Best config for backup throughput?

[Paul_637]

Given a cClass enclosure with Bl460's (with 4 total NICs), 4 x VC-Enet & 4 x Cisco 3750 switches (cascaded), what's the best way to create a VNet for optimum *inbound* traffic?

I've gone through the VC Cookbook and know that setting up a team with TLB will give maximum *outbound* throughput but I'd like to optimise throughput for the backup server, currently backing up from FC-AL to FATA drives on an EVA4000 (via VC-FC).

I'm not looking to achieve anything earth-shattering, I just know the current setup is somewhat sub-optimal as, for a start, they've only configured one NIC as a backup NIC and disabled the 4th NIC (?!?). So, given that there's no redundancy configured for the backup network anyway, I was wondering if it was worth trying to go for SLB networking.

Only half of the VC-Enet ports have been cabled up as well - this is a historical environment I've recently come into, having previously set up a VMWare infrastructure on similar kit (480's rather than 460's).

Any suggestions/pointers appreciated...

Paul

[Adrian Clint]

Paul,

What do the 4 NICs do?
All teamed as one?
Backup NIC?
Cluster heartbeat NIC?

[Paul_637]

Sorry, should have provided that basic info!

On the backup server it's just a pair of teamed NICs for the LAN, a single backup NIC and a disabled NIC (hence my thoughts of teaming backup NIC in best way for throughput).

The VNet it's connecected to is also configured as a sincle VNet with ports from two VC-Enet modules assigned to it (so active/standby) which further reduces throughput possibilities as I understand it.

We do have clusters as well which are in a config of Teamed pair (Public) single NIC (private) Single NIC (backup). Increasing outbound speeds from this backup network wouldn't be worthwhile without increasing inbound throughput to the backup server so I'm not worried about these ATM. Multiple servers (with single NICs) backing up to a single server with teamed (inbound) NICs would be an improvement in itself.

Thanks for prompt response.

[Adrian Clint]

And one I forgot to ask.
Is the backup server backing up just the blades or is there a lot of other clients external to the blade enclosure to backup?

[Paul_637]

Just the blades, although there is another enclosure in the same rack which only contains low-volume servers (DC's web-servers etc.). Main F&P/DB/Exchange etc. are in same enclosure as Backup server.