Network Adapter Teaming; Conclusion - HP 279720-B21 - ProLiant BL p-Class F-GbE Interconnect Overview

32-MB Main, 6-MB flash, and 16-MB packet buffer memory per switch (packet buffer memory
shared between ports).
ProLiant Network Adapter Teaming
ProLiant Network Adapter Teaming is typically used to provide fault resiliency for the NICs within the
team. If one NIC should fail, the surviving NICs maintain network connectivity. However, network
adapter teaming may also be used to maintain network services if an Ethernet switch fails. The
architecture of the p-Class system allows for both network adapter and interconnect switch fault
tolerance when using ProLiant Network Adapter Teaming.
The ProLiant p-Class servers include standard HP NC series network adapters that support all three
types of ProLiant Network Adapter Teaming:
Network Fault Tolerance (NFT)
Transmit Load Balancing (TLB)
Switch-assisted Load Balancing (SLB)
When teaming HP NC series network adapters with the interconnect switch, NFT and TLB teaming are
the same as with any ProLiant system. However, for SLB teaming, the pre-defined switch-to-server
architecture across the server blade enclosure's backplane must be considered. SLB requires that all
NICs in the team must be connected to the same switch.
The GbE Interconnect Switch's redundant crosslinks add significant advantages when configuring
teaming for switch fault tolerance. For details, see the
paper 8 located on the ProLiant teaming home page.

Conclusion

The ProLiant BL p-Class system is a comprehensive solution for customers operating multi-tiered
environments that demand space and power efficiency, on-demand computing, end-to-end system
redundancy, rapid hardware and software deployment, and scalable management. The ProLiant
p-Class GbE Interconnect Kits are part of the family of interconnect options available for the ProLiant
BL p-Class system. Each GbE Interconnect Kit includes a pair of fully redundant, managed Ethernet
switches that consolidate up to thirty-two network adapters (at a maximum of 10/100 Mb/s) to one to
twelve external ports. These options are ideal for reducing Ethernet network cabling and the time
required to deploy, manage, and service ProLiant BL p-Class systems.
8 Available at ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/products/servers/networking/TeamingWP.pdf.
HP ProLiant network adapter teaming white
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