4 Server: NetWare NFT v1.1 NetWare* 4.1X Network Fault Tolerance Driver Installation Notes for Compaq 10/100 Controller and the NC3121 Fast Ethernet NIC =================================================================== Location of driver: \NWSERVER\NFT.NLM NOTE: NFT is supported on NetWare 4.10 and 4.11 only. Overview -------- Network Fault Tolerance provides controller redundancy for two Compaq 10/100 PCI controllers or two NC3121 Fast Ethernet NICs, or one of each. The controllers must be configured in a team. When configured, one controller becomes a primary and the other is the secondary controller. If the primary loses communication with the hub/switch, the secondary automatically takes over. The secondary controller will take over for such reasons as cable connection problems, switch or hub port failure or controller failure. For more information on Network Fault Tolerance, see the NFT.TXT readme file. ********************************************************************** ;- Example: With Network Fault Tolerance ********************************************************************** ;- Load Network Fault Tolerance (AUTOEXEC.NCF) load NFT ;- Load LAN Driver on 1st controller (AUTOEXEC.NCF) load n100 slot=4 frame=ethernet_802.2 name=pri_802.2 load n100 slot=4 frame=ethernet_802.3 name=pri_802.3 load n100 slot=4 frame=ethernet_snap name=pri_snap load n100 slot=4 frame=ethernet_ii name=pri_ii ;- Load LAN Driver on 2nd controller load n100 slot=5 frame=ethernet_802.2 name=sec_802.2 load n100 slot=5 frame=ethernet_802.3 name=sec_802.3 load n100 slot=5 frame=ethernet_snap name=sec_snap load n100 slot=5 frame=ethernet_ii name=sec_ii ;- Bind ipx to 1st controller bind ipx pri_802.2 net=2 bind ipx pri_802.3 net=3 bind ipx pri_snap net=5 bind ipx pri_ii net=11 ;-Set the 2nd controller to be a Fault Tolerance Partner with to the 1st NFT bind 4 5 Additional Information Following are some commands that can be helpful in configuring or troubleshooting Network Fault Tolerance. Command: NFT BIND Description: Used for creating Network Fault Tolerance group by specifying slot numbers of primary and secondary NICs. Format: NFT BIND PrimarySlotNo SecondarySlotNo Example: NFT BIND 4 5 Error Conditions: If you receive the error message: "Failed to create NFT group. Make sure that the drivers for supported controllers are loaded, primary controller is bound to protocols and secondary controller is not bound to any protocols." Check the following: 1. The slot number is valid for the primary and secondary controller. 2. The primary controller has a protocol stack bound to it. 3. The secondary controller is not bound to a protocol stack. 4. NFT is not being bound to an unsupported controller. Command: NFT NAMEBIND Description: Used for creating a Network Fault Tolerance group by specifying logical names associated with primary and secondary NICs. Format: NFT NAMEBIND PrimaryLName SecondaryLname Example: NFT NAMEBIND primary_8022 secondary_8022 Error Conditions: If you receive the error message: "Failed to create NFT group. Make sure that the drivers for supported controllers are loaded, primary controller is bound to protocols and secondary controller is not bound to any protocols." Check the following: 1. The specified board name is valid. 2. The primary controller has a protocol stack bound to it. 3. The secondary controller is not bound to a protocol stack. 4. NFT is not being bound to an unsupported controller. Command: NFT UNBIND Description: Used for deleting a Network Fault Tolerance group from the list. To delete a group, user has to specify the slot number associated with primary controller. The group gets deleted automatically if LAN driver for that group is unloaded. Format: NFT UNBIND PrimarySlotNo Example: NFT UNBIND 4 Command: NFT RESET SLOT Description: Used for issuing a hardware reset to the slot in the system. This command is particularly useful after a transceiver failure has happened and the user is trying to correct the problem. If the fault was on the TPE cable, then NFT will detect the link as soon as the cable is plugged in again. No reset command is required. If the fault involved a MII transceiver that has failed or was disconnected, transceivers that support hot-swapping can be replaced and returned to service without downing the server. If this is done, the card must be reset before NFT will add it back in to the group. Format: NFT RESET SLOT SlotNumber Example: NFT RESET SLOT 4 Command: NFT LINK TIMEOUT Description: Used for setting the link timeout value. During the binding process, NFT does a network topology test for short period of time before creating an Network Fault Tolerance group. This test ensures that both cards are connected to the same network segment, and that they can properly transfer data. The default value for this parameter is 5 seconds. When using NFT with certain Fast Ethernet switches, NFT may fail to create the group within the five second timeout. In this case, the timeout should be extended to allow the switch to begin passing traffic. The recommended value is 40 seconds for Catalyst 5000* and other Cisco* switches. This command must be issued before the NFT BIND command. Format: NFT LINK TIMEOUT TimeoutValue Example: NFT LINK TIMEOUT 40 Command: NFT STATUS Description: Displays current status of Network Fault Tolerance Groups. Format: NFT STATUS Example: NFT STATUS * Third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.