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Special Considerations when Combining Failover and Hot-Plug Functions



Special Considerations When Combining Failover and Hot-Plug Functions

If the operating system supports hot-plug PCI adapters and the optional redundant NIC adapter is installed in a hot-plug PCI slot, you can replace the NIC adapter without powering off the server --- even if it is the primary Ethernet controller. Disconnecting the Ethernet cable from the primary Ethernet controller will cause the Ethernet traffic to be automatically switched to the secondary Ethernet controller. This can be very useful when a network problem is caused by faulty adapter hardware or when you want to upgrade the primary adapter hardware.

Configuring for Failover: The failover feature currently is supported by OS/2, Windows NT, and IntraNetware. The setup required for each operating system follows.
  1.  Add the redundant NIC adapter according to the  instructions provided with the adapter and in 'Adapters'.
  2.  Use ServerGuide to install the AMD PCNet Ethernet  Family adapter device driver.
  3.  Using the MPTS utility program, select the driver from  the list and select the Edit button.

    Note:  Only one driver instance needs to be loaded for  each redundant pair of Ethernet controllers.

  4.  Change the PermaNet Server Feature keyword to  True and specify the Primary and Standby slots that  contain the redundant pair.  Refer to 'System Board Component Locations' for the locations  and slot numbers of the PCI slots. The integrated controller is located in slot E.
  5.  To enable the writing of messages to the  IBMCOM\LANTRAN.LOG file when a failover occurs:

    1.  Copy the file PCNETOS2.EXE from the root  directory of the diskette created by ServerGuide  to the hard disk drive.
    2.  Add the following statement to the CONFIG.SYS file:
       Run=d:\path\PCNETOS2.EXE
       where d and path are the drive and path to which you copied PCNETOS2.EXE.

  6.  Restart the server.


The failover function is now enabled.


Windows NT

  1.  Add the redundant NIC adapter according to the  instructions provided with the adapter and in 'Adapters'.
  2.  Use ServerGuide to install the AMD PCNet Ethernet  Family adapter device driver.
  3.  From the NT desktop, select Control Panel, then  select the Network icon, then the Adapters tab.
  4.  Highlight one of the adapters that will be in the  redundant pair and then select the Properties...  button.
  5.  Check the Grouping box. This will show the possible  combinations for redundant pairs.
  6.  Select the adapter pair you want and then select OK.  Note that the integrated Ethernet controller is located  at PCI bus 0, slot 14.
  7.  Select Close to exit from the Network setup.
     When you restart the server, the failover function will be in effect.


If a failover occurs, a message is written to the NT Event Viewer log. If the DMI instrumentation code for the integrated Ethernet controller is active (PCNET.EXE was run), a popup message is generated also.


IntraNetware

  1.  Add the redundant NIC adapter according to the  instructions provided with the adapter and in 'Adapters'.
  2.  Load the device driver by using the following command:

      LOAD d:\path\PCNTNW.LAN PRIMARY=x SECONDARY=y

     where d and path are the drive and path where the  driver is located, and x and y are the PCI slot  numbers where the redundant pair is located.

     The slot number associated with the integrated  Ethernet controller can vary depending upon the  configuration of the server. To determine the slot  number, load the driver with no parameters. The  driver will display the available slot numbers. The slot  number that is greater that 10000 will be the slot  number of integrated Ethernet controller. When the  slot number of the integrated Ethernet controller is  determined, reload the driver with the appropriate parameters.

  3.  When the driver is loaded, bind it to a protocol stack.


The failover function is now enabled. If a failover occurs:


Note: If the primary adapter was hot-replaced while the Ethernet traffic was being handled by the secondary Ethernet controller, the traffic does not automatically switch back to the primary adapter when the primary adapter comes back online. In this case, issue the command:

LOAD d:\path\PCNTNW SCAN

where d and path are the drive and path where the driver is located. This command causes the device driver to locate the primary adapter and switch the Ethernet traffic to it.

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