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SO my current setup is correct then in which the Cluster (VirtualIP) is using the same NIC and IP range of my Dedicated NICS?
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SO my current setup is correct then in which the Cluster (VirtualIP) is using the same NIC and IP range of my Dedicated NICS?

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Thank you very much for your quick responses and excelent help.
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Thank you very much for your quick responses and excelent help.

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I am in the process of setting up MS NLB on a IIS server which are both 2008 R2. &nbsp;Both servers a virtual servers (ESXi 5.0). &nbsp;I have set up NLB using a dedicated IP on both servers and using the IGMP Multicast. &nbsp;I have tested and the setup works on my developement network. &nbsp;Of course I had to add static ARP entry into my switch. &nbsp;My current nic setup is as follows:<br />
<br />
Server 1 NIC 1 = IP 10.0.0.1<br />
Server 2 NIC 1 = IP 10.0.0.2<br />
<br />
I configured the cluster and added the cluster IP of 10.0.0.3. &nbsp;Is this how it should be designed? &nbsp;Should the Cluster IP be on the same NIC's as my dedicated IP?<br />
<br />
Do I need a second NIC on each server for heartbeat messages? &nbsp;<br />
<br />
If so, is it best practice to set the second NICs up with a private non routable IP on both servers e.g. 192.168.1.1 or something simular? &nbsp;<br />
<br />
What happens if I need the heartbeat NIC and I don't assign it? &nbsp;Will NLB fail?
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I am in the process of setting up MS NLB on a IIS server which are both 2008 R2.  Both servers a virtual servers (ESXi 5.0).  I have set up NLB using a dedicated IP on both servers and using the IGMP Multicast.  I have tested and the setup works on my developement network.  Of course I had to add static ARP entry into my switch.  My current nic setup is as follows:

Server 1 NIC 1 = IP 10.0.0.1
Server 2 NIC 1 = IP 10.0.0.2

I configured the cluster and added the cluster IP of 10.0.0.3.  Is this how it should be designed?  Should the Cluster IP be on the same NIC's as my dedicated IP?

Do I need a second NIC on each server for heartbeat messages?  

If so, is it best practice to set the second NICs up with a private non routable IP on both servers e.g. 192.168.1.1 or something simular?  

What happens if I need the heartbeat NIC and I don't assign it?  Will NLB fail?

Help with Microsoft Network Load Balancing Setup in Server 2008 R2 NIC Setup Virtual Machines

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