NLB heartbeat clarification please.

Tech-Archive recommends: Speed Up your PC by fixing your registry

Hello,

I have done a lot of clustering with MSCS but nothing with the NLB protocol.
What strikes me the most when reading manuals, books and MS Technet articles
on this subject, is the confusion about what the NIC:s are for in each of
the servers.

Please clear the following out for me:

If I have two NIC:s in each of the two servers that are going to be used in
a NLB cluster, one adapter in each server is to be used as an
cluster-adapter (VIP).
The other adapter, on the other hand, I have found different explanations of
the usage.

One explanation is that it is a NIC on a private network where all the
heartbeat traffic is routed (just as in MSCS).
Explanation number two is that all the heartbeat traffic is going through
the cluster adapter (and not the private adapter at all) and that the
private adapter is a management adapter of which you can manage the nodes
via NLB Manager.

MS is also recommending not to use a crossover cable between the two servers
since the private adapters need to know about the traffic on the public
network.
Confusion !

This needs a clarification. Please be specific on how to set the NIC:s up
and what they are really for.

Regards

Johnny Lundgren


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: NLBS in VLANs environment
    ... VLAN1 Adapter: 192.168.0.1 ... What I'm trying to set up is NLBS cluster with IP 10.0.0.10 on VLAN2. ... problem is that after enabling NLBS on server 1 "VLAN2 Adapter" I lose ... The IP and MAC are the new NLB one, ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.clustering)
  • Re: Install
    ... Cluster Operation Mode: Multicast with IGMP ... Onboard Adapter ... - NLB is enabled on this adapter ... PCI Adapter ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.clustering)
  • NLB Multicast Cluster problem for 2003 Server
    ... Adapter with NDIS driver installed. ... Other with Intel Pro 100. ... cluster of 2 nodes and access the IIS pages from a third client. ... We are new to NLB clustering but we believe that the configurations are OK ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.clustering)
  • NLB Multiple adapter setup questions
    ... I am trying to set up NLB on W2K3 and would like to know ... Cluster Operation Mode: Multicast with IGMP ... Onboard Adapter ... PCI Adapter ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.clustering)
  • Re: NLB Terminal Services Cluster Configuration (Server 2003)
    ... instructions are for GSX 3 but it works with the free VMWare Virtual Server. ... each assigned a unique IP, thus allowing me to bypass the cluster IP, ... one adapter needs dedicated to NLB activity using ... of the one of the network adapters and adding another IP under ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.clustering)