IBM 8682 - Eserver xSeries 350 Hardware Maintenance Manual Download

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all Ethernet traffic associated with it is switched to the redundant (secondary)
controller. If the appropriate device drivers are installed, this switching occurs
without any user intervention. When the primary link is restored to an operational
state, the Ethernet traffic switches back to the primary Ethernet controller. The
switch back to the primary Ethernet controller can be automatic or manually
controlled, depending on the setup and operating system.

Note that only one controller in the redundant pair is active at any given time. For
example, if the primary Ethernet controller is active, then the secondary Ethernet
controller cannot be used for any other network operation.

Note: Your operating system determines the maximum number of IBM 10/100 Fault

Tolerant Adapters that you can install in the server. See the documentation
that comes with the adapter for more information.

Considerations when combining failover and hot-plug functions: If your
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 switch automatically to the secondary Ethernet controller. This can be very
useful if a faulty adapter causes a network problem, or if you want to upgrade the
primary adapter hardware.

Note: If you hot-replace the primary adapter while the Ethernet traffic is 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. See “Configuring for failover”..

Configuring for failover: The failover feature currently is supported by Windows
NT Server and IntraNetWare. The setup required for each operating system follows.

Windows NT Server:

IBM offers hot-plug support for Windows NT Server Version 4.0. Failover can work
in conjunction with hot-plug support or independently. If you are not using hot-plug
support, go to “Windows NT Server failover setup” on page 85

Windows NT Server hot-plug setup:

IBM Hot Plug PCI for Windows NT Server 4.0 package is available for download
from the IBM Web site at:

http://www.pc.ibm.com/support

Enter the brand type of Server, click on Downloadable files and look for Hot Plug.
The IBM Hot Plug PCI for Windows NT Server 4.0 package uses the Intel Desktop
Management Interface (DMI) to control hot-plug support for the Ethernet controllers.
The Ethernet controller in your computer is DMI compliant. Download and install the
following software in the order listed:
1. IBM PCI Hotplug for Windows NT 4.0 Failover DMI Agent
2. IBM PCI Hotplug for Windows NT 4.0 Solution
3. IBM 10/100 Fault Tolerant Adapter device drivers

Note: The order of installation is important. You must install the IBM Hot Plug for

Windows NT Server 4.0 package before you install the IBM 10/100 Fault
Tolerant Adapter driver. If you install the adapter device driver before the PCI

IBM xSeries 350 Type 8682: Hardware Maintenance Manual