# Teaming

Teaming is a set of advanced network services which are available when two or more adapters are configured to operate as a team.

Teaming modes include:

- Adapter Fault Tolerance (AFT) - provides automatic redundancy for your adapter. If the primary adapter fails, the secondary takes over. Adapter Fault Tolerance supports two to eight adapters per team. This feature works with any hub or switch.

- Switch Fault Tolerance (SFT) - creates a failover relationship between two adapters when each adapter is connected to a separate switch. Switch Fault Tolerance supports two adapters per team. This feature works with any hub or switch. Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) can be enabled when you create a team in SFT mode. Note that SFT is currently only available on computers running Windows.

- Adaptive Load Balancing (ALB) - allows the balancing of routed protocols among two to eight adapters. Also includes adapter fault tolerance. This feature works with any switch.

- Intel Link Aggregation, Cisco EtherChannel* (FEC/GEC/802.3ad static mode) - creates a same-speed team of two to eight adapters to increase transmission and reception throughput. This also includes adapter fault tolerance and load balancing (only routed protocols). This requires a switch with Link Aggregation, FEC/GEC, or static 802.3ad capability.

Multi-Vendor Teaming (MVT) - adds the capability to include adapters from selected other vendors in a team. If you are using a Windows-based server, the adapter names which appear in Intel® PROSet are candidates for a team.

For an overview of Teaming Options, see "Solving Server Bottlenecks with Intel Server Adapters." This document covers teaming and load balancing options. You can view this document with the Adobe Acrobat* Viewer.

| NOTE: Teaming is supported on Intel PRO/100 and PRO/1000 server adapters, and certain server-oriented models from other manufacturers. (If you are running a Windows-based system, check the Intel PROSet II control panel utility to see which adapters are compatible.) Teaming is also supported on the Intel PRO/1000 T Desktop Adapter if there is at least one server adapter installed.
| IMPORTANT: For optimal performance, you must disable the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) when using AFT, ALB, or FEC/GEC/802.3ad static mode teaming.
| IMPORTANT: When you create a team, a virtual adapter instance is created. In Windows 2000, this is displayed in both the Device Manager and Network and Dial-up Connections. Each virtual adapter instance is listed as "Intel® Advanced Network Services Virtual Adapter." Do not attempt to modify (except to change protocol configuration) or remove these virtual adapter instances using Device Manager or Network and Dial-up Connections. Changing or removing virtual adapters might result in system anomalies, including blue screens.
| IMPORTANT: Before creating a team, adding or removing team members, or changing advanced settings of a team member, make sure each team member has been configured similarly. Settings to check (In Intel PROSet, this is available in the "Advanced Settings" tab) include VLANs and QoS Packet Tagging, Jumbo Frames, and the various offloads. Pay particular attention when using different adapter models or adapter versions because adapter capabilities vary. If team members implement Advanced features differently, failover and team functionality will be affected. To avoid team implementation issues: Create teams that use similar adapter types and models. Reload the team after adding an adapter or changing any Advanced features. One way to reload the team is to select a new preferred primary adapter. Although there will be a temporary loss of network connectivity as the team reconfigures, the team will maintain it's network addressing schema.

| NOTE: Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 does not support Plug and Play (PnP). Any change in network configuration requires a system reboot to take effect. Hot Add/Remove of an adapter to/from a team or VLAN is only available in Windows 2000 and XP.

## Operating Systems Supported

The following links provide information on setting up teaming with various operating systems:

- Windows NT* 4.0, 2000, XP Professional

- NetWare* 4.11 and above

- Linux*

- UnixWare* 7.x. with ddi8 and Open UNIX* 8

## Adapters Supported

Teaming options are supported on Intel PRO/100 and PRO/1000 server adapters, and on Intel desktop adapters if there is at least one server adapter installed. Selected adapters from other manufacturers are also supported. (If you are running a Windows-based system, check the Intel PROSet II control panel utility to see which adapters are compatible.)

#### Compatibility Notes

In Intel test labs, it was found that:

- Hot-adding non-Intel adapters to a team causes system instability. For this reason it is recommended that you restart the system or reload the team after hot-adding a non-Intel adapter to a team.
- Hardware offloading is automatically disabled when Broadcom*-based NICs are team members.

## Adapter Fault Tolerance (AFT)

Adapter Fault Tolerance (AFT) provides the safety of an additional backup link between the server and switch. In the case of switch port, cable, or adapter failure, you can maintain uninterrupted network performance.

Adapter Fault Tolerance is implemented with a primary adapter and one or more backup, or secondary adapters. During normal operation, the backup adapters are listed as standby. If the link to the primary adapter fails, the link to the secondary adapter automatically takes over.

| NOTE: To use AFT, you must have at least one PRO/100 or one PRO/1000 server adapter in your team, and all adapters linked to the same switch or hub. You may mix gigabit and 10/100 adapters in an AFT team.

## Switch Fault Tolerance (SFT)

Switch Fault Tolerance (SFT) teaming enables you to connect two teamed adapters to two switches. Each adapter connects to a separate switch.

Switch Fault Tolerance can detect failures when they occur:

- On either teamed adapter

- On either cable connecting the teamed adapter to it's switch

- On switch ports connected to the adapters

- On either switch connected to the adapters

In SFT teams, one adapter is the primary adapter and one adapter is the secondary adapter. During normal operation, the secondary adapter is in standby mode. It does not transmit or receive traffic. If the primary adapter loses connectivity, the secondary adapter automatically takes over.

In SFT mode, the two adapters creating the team can operate at different speeds.

| NOTE: SFT is currently only available on computers running Windows.

## Adaptive Load Balancing (ALB)

Adaptive Load Balancing (ALB) uses software to balance the load of your server among a team of two to eight same-speed Intel adapters (must include at least one server adapter) connected to the same switch. ALB balances routable transmit traffic and IP receive traffic on computers running Windows. The software analyzes the send and transmit loading on each adapter and balances the rate across the adapters based on destination address. Adapter teams configured for ALB also provide the benefits of AFT.

| NOTE: ALB does not load balance non-routed protocols such as NetBEUI and some IPX* traffic.
| NOTE: You may create an ALB team with mixed gigabit adapter and slower adapters. The load is balanced according to the adapter's capabilities and bandwidth of the channel.

## Cisco EtherChannel (FEC/GEC), Intel Link Aggregation, 802.3ad Static Mode

Fast EtherChannel (FEC) and Gigabit EtherChannel (GEC) are performance technologies developed by Cisco Systems, Inc., to increase throughput between switches. To increase your server's throughput to multiple addresses, Intel has implemented Link Aggregation on server adapters that works with switches having either FEC/GEC, Intel Link Aggregation (LA) or 802.3ad (static) capability.

The transmission speed will never exceed the adapter base speed to any single address (per specification). Teams can consist of 2 to 8 adapters, but must match the capability of the switch. Adapter teams configured for FEC/GEC/Link Aggregation/802.3ad (static) also provide the benefits of fault tolerance and load balancing. In these modes, no primary adapter needs be set.

## Multi-Vendor Teaming (MVT)

MVT allows teaming with a combination of Intel and non-Intel adapters. This feature is currently available under Linux* and Windows* (NT 4.0, 2000 and XP).

If you are running a Windows-based system, check the Intel PROSet II control panel utility to see which adapters are compatible.

### MVT Design Considerations

- In order to activate MVT, you must have at least one Intel server adapter in the team, which must be designated as the primary adapter.

- A multi-vendor team can be created for any team mode, but not for VLANs.

- All members in a MVT must operate on a common feature set (lowest common denominator).

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