Splitting LAN traffic over multiple NICs

[stockhausen]

Off the wall question but please consider the following simple (imaginary / theoretical) scenario.

• One server with a four port Gigabit NIC
• Two workstations, each with a two port Gigabit NIC
• RJ45 crossover cables from each workstation NIC port to a port on the server NIC (therefore two connections each)

• How would (could) one set this up effectively to double the file transfer rate between the workstations and the server?
• Could one add more four port Gigabit NICs to the server and further workstations?
• I am working on the assumption that using a single multi-port Gigabit switch would not extend in quite the same way?

As I say, this is a theoretical question, I believe that it used to be called link aggregation in the days of 10 Mbit/s NICs and wondered if it still applied and was in use today

 

[Laser402]

Link aggregation, etherchannel (cisco) are still very much used, each of our servers has 2 1Gbps links which have been 'Teamed' into a 2Gbps link. You wont get exactly double the bandwidth but it helps, plus if 1 link dies, the other is already up.

having said this i have never tried this Client to server directly, just Server to Switch.