HP Integrity rx2800 HP Integrity Network Adapter Teaming Whitepaper - Page 79

• Make sure that each group in a Dual Channel team is connected to a different switch. If both groups are attached to the same switch, switch redundancy is lost. • Whenever a Dual Channel team is created with an even number of teamed ports, evenly distribute the ports between both groups. • Ensure all ports in the same group are connected to the same switch. 802.3ad Dynamic Dual Channel Load Balancing 802.3ad Dynamic Dual Channel Load Balancing (Dynamic Dual Channel) functions exactly like Dual Channel. The differences between Dual Channel and Dynamic Dual Channel are in the configuration of the team. With Dual Channel, teamed ports must be manually assigned to either Group A or Group B and the switch ports connected to the teamed ports must have Port Trunking manually enabled. With Dynamic Dual Channel, teamed ports do not need to be manually assigned to Groups (A or B) and switch configuration is done automatically with 802.3ad Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP). Dynamic Dual Channel uses information learned from the LACP negotiation process to automatically group the teamed ports from each switch. All other aspects of Dynamic Dual Channel are identical to Dual Channel. Refer to the Dual Channel sections for more details. 802.3ad Dynamic Dual Channel Configuration Dynamic Dual Channel configuration is easier than Dual Channel configuration. Dual Channel requires the user to separate teamed ports into two groups in the NCU and requires manual switch configuration on both switches. Dynamic Dual Channel configuration is identical to 802.3ad Dynamic except that two switches are used instead of one. To create a Dual Channel team, select at least two network ports on the main NCU page and click the Team icon. Next, select 802.3ad Dynamic Dual Channel Load Balancing from the Team Type Selection drop-down box on the Teaming Controls tab. Refer to Figure 4-22. Lastly, confirm that all switch ports connected to Dynamic Dual Channel network adapter ports have 802.3ad Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) enabled. Automatic The Automatic team type is not really a separate team type. Automatic teams decide whether to operate as a TLB team or as an 802.3ad Dynamic team. If all teamed ports are connected to a switch that supports the IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation Protocol (LACP) and all switch ports have LACP enabled, the team will operate as an 802.3ad Dynamic team. However, if the switch doesn't support LACP or if any ports in the team don't have successful LACP communication with the switch, the team will operate as a TLB team. As network and server configurations change, the Automatic team type ensures that HP Integrity servers connect to the network in the most efficient team type possible. To monitor which team type Automatic mode uses, refer to the Information tab on the Team Properties page discussed in the section, "Team Properties Page". Team Types and Redundancy Mechanisms Interoperation Team Type and Redundancy Mechanisms Compatibility Chart Table 4-16 Team type and redundancy mechanism compatibility NFT TLB Transmit √ √ validation heartbeats SLB 802.3ad Dual Channel Dynamic Dual Dynamic Channel √ √ √ √ Team Types and Redundancy Mechanisms Interoperation 79