,
click Local Server then click Disable as show in figure.
4.
Press and hold Ctrl and
click NIC 1, NIC 2 then right click and choose Add to New Team
5.
In the Team Name text
box, type the name you want to assign to the team.
Expand the
Additional Propertiesdrop-down and choose the appropriate Teaming mode. The
following modes can be selected:
■ Static Teaming: This mode requires custom
configurations on the switch and host to identify the links as being part of
the team. Static Teaming is considered a Switched Dependent mode because it
depends on the switch for configuration. It is used for custom scenarios with
supported switches where more granular or manual control is required.
■ Switched Independent: Refers to the ability
of the NIC Team to manage the connections to the switches and keeps track of
the teams’
connection state. This is the most common teaming method as it supports just
about any Ethernet switch. This option enables the NIC Team to split adapters’
connections between one or multiple switches.
Because the Team
manages the connection states, Switched Independent mode also provides an
option for Active/Active or Active/Standby teaming. In Active/Active, all links
are used for load balancing and throughput. For Active/Standby teaming, one
link can be designated as the active link where others are remaining passive.
The passive links stand by and take over during a failover event resulting from
the active link failing.
■ LACP: Link Aggregation Control Protocol
(LACP) is a Switched Dependent mode used to dynamically identify and aggregate
links
between a host and
switch. The use of enterprise classed managed switches is required.
Choose the appropriate load balancing
mode from the following options:
■ Address Hash: Load balances outbound network
traffic across all active NICs. Inbound traffic is received by only one NIC in
the team. This mode is typically seen with web servers.
■ Hyper-V Port: Provides improved support for
load balancing between virtual machines (VMs). Hyper-V works with the NIC Team
to load balance and deliver VM traffic over specific NICs.
6.
The new team appears in
the Teams tile, as shown in Figure.
7.
Check NIC Teaming Status,
speed 2.0 Gbps.
8.
Set IPv4 address for NIC
Teaming card as show in figure
9.
Ping 192.168.1.5 –t from
Client (192.168.1.10)
10.
Disable NIC 1 and ping to
192.168.1.10 –t
11.
Open Nic Teaming and
check status of NIC 1 (Faulted Not found)
Once you have created a NIC team, the
NIC Teaming window enables you to monitor the status of the team and the team
interface you have created. The team itself and the individual adapters all
have status indicators that inform you if an adapter goes offline.
If this occurs, the indicator for the
faulty adapter immediately switches to disconnected, and depending on which
teaming mode you chose, the status of the other adapter might also change.
Summary:
NIC Teaming, also known as Load
Balancing/Fail Over (LBFO), is a strategy used to increase network availability
and overall performance. Multiple network interface cards are joined together
and operate as a single entity. Previously, NIC Teaming was left for the
manufacturers to provide a tool. Today, NIC Teaming is included in Windows
Server 2012 R2 to provide the following capabilities:
■ High Availability: A
server can contain multiple network cards, each connected to a different
network switch part of the same network segment. This scenario provides high
network link availability in the event of a single NIC failure, single switch
failure, or single link failure.
■ Increased
Throughput: Multiple network interface cards can be teamed together to provide
increased throughput or load-balancing capabilities. The aggregation of
multiple links provides a “larger pipe” to connect to the network.
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