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[Network Tutor]Complete Guide to Teaming with BroadCom Network Adaptors On IBM BladeCenter Part Two
Teaming Overview
The teaming function allows you to group any available network adapters together to function as a team. Teaming is a method of creating a virtual LAN (a group of multiple adapters that functions as a single adapter). The benefit of this approach is that it enables load balancing and failover. Teaming is done through the Broadcom Advanced Server Program (BASP) software. For a comprehensive description of the technology and implementation considerations of the teaming software, refer to the "Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet Teaming Services" section of your Broadcom network adapter user guide.
Teaming can be accomplished by either of the following methods:
- Using the Broadcom Teaming Wizard
- Using Expert Mode
In this Part two, we will walk you through the process of configure using the Broadcom Teaming Wizard.
IMPORTANT:
1. If you do not enable LiveLink? when configuring teams, disabling Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) at the switch is recommended. This minimizes the downtime due to spanning tree loop determination when failing over. LiveLink mitigates such issues.
2. BASP is available only if a system has one or more Broadcom network adapters installed.
3. BASP does not support Microsoft Network Load Balancing (NLB).
4. The TCP Offload Engine (TOE), Large Send Offload (LSO), and Checksum Offload properties are enabled for a team only when all of the members support and are configured for the feature.
5. You must have administrator privileges to create or modify a team.
6. The load balance algorithm in a team environment in which members are connected at different speeds favors members connected with a Gigabit Ethernet link over members connected at lower speed links (100 Mbps or 10 Mbps) until a threshold is met. This is normal behavior.
Types of Teaming Available
You can create four types of load balance teams:
- Smart Load Balance and Failover
- Link Aggregation (802.3ad)
- Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static
- SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable) - The Auto-Fallback Disable feature is configured for Smart Load Balance and Failover type teams in the Teaming Wizard.
Smart Load Balance and Failover
In this type of team, a standby member handles the traffic if all of the load balance members fail (a failover event). All load balance members have to fail before the standby member takes over. When one or more of the load balance members is restored (fallback), the restored team member(s) resumes the handling of the traffic. The LiveLink feature is supported only for this type of team.
Link Aggregation (802.3ad)
In this type of team, you can dynamically configure the network adapters that have been selected to participate in a given team. If the link partner is not correctly configured for IEEE 802.3ad link configuration, errors are detected and noted. All adapters in the team are configured to receive packets for the same MAC address. The outbound load balancing scheme is determined by the BASP driver. The link partner of the team determines the load balancing scheme for inbound packets. In this mode, at least one of the link partners must be in active mode.
Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static
his type of team is very similar to the link aggregation type, in that all adapters in the team must be configured to receive packets for the same MAC address. This mode does not provide link aggregation control protocol (LACP) or marker protocol support. This mode supports a variety of environments where the link partners are statically configured to support a proprietary trunking mechanism. Trunking supports load balancing and failover for both outbound and inbound traffic.
LB (Auto-Fallback Disable)
This team is identical to Smart Load Balance and Failover, with the following exception¡ªwhen the standby member is active, if a primary member comes back online, the team continues using the standby member rather than switching back to the primary member. This type of team is supported only for situations in which the network cable is disconnected and reconnected to the network adapter. It is not supported for situations in which the adapter is removed/installed through Device Manager or Hot-Plug PCI. If any primary adapter assigned to a team is disabled, the team functions as a Smart Load Balancing and Failover type of team in which auto-fallback occurs.
In Auto-Fallback Disable mode, if a load balance member returns on line, the team continues using the standby member rather than switching back to using the load balance member. Consequently, the adapter that was initially designated a load balance member remains in an inactive state and becomes the new standby member.
Note: The LiveLink feature is not supported if Auto-Fallback Disable mode is enabled on an SLB type of team.
Limitations of Smart Load Balancing and Failover/SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable) Types of Teams
Smart Load Balancing(SLB) is a protocol-specific scheme. The level of support for IP, IPX, and NetBEUI protocols is listed below.
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two--Chart1](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two--Chart1.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two--Chart1")
Chart-1 Smart Load Balancing
The Smart Load Balancing type of team works with all Ethernet switches without having to configure the switch ports to any special trunking mode. Only IP traffic is load-balanced in both inbound and outbound directions. IPX traffic is load-balanced in the outbound direction only. Other protocol packets are sent and received through one primary interface only. Failover for non-IP traffic is supported only for Broadcom network adapters. The Generic Trunking type of team requires the Ethernet switch to support some form of port trunking mode
(for example, Cisco's Gigabit EtherChannel or other switch vendor's Link Aggregation mode). The Generic Trunking type of team is protocol-independent, and all traffic should be load-balanced and fault-tolerant.
Important: If you do not enable LiveLink6¾4 when configuring teams, disabling Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) at the switch is recommended. This minimizes the downtime due to the spanning tree loop determination when failing over. LiveLink mitigates such issues..
Configure Teaming using BroadCom Teaming Wizard
You can use the Broadcom Teaming Wizard to create a team, configure an existing team if a team has already been created, or create a VLAN.
Creating and Modifying a Team Using the Teaming Wizard
1. On the Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 2 Tools menu, click Create a Team.
NOTE: If you prefer to work without the wizard for now, click Expert Mode and then click Next. If you want to always use Expert Mode to create a team, select Default to Expert Mode on next start and then click Next.
2. To continue using the wizard, click Next.
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-1](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-1.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-1")
Picture-1 Start BroadCom Teaming Wizard
3. Type the team name and then click Next. If you want to review or change any of your settings, click Back. Click Cancel to discard your settings and exit the wizard.
