Broadcom Advanced Server Program Overview; Load Balancing And Fault Tolerance; Types Of Teams; User Guide - Dell Broadcom NetXtreme Family of Adapters User Manual

Configuring Teaming: Broadcom NetXtreme II Network Adapter User Guide
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Configuring Teaming: Broadcom NetXtreme II Network Adapter

User Guide

Broadcom Advanced Server Program Overview

Load Balancing and Fault Tolerance

Broadcom Advanced Server Program Overview
Broadcom Advanced Server Program (BASP) is the Broadcom teaming software for the Windows family of operating systems.
BASP settings are configured by Broadcom Advanced Control Suite (BACS) utility.
BASP provides heterogeneous support for adapter teaming to include all of the Broadcom NetXtreme and NetXtreme II
adapters as well as Dell-shipping Intel NIC adapters/LOMs. BASP provides support for TOE teaming only for NetXtreme II
adapters.
BASP supports four types of teams for Layer 2 teaming:
Smart Load Balancing and Failover
Link Aggregation (802.3ad)
Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static
SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable)
BASP supports two types of teams for TOE teaming:
Smart Load Balancing and Failover
SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable)
For more information on network adapter teaming concepts, see
Load Balancing and Fault Tolerance
Teaming provides traffic load balancing and fault tolerance (redundant adapter operation in the event that a network
connection fails). When multiple Gigabit Ethernet network adapters are installed in the same system, they can be grouped
into teams, creating a virtual adapter.
A team can consist of two to eight network interfaces, and each interface can be designated as a primary interface or a
standby interface (standby interfaces can be used only in a
standby interface can be designated per SLB team). If traffic is not identified on any of the adapter team member connections
due to failure of the adapter, cable, switch port, or switch (where the teamed adapters are attached to separate switches),
the load distribution is reevaluated and reassigned among the remaining team members. In the event that all of the primary
adapters are down, the hot standby adapter becomes active. Existing sessions are maintained and there is no impact on the
user.
NOTE: Although a team can be created with one adapter, it is not recommended since this defeats the purpose of
teaming. A team consisting of one adapter is automatically created when setting up VLANs on a single adapter, and this
should be the only time when creating a team with one adapter.

Types of Teams

The available types of teams for the Windows family of operating systems are:
Smart Load Balancing and Failover
Link Aggregation (802.3ad) (TOE is not applicable)
Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static (TOE is not applicable)
SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable)
file:///T|/htdocs/NETWORK/BroadCom/71921/NetXtremeII/en/teaming.htm[9/26/2012 3:28:31 PM]
Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet Teaming
Smart Load Balancing™ and Failover
Services.
type of team, and only one