SQL Server Performance Forum – Threads Archive

Media Speed on inter cluster network link

Hi, is anyone know about some rules about how to configure the media speed on an inter cluster network link when the nodes are linked by a simple pass-through network cable and when we have choice on the media speed? Someone told me that it should be configured as ’10Mps/Half Duplex’ and another ‘100Mps/Full Duplex’… For information, our Network card are all Compaq NC3134 Fast Ethernet NIC. Thanks for all the ideas..
Alexandre.

---

May look at this linkhttp://www.sql-server-performance.com/jc_gigabit.asp by Joe Chang. _________
Satya SKJ
Moderator
SQL-Server-Performance.Com

---

for Fast Ethernet, you will need a cross-over cable even though there is not much traffic on the cluster link, full-duplex is always preferred over half-duplex,
you may have to manually set 100mps/full if you don’t have a switch,
i would consider atleast getting an inexpensive 10/100 switch.
if one machine is off, the other may revert to 10-half, and stay there after the 1st is restarted

---

Microsoft recommend 10Mbit half duplex in their docs for some reason. Recommended Private "Heartbeat" Configuration on a Cluster Server
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;258750 Should work fine with 100Mbit full duplex on the cross over cable as well. The important thing is not to set the NICs as "auto detect". /Argyle

---

We use 100Mb cards with a cross-over cable, and it works fine. —————————–
Brad M. McGehee, MVP
Webmaster
SQL-Server-Performance.Com

---

Hi, Thank you all for your responses and particularly for the Microsoft KB article. More generally, for the moderator and webmaster, this site is wonderful. Sincerely, Alexandre. Alexandre

---

]]>