Basic Teaming Versus Advanced Teaming; Basic Versus Advanced Teaming Features - HP Rx2620-2 - Integrity - 0 MB RAM Manual

Basic Teaming Versus Advanced Teaming

You can choose to use the basic HP Integrity Network Adapter Teaming features like NFT, TLB,
and SLB, or the advanced teaming features such as Dual Channel, Dynamic Dual Channel, Active
Path, and Fast Path. The following table summarizes these Basic and Advanced features.
Table 3-1 Basic versus Advanced teaming features
NFT
NFT with Preference
TLB
TLB with Preference
SLB
802.3ad Dynamic
Link loss detection
Transmit validation heartbeats
Receive validation heartbeats
Dual Channel
(available in Windows Server 2003 only)
Dynamic Dual Channel
(available in Windows Server 2003 only)
Active Path
(available in Windows Server 2003 only)
Fast Path
The basic redundancy mechanisms monitor each teamed port for link, the ability to transmit a
frame, and the ability to receive a frame. These basic tests help HP Integrity Network Adapter
Teaming choose teamed ports that have been validated for "simple" network connectivity.
The advanced mechanisms provide advanced redundancy and load balancing. The advanced
redundancy features are called Active Path and Fast Path, while the advanced load-balancing
feature is called Dual Channel. These features provide network-aware intelligence to HP Integrity
Network Adapter Teaming that was not previously available in any HP or non-HP server
networking product. Details of these features include:
• Active Path – Active Path is a mechanism used by HP Integrity Network Adapter Teaming
to intelligently and proactively determine which teamed ports should or should not be used
by the team based on "tested" connectivity with an external network device called an Echo
Node. Each teamed port tests connectivity to the Echo Node by transmitting a frame to the
Echo Node and monitoring for a response. Active Path can determine if teamed ports have
become segregated onto different networks (for example, because of link loss on an upstream
switch uplink, server network adapter ports connected to the wrong switch ports, VLAN
misconfiguration on a switch, etc.). Teamed port segregation is determined based on
successful communication with the Echo Node on a per teamed port basis.
Active Path is extremely important for configurations with teamed ports connected to more
than one switch.
• Fast Path – Fast Path is a mechanism used by HP Integrity Network Adapter Teaming to
intelligently and proactively determine the best teamed ports to use to provide optimum
network connectivity for the server. As with Active Path, Fast Path can determine if teamed
22 Teaming Fundamentals for the First-Time User
Basic Teaming Features
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Advanced Teaming Features
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