Chapter 1: Network Adapter Card Overview
40
There are two versions of the load balancing feature: mode 1 and mode 2.
The basic characteristics of mode 1 are:
Both adapters use the same MAC address, but different IP addresses.
The ports on the two adapter cards must be connected to the same
remote device.
The basic characteristics of mode 2 are:
Both adapters use different MAC addresses and IP addresses.
The ports on the two adapter cards can be connected to the same
remote device or to different remote devices.
While Mode 1 typically offers the best in terms of performance, you might
not be able to use it in all situations. It all depends on the capability of the
Ethernet switch to which the ports on the adapters are connected. If the
switch cannot handle learning the same MAC address on more than one
port, you will probably need to use Mode 2.
Here are the steps to implementing load balancing:
1. Install two adapter cards into the system. The two cards must be
identical (for example, two AT-2701FX Series cards).
2. Manually load the LBFO driver onto the cards. Be sure to install the
LBFO driver instead of the regular driver. You must install the driver
twice, once for each card. For instructions, refer to “Manually Installing
a Driver” on page 73.
Note
You cannot use the AT-Setup utility to load the LBFO driver.
3. Manually assign both cards an IP address or activate the DHCP client.
The IP addresses must be different for the two cards, even if you are
using mode 1. The addresses must belong to the same subnet.
Consequently, the network portion of the addresses must be the same
as well as the subnet masks. For instructions, refer to “Configuring the
IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Gateway Address” on page 92. (In
mode 1, both adapters use the same MAC address. The MAC address
assignment is handled automatically by the driver.)
4. Assign both adapter cards to the same team. For instructions, refer to
“Configuring Additional Network Adapter Card Settings” on page 96.
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