NIC Settings s. Backup Performance

[545000297]

I was recently emailed a link to a free module on performance tuning on Backup Exec:

http://www.backupexec.com/510inemail/

http://education.veritas.com/solutioncenter/learning_modules/bew/demos/demo1_perfTune1/

It discusses how an overlooked parameter on your NIC may cause backup performance to not be up to par. It also discusses how to change your NICs from auto negociation to the fastest speed and plex that your switch can handle.

What I don't get is why would you ever need to change your NICs speed from auto negociation? It seems to me that auto negociation is going to pick the fastest speed that your switch handles anyway.

I did change the speed from auto to 1000Gbs/Full duplex on several of my servers. I did not on some of my other servers because I have no option that high - it only goes to 100Mbs/Full, eventhough they are Gb NICs and my connection speed is 1.0Gbs!!!

Any insight you may have on this would be appreciated.

JA
Florida, USA

[Ken_Putnam]

Don't know why you don't see the 1000MB option for those servers (any possibility that it is plugged into a switch port hard set at 100?), but I do know that when streaming data (as BackupExec does) unless the server NIC and switch Port totally agree, you are much better off hard setting things. If you have NICs and Switches from the same manufacture, Autonegitate may work OK, but differing mfgs often have slightly different interpretations of the specs. For normal network traffic, you never notice it, but as I said when streaming, it slaps you in the face


I got into a rather heated discussion with someone here on the forums several years ago, and he quoted all kinds of tech specs and RFPs at me, I invited him to come to my shop, watch backups under both settings and tell me that I was either a liar or imagining things, but he never took me up on it. (This was with Compaq NetFlex3 NICs connecting to a Bay Networks switch.)

[545000297]

Ken, thanks for your reply.

I took a screen shot of my server's NIC properties and the left side seems to contradict the right:
http://AldenTechnology.com/work/200505-BackupExecAndNIC

My server is indeed plugged in a Gbps port.

IBM says "update your driver & NIC firmware", which I did, but it made no difference.

I wonder if I should trust that it is running at 1Gbps and if so, how do I know it will stay at that speed? Maybe it is time for a different NIC (this one is integrated which makes it even more strange).

Jason

[Ken_Putnam]

If you have uninstalled the network driver and the NIC, booted, and when prompted about a new device, pointed it at the latest download from IBM, and it still doesn't give you that option, it may be time to disable the onboard and use a Plug-In NIC

[Sharvari_Deshmu]

Hello,

We request you to update us on this issue


Thanks,

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