Ethernet NIC load balancing

crazyswede · 4 Apr 2010 at 09:54

I need some guidance setting up ethernet NIC load balancing on 3 Dell servers. Each server has 4 NICs which I want to use for load balancing and these are connected to Dell Layer 3 switches (PowerConnect 6248 x2 (Stacked)). Can you guys please give me some pointers so I can get started. It's probably very easy and obvious but it's new for me

J.B · 4 Apr 2010 at 17:17

What services are you load balancing? Whats running on the servers? OS etc.

crazyswede · 4 Apr 2010 at 18:33

1 x Windows Small Business Server 2008 - Exchange and the normal user stuff
2 x Windows Storage Server 2008 - Heavy file sharing. For these two the load balancing is going to be the most important.

crazyswede · 4 Apr 2010 at 21:31

Maybe I was not being very clear, which I probably was not

I just want to use all the 4 NICs on the server so that the traffic is split between the switch and the server to increase the bandwidth.

paradigm · 4 Apr 2010 at 21:48

What NICs are they?

Typically its a case of creating a NIC team in windows and creating a group of trunked ports using 802.1ad link aggregation.

I have no knowledge of the switches in question though.

crazyswede · 4 Apr 2010 at 21:57

I don't know the model numbers as I am at home at the moment (Will be in again tomorrow). I think the NICs are by Broadcom and the switch looks like a relabeled Broadcom switch as it has a Broadcom sticker underneath.

The teaming and aggregation gives me something to start to look at.. thanks.