Multiple NIC on Home Server

[coops1992]

Hello,

So ive been looking around on the net and seen some builds where the server has multiple ethernet ports on it. Im currently running WHS2011 with on ethernet port.

What are the advantages of having the PC conected by more ethernets and how is it done.

Thanks
Coops1992

 

[KIA]

NIC Teaming.

 

[memyselfandi]

Hello,

So ive been looking around on the net and seen some builds where the server has multiple ethernet ports on it. Im currently running WHS2011 with on ethernet port.

What are the advantages of having the PC conected by more ethernets and how is it done.

Thanks
Coops1992

There are 3 main reasons to have multiple network cards in a server ...

- NIC teaming or bonding for performance ... i.e. both cards are simultaneously in use giving you double the bandwidth over a single card.
- NIC teaming or bonding for resiliency ... if one card, or remote switch port, fails the system will fail over all traffic to the second card thus maintaining access. Of course in this case you want the network ports to be on separate physical cards and even connected to separate physical switches to remove any single points of failure. (Frequently bonding for performance will give you this as well)
- Connecting the server to separate networks simultaneously. e.g. you may have a "production" interface and a "backup" interface so you can run network backups to another destination device without impacting the "production" network.

Note that the first two of these will require that the switch end of the connections also supports these types of connections.

In the vast majority of home environments these would be complete overkill.

 

[unleashed]

I don't think WHS 2011 supports dual NICs