Boost Reliability with Ethernet Bonding and Linux - Page 2

By  Carla Schroder | Aug 27, 2007
Page 2 of 2   |  Back to Page 1
Print ArticleEmail Article
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn

Starting Everything At Boot

To load the module with the options you want at boot, edit /etc/modprobe.d/arch/i386 and add these lines. Ignore any documentation that tells you to use a different file because that is wrong:

alias bond0 bonding
options bond0 mode=balance-alb miimon=100

Then enshrine your settings in /etc/network/interfaces, using your own addresses of course: 

auto bond0
iface bond0 inet static
        address 192.168.1.101
        netmask 255.255.255.0
        network 192.168.1.0
        broadcast 192.168.1.255
        gateway 192.168.1.50
        up /sbin/ifenslave bond0 eth0 eth1
        down ifenslave -d bond0 eth0 eth1

bond0 Status

Take a look at the contents of /proc/net/bonding/bond0 to see how your new interface is faring:

$ /proc/net/bonding/bond0
Ethernet Channel Bonding Driver: v3.1.1 (September 26, 2006)

Bonding Mode: adaptive load balancing
Primary Slave: eth0
Currently Active Slave: eth1
MII Status: up
[...]

Now what? In the second part you'll learn some additional configuration options for different roles such as round-robin or failure-only, how to configure bonding on Fedora, some tips on network topology, and how to troubleshoot problems.

Resources

cschroder@internet.com

Comment and Contribute
(Maximum characters: 1200). You have
characters left.
Get the Latest Scoop with Enterprise Networking Planet Newsletter
Helpful Links

  • Yankee Group Mobile WAN Optimization Report

    Mobile work continues to evolve. Your organization must keep up with the demands of its mobile workforce. This report introduces the concept of mobile WAN optimization and provides three case studies including RCM, PRTM and Einstein that highlight how this emerging technology can help IT departments achieve what previously appeared to be conflicting goals. Read >

  • Network Security Resources

    More threats than ever before pose a danger to today's enterprise network. Get the latest tips and intel on the newest risks in our guide to network security resources. Read >

  • Extreme Savings: Cutting Costs with WAN Optimization

    Did you know it's possible to cut IT costs without impacting day-to-day IT operations? In fact, when you download this whitepaper from Riverbed on cost-savings through WAN optimization, you'll discover how businesses of all different sizes have realized a return on investment in just a few months through significant hard cost savings in areas such as bandwidth reduction and IT consolidation. It's called Extreme Savings and its only from Riverbed. Read >