Windows Integrity Network Adapter Teaming White Paper

Team Types and Redundancy Mechanisms Interoperation
Team Type and Redundancy Mechanisms Compatibility Chart
Table 4-16 Team type and redundancy mechanism compatibility
Dynamic Dual
Channel
(Windows
Server 2003
only)
Dual Channel
(Windows
Server 2003
only)
802.3ad
Dynamic
SLBTLBNFT
√√√√√√Transmit
validation
heartbeats
√√√√Receive
validation
heartbeats
√√√√Active Path
√√√√Fast Path
Mechanism Priority
Most team types can support multiple redundancy mechanisms simultaneously. This allows an
implementer to deploy any combination of redundancy mechanisms depending on what the
network environment will support. All basic redundancy mechanisms (in other words, link loss,
transmit path validation heartbeats, and receive path validation heartbeats) and all advanced
redundancy mechanisms (in other words, Active Path and Fast Path) can be used together. As
a result, an implementer may need to prioritize the mechanisms in case of a conflict.
When multiple mechanisms are in use on the same team, certain network scenarios may result
in one mechanism in use by the team choosing a different resolution to the problem than another
mechanism in use by the same team. For instance, there are situations when Active Path and
Fast Path may disagree on which teamed port should be the team’s Primary port (refer to
Figure 4-23). In this scenario, a team has been deployed with both Active Path and Fast Path. In
this situation, Active Path prefers NIC 1 while Fast Path prefers NIC 2. Active Path prefers NIC
1 because only NIC 1 can reach the Echo Node connected to Switch A. Fast Path prefers NIC 2
because NIC 2 has access to the best root switch (root switch 1 – Core Switch). NIC 1 connected
to Root Switch 2 (Switch A) is inferior because of its Spanning Tree bridge priority. If Switch A
and the Core Switch could communicate, Switch A would agree that the Core Switch is the root
switch since the Core Switch’s Spanning Tree Bridge Priority is better than its own (Switch A).
Remember, Spanning Tree calculations always prefer a lower number – the lowest Path Cost is
the best, the lowest Bridge ID is the best, the lowest Bridge Priority is the best, etc.
80 The Mechanics of Teaming for the Advanced User