Port Bonding Question

[Savage1701]

Here is my question - I have a small home gigabit netowrk with several computers, an ISP via a router, etc. All run XP Pro. I would like to know if I can do the following: Set up a second network using a dual-port NIC, port bond the NIC's, add a second link-aggregation capable switch, and connect that switch between the computer and another computer dedicated to file storage, also with a port-bonded NIC, to increase my throughput between them, and map the drives on the computer that is dedicated to file storage. However, I also want to be able to access my other home networked computers and internet from that first computer with its original built-in NIC. Can this be done? And please, respectfully, if your only reply is "get Linux" or "Why would you want to do that", don't bother, ok? I only want to know if it can be done, and how. Thanks.

 

[DelJo63]

port-bonding? new term to me.
Normally we BIND to an interface, but not at the PORT level.

see https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic107628.html#2
for aggregating NIC bandwidth

 

[tipstir]

Here is my question - I have a small home gigabit netowrk with several computers, an ISP via a router, etc. All run XP Pro. I would like to know if I can do the following: Set up a second network using a dual-port NIC, port bond the NIC's, add a second link-aggregation capable switch, and connect that switch between the computer and another computer dedicated to file storage, also with a port-bonded NIC, to increase my throughput between them, and map the drives on the computer that is dedicated to file storage. However, I also want to be able to access my other home networked computers and internet from that first computer with its original built-in NIC. Can this be done? And please, respectfully, if your only reply is "get Linux" or "Why would you want to do that", don't bother, ok? I only want to know if it can be done, and how. Thanks.

Yes it can be done, but you have already reason out the task in your question above. Give it try.VLAN would come into play with the second trunk connection.Are you going to tap into the same router? I am too not a huge find of the Linux solution with Windows. Look nice on paper but in the real world issues. The handshaking process is weak.

 

[Savage1701]

jobeard - it is a colloquial term, if imprecise. Obviously, you knew that, or you would not have known what to refer me to, although I was not, like most, looking to double my download speed by "shotgunning" 2 ISP's together. Let me be AS SPECIFIC as I can for you - I wish to implement IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation between 2 computers using 2 NICs on each one for the purpose of increasing file transfer speed. I do not care about redundancy, or fail-over or any of that. I wish to run the Link Aggregated signal through a IEEE 802.3ad compliant switch, for the sole purpose of increasing the throughput bwtween the 2 computers. But, I also wish to keep the client able to use my other home network that has my other peer-netwtorked computers and router/ISP on it. So, in short, I guess my question is, can one have more than one workgroup active at the same time on an XP Pro machine? I suppose I could use iSCSI software between the server and client and that would obviate the need for another workgroup name, but I would still need the 802.3ad capable NIC's and another switch, since aggregation tends to burn huge numbers of ports and switch capacity. Don't talk down to me jo, especially when it was obvious you knew what I was talking about. Google the term. It appears as a colloquial definition of Link Aggregation. And yes, I do know "we BIND" to an interface. And by the way, your smugness got in the way of my question. I never once mentioned ISP's or doubling my download speed.

 

[DelJo63]

jobeard - it is a colloquial term, if imprecise. Obviously, you knew that, or you would not have known what to refer me to, although I was not, like most, looking to double my download speed by "shotgunning" 2 ISP's together.

that was not obvious at least to me -- looked far more like the reference I cited

Let me be AS SPECIFIC as I can for you - I wish to implement IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation between 2 computers using 2 NICs on each one for the purpose of increasing file transfer speed.

that would have been helpful in the initial posting

Don't talk down to me jo, especially when it was obvious you knew what I was talking about. Google the term. It appears as a colloquial definition of Link Aggregation. And yes, I do know "we BIND" to an interface. And by the way, your smugness got in the way of my question. I never once mentioned ISP's or doubling my download speed.

ouch! Sorry to have offended you -- NO your intent was not clear and yes I will follow-up on 802.3ad; that's interesting

go in peace.

 

[DelJo63]

a reasonable description is found at this Wiki

and the common colloquialisms seems to be

"Ethernet trunk", "NIC teaming", "port teaming", "port trunking", "EtherChannel", "Multi-Link Trunking (MLT)", "DMLT", "SMLT", "DSMLT", "R-SMLT", "NIC bonding",​

to a software engineer (me), PORT refers to a socket on an interface.

clearly, the hardware boys use port to refer to a connection slot on a switch or router.

beleive it or not, the Internet and its tools/technologies are too big for anyone person
to be conversant with all of it and most of us have very different backgrounds and experiences.

again, sorry to have pushed your button(s)

 

[DelJo63]

common misconceptions on nic teaming

btw: this is interesting