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ProLiant server customers look for improved network uptime and better network throughput. HP networking adapter teaming meets both of those needs. It improves network uptime by protecting the network in the event of a network failure. This protection prevents ProLiant server clients from losing connectivity. HP network adapter teaming also offers better network throughput by distributing traffic efficiently across ProLiant server ports.
A team consists of two to eight ports that function as though they were a single NIC. This virtual NIC appears to the system as a single physical address and a single IP address. Should one NIC in this team fail, the remaining NICs assume the failed NIC's traffic, providing resiliency. This fault tolerance is provided by all the configurations of teams available. When teamed, each NIC can also share the network traffic load, increasing the network throughput. Each type of team provides varying levels of traffic management, (called load balancing), and all teams provide fault tolerance.
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The following teaming configurations are available for HP ProLiant Ethernet network adapters:
- Automatic - allows a ProLiant server to use the best network team type possible, given current network and server configurations. It enables the server to automatically select the best type of failover team based on team member connections.
For example, when the teamed NICs are attached to a switch, the software creates a Transmit Load Balancing team. If those same NICs are instead connected to a switch that supports dynamic link aggregation (802.3ad), the team forms an aggregated link that supports both transmit and receive load balancing.
Additionally, the Automatic Teaming feature helps the ProLiant network remain adaptive to network and server conditions. As network and server configurations change, the Automatic Teaming type ensures that the customers' servers connect to the network in the most efficient manner possible. Automatic Teaming is a standard feature of HP ProLiant Teaming.
- 802.3ad Dynamic - provides receive and transmit load balancing on a single switch. In this team type, the team members negotiate with the switch to automatically form a port group, so no additional configuration is required on the switch. The switch must support the IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP). 802.3ad Dynamic Teaming is a standard feature of ProLiant teaming.
- Switch-assisted Load Balancing (SLB) - provides receive and transmit load balancing on a single switch and is functionally identical to 802.3ad Dynamic Teaming. SLB requires the switch itself to be configured to form a port group. The switch must support port aggregation, but it does not need to support the IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation Control Protocol. SLB is a standard feature of ProLiant Teaming.
- Transmit Load Balancing (TLB) - balances the transmit traffic among the team members, but does not require any special switch intelligence or switch configuration. In addition, TLB teams can be split across switches as long as all members are in the same layer 2 network. In TLB teams, receive traffic is not load balanced, but is received on a single team member. TLB is a standard feature of ProLiant Teaming.
- Network fault tolerance (NFT) - prevents network downtime by transferring the workload from a failed port to a working port. Clients on the network see no disruption of service, and the network can remain in use while the failed component is repaired. NFT teaming functions at any speed, on any media. It is switch-independent and can be split across Layer 2 switches but must be in the same Layer 2 domain. NFT is a standard feature of ProLiant Teaming, and is available in all team configurations.
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View teaming capabilities (pdf).
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View NIC Teaming Type support by OS (pdf).
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Printable version
