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.

OS/2

Note: The OS/2 operating system does not support hot-plug operations.

1.  Add the redundant NIC adapter according to the  instructions provided with the adapter and in
   •  for Netfinity 5500 see > 'Adapters'.
   •  for Netfinity 5600 see > 'Working with Adapters'.

2.  Use the ServerGuide CDs 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.
   •  For Netfinity 5500 refer to 'System Board Component Locations' for the locations  and slot numbers of the PCI slots.
      The integrated controller is located in slot E.
   •  For Netfinity 5600 refer to 'System Board Component Locations' for the locations  and slot numbers of the PCI slots.
      The integrated controller is located in slot 2 (PCI bus A slot 2).

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.

Windows NT Server Hot-plug Setup

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

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

Enter the brand type of Server, click on Downloadable files and look for Hot Plug.
The IBM Netfinity 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 the Netfinity 5600 - Type 8664 computer is DMI compliant.
Download and install the following software in the order listed:

1.  IBM Failover DMI Agent
2.  IBM PCI Hot Plug Solution
3.  IBM Netfinity 10/100 Fault Tolerant Adapter device drivers

To install the IBM Failover DMI Agent:

1.  Download the DMI EXE file from the Netfinity Support web page and extract the files onto a diskette.
2.  Insert the diskette into the diskette drive.
3.  From the Start menu, select the Run option.
4.  Type A:\SETUP.EXE in the Open box.
5.  Click Ok - The setup wizard opens.
6.  Follow the instructions given by the setup wizard until the program is installed.
7.  Restart the server.

To install the IBM PCI Hot Plug Solution package:
See > IBM PCI Hot Plug Service - Userr Guide'

1.  Download the IBM PCI Hot Plug Services EXE file from the Netfinity Support web page and extract the files onto a diskette.
2.  Log on to Windows NT Server as a user in the Administrator group.
3.  Insert the diskette into the diskette drive.
4.  From the Start menu, select the Run option.
5.  Type A:\SETUP.EXE in the Open box.
6.  Click OK. - The Setup wizard opens.
7.  Follow the instructions given by the setup wizard until the program is installed.

Windows NT Server failover setup: To install the IBM Netfinity 10/100 Fault Tolerant Adapter device drivers:

1.  Add the redundant NIC adapter according to the instructions provided with the adapter and in
   •  for Netfinity 5500 see > 'Adapters'.
   •  for Netfinity 5600 see > 'Working with Adapters'.

2.  Use the ServerGuide CDs to install the AMD PCNet Ethernet Family adapter device driver.
    (Refer to the 'ServerGuide and Netfinity Manager Information' section of this Server Library.)
3.  Do not select the Grouping box at this point; you must first restart the machine.
4.  From the Windows NT Server desktop, select Control Panel, then select the Network icon, then select the Adapters tab.
5.  Highlight one of the adapters that will be in the redundant pair and then click the Properties... button.
6.  Check the Grouping box. This will show the possible combinations for redundant pairs.
7.  Select the adapter pair you want and then select OK.
    For Netfinity 5600 - Type 8664 - Note that the integrated Ethernet controller is located at PCI bus A, slot 2 (bus 0, slot 2).

    Two options are available for recovering from a failover condition.
    The options are determined by the Enable for DMI / Hot Swap Support checkbox.
    If the IBM Netfinity Hot Plug PCI for Windows NT Server 4.0 package is installed, this checkbox will appear at  the bottom of the Adapter Properties panel.
    If you do not have the IBM Netfinity Hot Plug PCI for Windows NT Server 4.0 package installed on the server, you  will not see the Enable for DMI / Hot Swap Support checkbox.

    If the Enable for DMI / Hot Swap Support checkbox is not checked or is not present, traffic will automatically  switch back to the primary adapter when the primary link status is restored.  In this mode, the adapter cannot be hot-swapped.
    Users with the IBM Netfinity Hot Plug PCI for Windows NT Server 4.0 package  installed should check the Enable for DMI / Hot Swap Support checkbox.

    If the Enable for DMI / Hot Swap Support checkbox is checked, traffic will remain on the secondary  adapter until the user directs it to return to the primary adapter.  This can be done after the hot-swap replacement of the primary adapter or by using the DMI interface.

8.  Select Close to exit from the Network setup.
    When you restart the server, the failover function will be in effect.

IntraNetware

1.  Add the redundant NIC adapter according to the  instructions provided with the adapter and in
   •  for Netfinity 5500 see > 'Adapters'.
   •  for Netfinity 5600 see > 'Working with 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.

•  A message is generated to the operating system console.
•  The custom counters for the device driver contains  variables that define the state of the failover function
   and the location of the redundant pair.  You can use the Netware Monitor to view the custom counters.

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