Windows Server LBFO with Cisco IOS

LBFO with Cisco KB ID 0001931

Problem: LBFO with Cisco

In Windows LBFO (Load Balancing Fail Over), commonly referred to as Teaming, is a method of combining multiple physical* NICs into one logical NIC (Team). 

*Note: It is possible to team virtual NICS in a VM, but redundancy and failover in a hypervisor environment are usually handled by virtual switches.

Solution

Common Sense Check and Tech Tips

1. Remember, if you are not at the same location as the server you are working on, have an iLO/iDRAC/IMM connection so you can still manage it if the networking ‘falls over’.
2. I like to SSH into the switches, then disable/enable the network connections in Windows. I can then be 100% sure what interface I’m working with. (You may need to issue a terminal monitor command to see these notifications.

Teaming is enabled in Server Manager, select Local Server > NIC Teaming, (click disabled, to enable!)

The teaming window will open; select the NICs you want to Team > Tasks (the one on the right) > Add to New Team.

Note: If the NIC you want to add is missing, make sure it’s not connected to a Hyper-V virtual switch (there’s an hour I’ll never get back).

This is the default setting, as the name implies, Switch independent is probably what most of you will select, particularly those who don’t like touching switches/networking! As long as your ports are access ports in the same VLAN (Cisco), or untagged in the same VLAN (other vendors), it will work.

The next two options are why we are here. The first one is Static Teaming, which is essentially just using LAG.

conf t
interface range GigabitEthernet1/0/2, GigabitEthernet1/0/23
 description Uplink to PNL-MGMT
 switchport access vlan 100
 switchport mode access
 channel-group 1 mode on
exit

interface Port-channel1
 switchport
 switchport mode access
 switchport access vlan 100
 description EtherChannel to PNL-MGMT (Static Teaming)
exit

The final option is LACP, the switch config is subtly different.

conf t
interface range GigabitEthernet1/0/2, GigabitEthernet1/0/23
 description Uplink to PNL-MGMT
 switchport access vlan 100
 switchport mode access
 channel-group 1 mode active
exit

interface Port-channel1
 switchport
 switchport mode access
 switchport access vlan 100
 description EtherChannel to PNL-MGMT (LACP)

Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)