[isalist] Re: Dual Nic'ed HP proliant
- From: "Glenn P. JOHNSTON" <glenn.johnston@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <isalist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2006 08:48:34 +1000
Now you're trying to get me in to more hot water with the client !
Which as a mater of interest, I'm not sure what the company does, they are
consultants of some sort.
They have a server room full of all very new, very expensive hardware,
exchange running on a cluster, sql running on a cluster, dual aircon,
tripple ups's, dual fibre running around the building for the lan....
What ever they do, they obviously do it very well, and are obviously very
cashed up !
_____
From: isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Jim Harrison
Sent: Sunday, 15 October 2006 00:08
To: isalist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [isalist] Re: Dual Nic'ed HP proliant
“why 4 single-port NICs have an issue”
..this is an easy one.
Each single-port card has to use the motherboard’s PCI bus to communicate
with other port controllers at the driver level, while multi-port cards can
do so “internally”. As a result, single-port NICs actually makes
for
less, not more efficient operation in the kernel drivers. Regarding the
“redundancy” question, you’re statistically more likely to
lose a MB than
you are a plug-in card.
Maybe Glenn should ask them if they’re willing to tolerate the single
point-of-failure that is the motherboard.
While they’re at it, how redundant is their UPS or their environment
control system? These represent single points of failure that can take out
their entire data center; not just a single server.
From: isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Gerald G. Young
Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2006 5:51 AM
To: isalist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [isalist] Re: Dual Nic'ed HP proliant
Oh, yes. I know the type. :) Separate NIC on each card so if a single card
fails you only lose one NIC. I have a similar kind of thing going with a
600 person Exchange cluster: 2 VSs with 300 on each so that if one database
takes a dump they don't lose all 600. If ya got the money for it,
though...? :)
I'd be curious about why 4 single-port NICs have an issue. Do be sure to
get those details. :)
Oh, and now that they're on the 2 dual-port NICs, how did they set up
teaming? Did they make both ports on a single card part of the same team?
Or did they make 1 port from each card part of the same team. If they
haven't done the latter already, you might be able to "save some face" by
suggesting they do that so that at least if a single card does go down, they
still have connectivity through the other one; that gets it pretty close to
their redundancy with 4 NICs since in either case a minimum of two physical
failures need to occur before network services are impacted.
Cordially yours,
Jerry G. Young II
_____
From: Glenn P. JOHNSTON
Sent: 2006/10/14 (土) 1:14
To: isalist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [isalist] Re: Dual Nic'ed HP proliant
Yep.
But all too often there is a world of difference between what 'actually is
the case', and what the non technical client perceives as 'being the case' !
In this case, their perception is very different to reality, but they are
not going to believe me, no mater how I tell them, as they perceive 'me' as
being the one who has solved there initial problem, by getting rid of there
much dearly loved 4 nic redundancy.
Such is life !
As a side note, I'd really like to know how a company of 109 people
justifies a 56Mbit frame relay internet connection, that's a very thick
internet pipe for just over 100 people !
GJ.
_____
From: isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Jim Harrison
Sent: Saturday, 14 October 2006 14:59
To: isalist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [isalist] Re: Dual Nic'ed HP proliant
This is stupid; four single-port NICs are no more “redundant”
than two
dual-port NICs.
If they’re that anal, it’s time to scale their server out.
From: isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Glenn P. JOHNSTON
Sent: Friday, October 13, 2006 5:02 PM
To: isalist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [isalist] Re: Dual Nic'ed HP proliant
HP Field service has swapped the 4 single port Nic's for 2 dual port ones. 1
fibre, 1 gigabit. Some 3rd level support guy put an entry in the call log,
that this is a know issue, and to replace with dual port nic's. I'm trying
to get more details on exactly what the issue is.
Removed to old nic's from the teaming, added the new dual port ones to the
teaming, rebooted, everythings working fine. all 4 nic's are connected and
traffic is flowing on all 4 links. Quite happily fails over to the other
link when 1 is unplugged, and will switch back and forth.
Now the client is not happy, they see this as 2 single nic's and that they
have lost redundancy, and they now have 2 single points of failure, which is
probably partially true.
_____
From: isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Ball, Dan
Sent: Friday, 13 October 2006 21:37
To: isalist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [isalist] Re: Dual Nic'ed HP proliant
If it is working when cords are unplugged, it is getting confused about
which route to take, so look at your teaming settings first.
I don’t have one handy to look at, but I recall there being a few
different
ways to set up the teaming. I had mine set up to use the same MAC, same IP,
but I don’t recall what setting I used for load-balancing (I think it was
fail-over).
You also need to set the same style of load-balancing on the device it is
plugged into…
_____
From: isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Glenn P. JOHNSTON
Sent: Friday, October 13, 2006 1:04 AM
To: isalist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [isalist] Re: Dual Nic'ed HP proliant
NLB is definately disabled.
The setup is currently running fine in production with 2 nic's unplugged,
but I have been left with the task of solving the issue.
_____
From: isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx on behalf of Jim Harrison
Sent: Fri 13/Oct/2006 14:37
To: isalist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [isalist] Re: Dual Nic'ed HP proliant
http://www.isaserver.org/
-------------------------------------------------------
ISA doesn't know or care about teaming, Q-tagging or any other layer-2
protocols.
Make sure you don't also have NLB enabled, as NLB and teaming is not a
supported combination.
-----Original Message-----
From: isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:isalist-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Glenn P. JOHNSTON
Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2006 4:45 PM
To: isalist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [isalist] Dual Nic'ed HP proliant
http://www.isaserver.org/
-------------------------------------------------------
Hi,
Currently working on a brand new server, it a new HP proliant, quadriple
nic'ed.
It's running W3KR2 with all updates to date applied, domain member, all
HP updates for the HP software applied, nic's have the latest firmware
applied. it's using the HP server nic teaming software. ISA2004
installed with all updates to date applied.
The Internet connection use 2 gigabit nic's teamed to connect to a 56M
frame relay connection via a watchguard firewall (Let's not get into the
watchguard discussion, I have to work with what the company has in
place) , via cat5e cable.
They are 4 separate nic's and not dual ported ones.
The LAN connection uses 2 fibre channel nic's teamed to go to a dual
redundant cisco switch.
Before ISA was installed, teaming was working fine, both the internet
and the lan were accessable.
After installing ISA, neither the internet or the LAN is accessable,
unless 1 of the teamed nic's is unplugged on both sides. i.e. 1 internet
nic unplugged + 1 lan nic unplugged eerything works like a dream.
But plug either or both of the 2 that were unplugged in, and neither the
internet nor the LAN is accessable.
Disable the firewall services, and reboot, everything is fine with all 4
NIC's plugged in.
HP field service have been twice out replaced the nic's, ran diag's and
they are pointing the finger at the ISA server. Saying it's not
compatable with the HP nic teaming software, but can not point out any
documentation to support this. Searching the internet also drew a blank.
The company configured the server using the proliant configurader, so I
am assuming that everything is compatable, and the field service people
responded in the afermative, when asked is everything compatable.
Does anyone have any experience or suggestions on this ??
Glenn
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