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2–Configuring Teaming in Windows Server
Load Balancing and Fault Tolerance
8 BC0054508-00 J
For more information on network adapter teaming concepts, see Chapter 11
QLogic Teaming Services.
Load Balancing and Fault Tolerance
Teaming provides traffic load balancing and fault tolerance: redundant adapter
operation in the event that a network connection fails. When multiple gigabit
Ethernet network adapters are installed in the same system, they can be grouped
into teams to create a virtual adapter.
A team can comprise two to eight network interfaces, and each interface can be
designated as a primary interface or a standby interface. (Standby interfaces can
be used only in a Smart Load Balancing and Failover type of team, and only one
standby interface can be designated per SLB team.) If traffic is not identified on
any of the adapter team member connections due to failure of the adapter, cable,
switch port, or switch (where the teamed adapters are attached to separate
switches), the load distribution is reevaluated and reassigned among the
remaining team members. If all of the primary adapters are down, the hot standby
adapter becomes active. Existing sessions are maintained and there is no impact
on the user.
Types of Teams
The available types of teams for the Windows family of operating systems are:
Smart Load Balancing and Failover
Link Aggregation (802.3ad)
Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static
SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable)
NOTE
Windows Server 2012 and later provide built-in teaming support, called NIC
Teaming. QLogic recommends that users do not enable teams through NIC
Teaming and QLASP at the same time on the same adapters.
Windows Server 2016 does not support QLogic’s QLASP teaming driver.
NOTE
Although you can create a team with one adapter, QLogic does not
recommend this practice because it defeats the purpose of teaming. A team
consisting of one adapter is automatically created when setting up VLANs
on a single adapter, and this should be the only time that you create a team
with one adapter.