Best Practice To Utilize Two 10 Gigabit Ethernet Cards For NIC level Availability.

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Hi Bembi,

Thanks for your reply in detail. Can you please let me know some more details regarding advantages of Dynamic distribution over Address Hash in switch independent mode?

1. If we go with switch dependent mode / dynamic distribution then whats it advantages over switch independent mode/ Dynamic distribution except bandwidth aggregation? We do not need to aggregate bandwidth so now what you suggest switch independent mode/ Dynamic or switch dependent mode/ Dynamic?

2. Moreover, in Dynamic Configuration, shall we need to mark both adapters as avtive?

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Hi Bembi,

Thank you so much for your assitance and now things are very much clear to us. So we can configure the NIC Teaming as mentioned in attached screenshot for Exchange 2016?

If we configure NIC teaming with parameters LACP along with Dynamic mode (as highlighted in attached screenshot) by plugin the each network adapter cable to separate switches connected with MLAG. Is it better choice as compare to Switch Independent/Dynamic mode?

1. I beleive in NIC teaming, Teaming Mode (Static and LACP) are two different switch dependent modes, if yes then what mode you suggest for NIC Teaming Windows server 2016 for Exchange 2016?

2. How we can proceed with these configurations. I mean we just need to ask the network team to configure two ports (of two network adapters) with LACP and then we need to create the NIC teaming as mentioned in attached screenshot at server OS level?

3: How we can find that LACP is porperly configured at switch level after creating NIC teaming with LACP option at Server OS level?

4. What is difference between Static and LACP?

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Hi Bembi,

Thanks for valuable information. I have now a clear idea on this subject and would proceed according to the discussions here.

Just one last question, when we create a NIC teaming, we see a virtual NIC interface as well. Do we need to configure the NIC protocols as shown in the below screenshot on the virtual NIC interface or on actual NICs?

P.S. I have also attached the missing screenshot as a referrence to my above question. I would be using LACP with Dynamic mode as suggested by you. Have you also use these two modes in any production Exchange environment?

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Hi Bembi,

Thank you so much for all these details and I really apperciate it. Is there any best practice or method to verify these configurations of NIC Teaming at switch level.

Is there any method of troubleshooting so we can verify that whether the configurations at switch level done by network team correctly or not. In-case of any issue, if they say yes, everything is working fine from our end then how we can double check. I am just asking this question at server administrator point of view.

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Bembi has provided expert level valuable information.

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Thanks you so much Bemi for such a valuable information.