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-2](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-2.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-2")
Picture-2 Enter Name of The Team
4. Select the type of team you want to create and then click Next.
5. If the team type is an SLB type team, click Next. If the team type is not an SLB type team, then a dialog box appears. Verify that the network switch connected to the team members is configured correctly for the team type, click OK, and continue.
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-3](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-3.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-3")
Picture-3 Choosing a Team Type
6. From the Available Adapters list, click the adapter you want to add to the team and then click Add. Remove team members from the Team Members list by clicking the adapter and then clicking Remove. Click Next.
NOTE:
a. There must be at least one Broadcom network adapter assigned to the team.
The TCP Offload Engine (TOE), Large Send Offload (LSO) and Checksum Offload (CO) columns indicate if the TOE, LSO, and/or the CO properties are supported (Y) or not supported (N) for the adapter. The TOE, LSO, and CO properties are enabled for a team only when all of the members support and are configured for the feature. If this is the case, then the team offload capabilities appear on the bottom of the screen.
b. Adding a network adapter to a team where its driver is disabled may negatively affect the offloading capabilities of the team. This may have an impact on the team's performance. Therefore, it is recommended that only driver-enabled network adapters be added as members to a team. ![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-4](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-4.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-4")
Picture-4 Assigning Team Member
7. If you want to designate one of the adapters as a standby member (optional), then click Use the following member as a standby member.
8. Select the standby member from the list of adapters.
9. The Auto-Fallback Disable mode feature allows the team to continue using the standby member rather than switching back to the primary member if the primary member comes back online. To enable this feature, click Enable Auto-Fallback Disable mode and then click Next.
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-5](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-5.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-5")
Picture-5 Assign Stand-by Member
10. If you want to configure LiveLink, click Yes and then click Next. If you do not want to configure LiveLink, click No, and click Next.
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-6](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-6.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-6")
Picture-6 Choose whether to configure LiveLink
11. Set the probe interval (the number of seconds between each retransmission of a link packet to the probe target) and the maximum number of probe retries (the number of consecutively missed responses from a probe target before a failover is triggered).
12. Set the Probe VLAN ID to allow for connectivity with probe targets residing on a tagged VLAN. The number set must match the VLAN ID of the probe targets as well as the port(s) on the switch to which the team is connected.
NOTE: 1. Each LiveLink enabled team can only communicate with Probe Targets on a single VLAN. Also, VLAN ID 0 is equivalent to an untagged network.
Click the probe target at the top of the list, click Edit Target IP Address, type the target IP address in the IP Address box for one or all probe targets, and then click OK. Click Next.
2. Only the first probe target is required. You can specify up to three additional probe targets to serve as backups by assigning IP addresses to the other probe targets. ![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-7](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-7.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-7")
Picture-7 Configure LiveLink
14. Click a listed team member, click Edit Member IP Address, and then type the member IP address in the IP Address box. Repeat for all listed team members and then click OK. Click Next.
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-8](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-8.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-8")
Picture-8 Configure LiveLink (IP Address)
15. If you want to create a VLAN on the team, click Yes and then click Next. If you do not want to create a VLAN to the team, click No, click Next, and continue with the wizard from the Finish screen (see Step 20. of this procedure).
VLANs enable you to add multiple virtual adapters that are on different subnets. The benefit of this is that your system can have one network adapter that can belong to multiple subnets.
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-9](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-9.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-9")
Picture-9 Choose whether you configure VLAN
16. Type the VLAN name and then click Next.
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-10](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-10.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-10")
Picture-10 configure VLAN
17. To tag the VLAN, click Tagged and then click Next. Otherwise, click Untagged, click Next, and continue with the wizard to add additional VLANs (see Step 19. of this procedure).
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-11](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-11.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-11")
Picture-11 configure VLAN (Cont.)
18. Type the VLAN tag value and then click Next. The value must be between 1 and 4094.
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-12](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-12.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-12")
Picture-12 configure VLAN (Cont.)
19. Click Yes to add another VLAN and then click Next. Repeat until you do not want to add any additional VLANs.
NOTE: You can define up to 64 VLANs per team (63 VLANs that are tagged and 1 VLAN that is not tagged). Adding several VLANS may slow down the reaction time of the Windows interface due to memory and processor time usage for each VLAN. The degree to which Windows performance may suffer depends on system configuration.
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-13](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-13.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-13")
Picture-13 configure VLAN (Cont.)
20. To apply and commit the changes to the team, click Commit changes and return to Broadcom Advanced Control Suite?2 and then click Finish.
21. To preview the changes to the team in Broadcom Advanced Control Suite 2, click Preview changes in Broadcom Advanced Control Suite?2 and then click Finish. The wizard exits and Broadcom Advanced Control Suite?2 opens. Click Apply to commit the changes or click Cancel to discard the changes.
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-14](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-14.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-14")
Picture-14 Commit Change and finish the Wizard
22. Click the team to view the team's statistics from the Statistics tab and the team properties from the Team Properties tab. Click the VLAN to view the properties of the VLAN from the Vital Signs tab and the VLAN statistics from the BASP Statistics tab.
![[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-15](/./images/stories/windows/[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-15.gif "[Network-Tutor]Complete-Guide-to-Teaming-with-BroadCom-Network-Adaptors-On-IBM-BladeCenter-Part-Two-15")
Picture-15 Verify the team's statistics