# 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) - provides 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 switch. Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) must be enabled when you create a team in SFT mode. Note that SFT is currently only available on computers running Windows* NT* 4, XP, and 2000.

- Adaptive Load Balancing (ALB) - provides load balancing of transmit traffic and adapter fault tolerance. This team mode works with any switch. In Windows operating systems, you can also enable or disable receive load balancing (RLB) in ALB teams.

- FEC*/Link Aggregation/802.3ad: static mode - provides increased transmission and reception throughput in a team of two to eight same-speed adapters. This mode also includes adapter fault tolerance and load balancing (only routed protocols). This requires a switch with Link Aggregation or FEC capability.

- GEC/Link Aggregation/802.3ad: static mode - is the gigabit extension of the FEC/Link Aggregation/802.3ad: static mode.

- IEEE 802.3ad: dynamic mode - creates one or more teams using dynamic Link Aggregation with mixed-speed adapters. Like the static Link Aggregation modes, Dynamic 802.3ad teams increase transmission and reception throughput and provide fault tolerance. This mode requires a switch that fully supports the IEEE 802.3ad standard.

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, adapters appearing 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.

| IMPORTANT: Be sure to use the latest available drivers on all adapters.
| 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: 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.
| 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.
- Some advanced features including hardware offloading are automatically disabled when non Intel adapters 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 network connectivity.

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

To use Adapter Fault Tolerance, 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.

| NOTE: You can 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 its 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. In standby, the adapter is inactive and waiting for failover to occur. It does not transmit or receive other network 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 NT4, XP, and 2000.

## Adaptive Load Balancing (ALB)

Adaptive Load Balancing (ALB) uses software to balance routable traffic among a team of two to eight adapters (must include at least one server adapter) connected to the same switch. On computers running Windows NT4, 2000, and XP, ALB balances routable transmit traffic and, with receive load balancing (RLB) enabled, IP receive traffic. 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 speed adapters. The load is balanced according to the adapter's capabilities and bandwidth of the channel.

## FEC/Link Aggregation/802.3ad: static mode

Fast EtherChannel (FEC) is a performance technology developed by Cisco to increase throughput between switches. This mode works with:

- Cisco FEC capable switches using the PAgP protocol

- Intel switches capable of Link Aggregation

- Other switches capable of static 802.3ad

The transmission speed will never exceed the adapter base speed to any single address (per specification). Teams may be from 2 to 8 adapters but must match the capability of the switch. Adapter teams configured for static Link Aggregation also provide the benefits of fault tolerance and load balancing. No primary need be set in these modes.

## GEC/Link Aggregation/802.3ad: static mode

Gigabit EtherChannel (GEC) is a performance technology developed by Cisco to increase throughput between switches. This mode works with:

- Cisco GEC capable switches using the PAgP protocol

- Intel switches capable of Link Aggregation

- Other switches capable of static 802.3ad

The transmission speed will never exceed the adapter base speed to any single address (per specification). Teams may be from 2 to 8 adapters but must match the capability of the switch. Adapter teams configured for static Link Aggregation also provide the benefits of fault tolerance and load balancing. No primary need be set in these modes.

## IEEE 802.3ad: dynamic mode

802.3ad is an adopted IEEE standard. Teams can consist of two to eight adapters and you can have a maximum of two IEEE 802.3ad dynamic teams per server. You must use 802.3ad switches (in dynamic mode, aggregation can go across switches). Adapter teams configured for IEEE 802.3ad also provide the benefits of fault tolerance and load balancing. Under 802.3ad, all protocols can be load balanced.

Dynamic mode supports multiple aggregators and they are formed either by different speeds on the same switch (teams based on speed) or by using multiple switches (provides some redundancy between switches). Only one team will be active at a time.

| NOTE: Once you choose an aggregator, it remains in force until all adapters in that aggregator lose link.
| NOTE: In some switches, copper and fiber adapters cannot belong to the same aggregator in an IEEE 802.3ad configuration. If there are copper and fiber adapters installed in a system, the switch might configure the copper adapters in one aggregator and the fiber-based adapters in another. If you experience this behavior, for best performance you should use either copper or fiber-based adapters in a system.

### Before you begin

- Verify that the switch fully supports the IEEE 802.3ad standard.
- Check your switch documentation for port dependencies. Some switches require pairing to start on a primary port.
- Check your speed and duplex settings to ensure the adapter and switch are running at full duplex, either forced or set to auto-negotiate. Both the adapter and the switch must have the same speed and duplex configuration. The full duplex requirement is part of the IEEE 802.3ad specification: http://standards.ieee.org/.
  If needed, change your speed or duplex setting before you link the adapter to the switch. Although you can change speed and duplex settings after the team is created, Intel recommends you disconnect the cables until settings are in effect. In some cases, switches or servers might not appropriately recognize modified speed or duplex settings if settings are changed when there is an active link to the network.
- If you are configuring a VLAN, check your switch documentation for VLAN compatibility notes. Not all switches support simultaneous dynamic 802.3ad teams and VLANs. If you do choose to set up VLANs, configure teaming and VLAN settings on the adapter before you link the adapter to the switch. Setting up VLANs after the switch has created an active aggregator affects VLAN functionality.

## 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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