Intel 4-port ethernet adaptor link aggregation issue

[Freddie Cash]

On Fri, Aug 2, 2013 at 12:36 AM, Steve Read <steve.read at netasq.com> wrote:

> On 01.08.2013 20:07, Joe Moog wrote:
>
>> We have an iXsystems 1U server (E5) with an Intel 4-port ethernet NIC
>> installed, model I350-T4 (manufactured May of 2013). We're trying to bind
>> the 4 ports on this NIC together into a single lagg port, connected LACP to
>> a distribution switch (Cisco 4900-series). We are able to successfully bind
>> the 2 on-board ethernet ports to a single lagg, however the NIC is not so
>> cooperative. At first we thought we had a bad NIC, but a replacement has
>> not fixed the issue. We are thinking there may be a driver limitation with
>> these Intel ethernet NICs when attempting to bind more than 2 ports to a
>> lagg.
>>
>> FreeBSD version:
>> FreeBSD 9.1-PRERELEASE #0 r244125: Wed Dec 12 11:47:47 CST 2012
>>
>> rc.conf:
>> # LINK AGGREGATION
>> ifconfig_igb2="UP"
>> ifconfig_igb3="UP"
>> ifconfig_igb4="UP"
>> ifconfig_igb5="UP"
>> cloned_interfaces="lagg0"
>> ifconfig_lagg0="laggproto lacp laggport igb2 laggport igb3 laggport igb4
>> laggport igb5"
>> ifconfig_lagg0="inet 192.168.1.14  netmask 255.255.255.0"
>>
>

> Am I the only one who noticed that you replaced the value of
> $ifconfig_lagg0 that specifies the proto and the ports with one that
> specifies just the address?
>

Good catch!


> Merge the two ifconfig_lagg0 lines into one, and it will work infinitely
> better, or at least no worse.
>
> ifconfig_lagg0="laggproto lacp laggport igb2 laggport igb3 laggport igb4
> laggport igb5 inet 192.168.1.14  netmask 255.255.255.0"
>
> Or, if you want to keep them split into two parts (initialise lagg0, then
add IP):

create_args_lagg0="laggproto lacp laggport igb2 laggport igb3 laggport igb4
laggport igb5"

ifconfig_lagg0="inet 192.168.1.14  netmask 255.255.255.0"

create_args_* are run first, then ifconfig_* are run.  I like this setup,
as it separates "create and initialise" from "configure" for cloned/virtual
interfaces like vlans, laggs, etc.


-- 
Freddie Cash
fjwcash at gmail.com