stanbond
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1 Server with 2 NIC's to 2 Switches
I have a server running Server 2003 which has 2 Network Cards (Intel Pro 1000 MT). I also have two switches a (16port and an 8 port). Currently I am just using one of the server Network Cards connected to the 16 Port Switch and Daisy Chained to the 8 port switch.
I have been having some slow network issues that I'm struggling to track down. Inreading about Newtork Teaming and wonder if I should change the current structure to use both of the ports on the server either teamed to the 16port switch or creating 2 seperate arms one connecting to the 8 port and one connecting to the 16port.
Anyone with expirence in this got recommendations for me?
Andrew
I have been having some slow network issues that I'm struggling to track down. Inreading about Newtork Teaming and wonder if I should change the current structure to use both of the ports on the server either teamed to the 16port switch or creating 2 seperate arms one connecting to the 8 port and one connecting to the 16port.
Anyone with expirence in this got recommendations for me?
Andrew
I have a server at my work with sql server running.
I create a route so that all copy's of databases copy xxxxxx should go trought the 2nd interface..
that allow me to leave first nic available for sql T.
I create a route so that all copy's of databases copy xxxxxx should go trought the 2nd interface..
that allow me to leave first nic available for sql T.
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I Should also state that if your two switches are geographically separated, upgrade the 16pt to have al least 2 Gigabit Ports and the 8pt to Gigabit also to make sure your interconnect between the switches is Gigabit, as well as the uplink to the server.
What type of switches do you have (mfr, model)?
I propose an experiment.
Turn off the teaming for a few days; kill one of the interfaces or unplug the cable.
Test that everything still works.
And see if network performance is better or worse.
Then turn it back on, and see if it has any effect on network performance.
I suspect the teaming has nothing to do with the network performance issues.
A 100 mbit fastethernet connection is a ton of bandwidth for most usage.
I suspect either you are running a specialized high-bandwidth application that _needs_ some reorganization of your network and some gigabit connections for better scaling.
Or more likely you have a PC or two running amok on your network.
You know; viruses, malware, trjoans, some employees running bittorrent at
maximum speed, etc.
I don't think you'd be running a website or public service on one server that would get close to taxing fastethernet (ISP connection would be taxed first).
In fact if you are using some type of active/active teaming; matters may be made worse.
There are some types of teaming that require switch support, and some that do not.
It just depends on your NIC hardware, OS, and teaming software.
True 802.3ad-negotiated link aggregation requires special switch and host support, but some proprietary protocols do not.
If you just have two interfaces on the same network bridged, that's bad as it creates a loop.
If teaming is properly configured, it's usually a very good idea for servers that need high availability, or servers that benefit from additional link capacity, as switches do sometimes fail, just like it's good to have redundant power supplies and redundant UPSes (Side A and Side B power) because PSUs and UPSes sometimes fail, and it's good to have a backup plan.
Of course if you don't need maximum availability of the server, the additional costs aren't worthwhile.
It's best if you can have GIG uplinks on your switches also, as this will improve performance.
Turn off the teaming for a few days; kill one of the interfaces or unplug the cable.
Test that everything still works.
And see if network performance is better or worse.
Then turn it back on, and see if it has any effect on network performance.
I suspect the teaming has nothing to do with the network performance issues.
A 100 mbit fastethernet connection is a ton of bandwidth for most usage.
I suspect either you are running a specialized high-bandwidth application that _needs_ some reorganization of your network and some gigabit connections for better scaling.
Or more likely you have a PC or two running amok on your network.
You know; viruses, malware, trjoans, some employees running bittorrent at
maximum speed, etc.
I don't think you'd be running a website or public service on one server that would get close to taxing fastethernet (ISP connection would be taxed first).
In fact if you are using some type of active/active teaming; matters may be made worse.
There are some types of teaming that require switch support, and some that do not.
It just depends on your NIC hardware, OS, and teaming software.
True 802.3ad-negotiated link aggregation requires special switch and host support, but some proprietary protocols do not.
If you just have two interfaces on the same network bridged, that's bad as it creates a loop.
If teaming is properly configured, it's usually a very good idea for servers that need high availability, or servers that benefit from additional link capacity, as switches do sometimes fail, just like it's good to have redundant power supplies and redundant UPSes (Side A and Side B power) because PSUs and UPSes sometimes fail, and it's good to have a backup plan.
Of course if you don't need maximum availability of the server, the additional costs aren't worthwhile.
It's best if you can have GIG uplinks on your switches also, as this will improve performance.
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If you are having two different purposes for each, It will be good to have them with different switches. If you are having them doing the same thing, put them in the same one. This will reduce the amount of traffic between the small switches and allow your bandwidth to focus on the requests from your clients.
Good luck!