Fault-Tolerant Ethernet Teams And Ip Multicasting - NEC Express5800/320Ma Manual

Configuring Ethernet PCI Adapters
Note that the Ethernet PCI adapters in an 802.3ad team cannot be connected to a hub.
The adapters must be connected to a single switch that supports the final 802.3ad
specification, and the relevant switch ports must be properly configured for it. (802.3ad
teams also include AFT features.)

Fault-Tolerant Ethernet Teams and IP Multicasting

If IP multicasting is in use on your network, consider the following restriction when
choosing the type of fault-tolerant team to configure.
Each network host in an IP multicast group uses the Internet Group Management
Protocol (IGMP) to acknowledge and maintain its IP multicast group membership with
a switch.
In an AFT, SFT, or ALB team, only one Ethernet PCI adapter (the primary adapter) is
registered to receive IP multicast packets. When failover to another adapter occurs, the
host cannot automatically update its multicast group membership using the new
primary adapter; therefore, the host stops receiving multicast packets. If the switch is
configured to periodically query the host for its registration, or if static IGMP is
configured on the switch for each adapter in the team, multicasting to the host will
eventually resume, but possibly after an extended interruption.
If you use IP multicasting, and you want to configure an AFT, SFT, or ALB team, you
should test the team on site to verify if the behavior of IP multicasting after failover is
acceptable. Alternatively, you can configure either static or dynamic link aggregation
teams. IP multicasting functions more reliably with qualified switches that support these
modes, because all Ethernet PCI adapters in a link aggregation team are registered to
receive the IP multicast packets. The team continues to receive IP multicast packets
unless all links to the switch are lost and then restored (in which case, there is also an
extended interruption).
For more information about IP multicasting, see the documentation for your switch, or
contact your network administrator.
2-12 Express5800/320Ma: PCI Adapter Guide
N O T E
To maximize performance with dynamic link teams, use
fewer teams, but more Ethernet PCI adapters in each
team.