rx3600 Itanium NIC card

[Michelle_68]

We have an rx3600 server running OpenVMS 8.3. The NIC card that came with the machine is a dual port PCI-X2-Port Gbe core card (10/100/1000)AB352-60003. Our question is, can you connect each port to a separate network and can you run each port at a different speed?

[marsh_1]

michelle,

short answer is yes to both questions.

[Hoff]

It's not particularly unusual to see five or six GbE NICs or NIC ports hanging off a single box these days, and the 10 GbE NICs are becoming more common.

And the next question you'll probably encounter after you realize that the NICs are independent is around routing; you need to be careful with how IP routing works, and how IP routing doesn't work, and how your particular NIC(s) are connected to the subnets and LANs. This is generic IP stuff, when one host has multiple NICs.

And for completeness, if DECnet Phase IV routing (or DECnet-Plus with Phase IV routing) is in use on multiple NICs, the LANs must not be bridged nor VLAN'd together.

[Michelle_68]

If you want each of the ports to be a separate network, I am not sure how to configure the IP addresses and line names in TCPWARE.

[Hoff]

I'd suggest the TCPware manuals here. Knowing the Process Software folks, configuring a box with multiple NICs should be easy, and their documentation is reasonable.

Where things get slightly interesting is with IP and multiple NICs in general, and with the designated router. For that, you need your local IP networking folks to provide you with some assistance; that is usually a set of addresses and subnets, and the IP of the designated router. They usually know which VLANs or subnets you should be on.

For the simplest (if you're managing a small LAN) case where you just need to get the box going, you can leave one unplugged, with the configuration on that port disabled, and run with one adapter.

[Richard Whalen]

The lines probably show up as EWA0 and EWB0, for TCPware use the names EWA-0 and EWA-1.

[Michelle_68]

Ok....We had much success last night. Now that each port on the dual port NIC is configured correctly, we are running separate networks off of each port and at different speeds. Thank you for your help.