Intel has one of the cleanest and easiest interfaces for setting up and changing teams and is also the only hardware vendor to support IPsec off-loading to the card, which reduces CPU overhead if you are using encryption. The load-balancing software requires a good deal of CPU time, and reducing IPsec overhead helps compensate for this.
The automated creation script, which asks a few questions and then does the configuration for you, greatly simplifies setup -- even an MCSE could handle configuring the Intel Pro/100 software. The real challenge is getting the modules installed into the kernel. Nevertheless, you don't need to be a Unix guru to figure this out, and we were able to get it installed without a call to technical support.
Microsoft Windows users get a better deal on the interface, with the ability to see in one window all the adapters and teams in the system and get stats for each adapter as well. It's possible to view event-log messages for each card, so you can see when and how often each has failed. However, unlike IP Metrics' solution, there's no way to see statistics across the entire team. The Pro/100 software detects failures by listening for the card to report a link down. It also includes an "identify adapter" option, which will blink the LEDs on the selected network card for five to 120 seconds. This is very helpful when you have in the machine four cards, one of which is causing bad packets, and you can't remember which one is which because someone (not you, of course) forgot to label them.
In addition, Intel is the only manufacturer in our roundup to support Linux. We discovered something with Linux in this review: If you have a multiprocessor system, upgrade to kernel 2.4. While there is a 2.2-SMP kernel, performance under it was extremely poor. Kernel 2.4 has much better multiprocessor support. You don't have a distribution with the 2.4 kernel? This is Linux, after all: Just FTP to ftp.kernel.org and compile. Keep in mind, however, that Intel's load-balancing software does not support 802.3ad mode for incoming load-balancing under Linux but does support FEC. Likewise, the Intel Pro/100 provides only a text-based interface, and switching among groups is difficult.
Intel Pro/100 S Server Adapter with Advanced Network Services, $119. Available: Now. Intel Corp., (800) 538-3373, (503) 264-7354. www.intel.com/network/products/adapters_landing.htm
Adaptec DuraLAN Quartet64 with Duralink64
The final product we tested was a quad-port card, Adaptec's Quartet64. Although any quad-port card is the ultimate PCI slot saver, it is also a single point of failure. Nevertheless, under Windows 2000, the Quartet64 performed quite well. It achieved the highest downloading throughput rate, but because there is no switch-independent incoming load-balancing, it didn't do as well in the bidirectional test. This product supports Windows and NetWare, and Linux drivers are available (though not from Adaptec -- just download the GNU General Public Licensed Starfire driver from www.scyld.com/network/ethercard.html). However, once again, there are no load-balancing drivers available for Linux.
Under Windows 2000, the Quartet64's user interface is disappointing: Determining which adapter belonged to which group is difficult. We had to open each adapter from the network-settings window and individually assign adapters to a group, and there is no way to see the nature of the groups. We had to resort to writing the info down on paper (unfortunately, we then set our coffee mugs on the paper, and, well, you get the picture).
We also couldn't access group transmission statistics. On the bright side, the card's NetWare drivers include a monitoring application, whereas the other vendors offer no NetWare indicators. The Quartet64's Duralink software provides a view of which adapters are up, current throughput rates and what percentage of traffic is going across which adapters -- for example, "30 percent going through adapter 1, 70 percent through adapter 2." The NetWare configuration program also shows the teams' configuration and network settings.
Adaptec should port this program over to Microsoft Windows, as under Windows you can't see which adapters have failed. Windows 2000 now shows downed adapters in the system tray, but that's the extent of Win2000 reporting. It would be convenient to see which team the adapter belongs to and which cards are taking over the adapter's load. Down links are identified by the card sending a line-down interrupt, so logical breaks, such as routing issues, are not identified.
DuraLAN Quartet64 with Duralink64, $695. Available: Now. Adaptec, (408) 945-8600, fax (408) 262-2533. www.adaptec.com
Mike DeMaria is a contributing editor based at Network Computing's Syracuse University Real-World Labs®. Send your comments on this article to him at mdemaria@nwc.com.
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