Table of Contents
Advertisement
Configuring the Gigabit Ethernet controller
The server comes with an integrated Ethernet controller. This controller provides an
interface for connecting to 10-Mbps, 100-Mbps, or 1000-Mbps networks and
provides full duplex (FDX) capability, which enables simultaneous transmission and
reception of data on the Ethernet local area network (LAN).
When you connect the server to the network, the Ethernet controller automatically
detects the data-transfer rate (10-Mbps, 100-Mbps, or 1000-Mbps) on the network
and then sets the controller to operate at the appropriate rate. In addition, if the
Ethernet ports that the server is connected to support auto-negotiation, the Gigabit
Ethernet controller will set the appropriate duplex state. That is, the Ethernet
controller will adjust to the network data rate, whether the data rate is standard
Ethernet (10BASE-T), Fast Ethernet (100BASE-TX/1000BASE-T), half duplex
(HDX), or full duplex (FDX). The controller supports half-duplex (HDX) and
full-duplex (FDX) modes at both speeds.
Note: See the documentation on the Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet
High-performance Ethernet modes
Your Ethernet controller supports optional modes, such as teaming, load balancing,
fault tolerance, and virtual LANs, which provide higher performance, security, and
throughput for the server. These modes apply to the integrated Ethernet controller
and to the controllers on supported Ethernet adapters, such as the IBM
10/100/1000 Ethernet Adapter or the IBM 10/100/1000 EtherJet
adapters.
Teaming mode
Your Ethernet controller provides options, called teaming options, that apply to
supported Ethernet controllers. A team can consist of two or more Ethernet
controllers, two Ethernet adapters, or a mix of integrated Ethernet controllers and
Ethernet adapters. These options increase throughput and fault tolerance when
running with Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Linux, or NetWare 4.1x or later.
v Adapter fault tolerance (AFT) provides automatic redundancy for your Ethernet
v Adaptive load balancing (ALB) enables you to balance the transmission data
v Cisco Fast EtherChannel (FEC) creates a team of two to four controllers to
If you use supported Ethernet adapters in the server, refer to the documentation
that comes with the adapters for more information about the teaming modes.
Virtual LAN mode
A virtual LAN (VLAN) is a logical grouping of network devices put together as a
LAN, regardless of their physical grouping or collision domains. Using VLANs
increases network performance and improves network security.
Software CD that came with the server for information about configuring the
Ethernet controller.
controllers. You can configure either one of the integrated Ethernet controllers or
an Ethernet adapter as the primary Ethernet controller. If the primary link fails,
the secondary controller takes over. When the primary link is restored to an
operational state, the Ethernet traffic switches back to the primary Ethernet
controller. Adapter fault tolerance supports from two to four controllers per team.
flow among two to four controllers. ALB also includes the AFT option. You can
use ALB with any 100BASE-TX/1000BASE-T switch.
increase transmission and reception throughput. FEC also includes the AFT
option. You can use FEC only with a switch that has FEC capability.
™
PCI family of
47
Configuration
Advertisement
Table of Contents
