topic Re: Quad port NIC with HA VIF - port usage rules in Network and Storage Protocols

Quad port NIC with HA VIF - port usage rules

BrendonHiggins — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 07:09:00 GMT

As part of a migration to NFS datastores from VMFS and FCP LUNs, I am designing my new LAN configuration. I have selected the cross-switch Etherchannel design recommend in the best practice doc which requires only 2 NIC ports from the quad port NICs I have purchased for this project. The quad port FCP HBAs we use have ports paired on the same ASIC chip so that so that A & C must be used to ensure no single point of failure. I have been looking for a similar rule on the quad port NIC cards but can not see anything in the documentation.

http://now.netapp.com/NOW/knowledge/docs/hardware/filer/210-01171+B0.pdf

Are all the ports on the X1049A-R6 independent of each other or should I select ports A & C for my NFS multi mode VIF design?

Thanks

Bren

Re: Quad port NIC with HA VIF - port usage rules

radek_kubka — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:14:23 GMT

Hi Bren,

Good to see you around!

There is a good thread about this topic, but it's in the Sales Engineering space (not accessible for end-users - don't shoot the messenger ). The very informative bottom line from Steve Botkin is below though:

Systems with only two onboard ports share a single Ethernet chip.
Systems with four onboard ports are split across two separate Ethernet chip sets internal to the controller.
The QUAD Ethernet port ADD-IN cards all share a single Ethernet chip.
If an Ethernet chip used in a controller or a NIC card ever fails then a controller failover will occur so splitting access across chips is not necessary.
Ethernet chip sets used can run at full bandwidth for all of the ports using those chips.

All the best,

Radek

Re: Quad port NIC with HA VIF - port usage rules

BrendonHiggins — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 08:20:01 GMT

It has been crazy busy with family stuff and projects at work. Thanks again for the help.

Bren