Creating a bonded adapter is optional. A bonded adapter combines two Ethernet interfaces into a single logical link. Network devices treat the bonded adapter as a single link, which increases fault tolerance and provides load sharing.
Note: Bonding is available only on ReadyNAS systems with two or more Ethernet interfaces.
Teaming Modes
The ReadyNAS supports several teaming modes. Both the ReadyNAS and the device with which the bonded adapter is linked must support the same teaming mode. The available teaming modes are described in the following table.
| Teaming Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| IEEE 802.3ad LACP | Creates aggregation groups that use the same speed and duplex settings. Utilizes all interfaces in the active aggregator according to the 802.3ad specification. You need a switch that supports IEEE 802.3ad dynamic link aggregation. |
| Active Backup | Only one interface in the bond is active. A different interface becomes active if, and only if, the active interface fails. The bond’s MAC address is externally visible on only one port to avoid confusing the switch. You can decide which interface is active by default. |
| Transmit Load Balancing | Adapter bonding that does not require any special switch support. The outgoing traffic is distributed according to the current load (computed relative to the speed) on each interface. Incoming traffic is received by the current interface. If the receiving interface fails, another interface takes over the MAC address of the failed receiving interface. |
| Adaptive Load Balancing | Includes transmit load balancing plus receive load balancing for IPV4 traffic and does not require any special switch support. The receive load balancing is achieved by ARP negotiation. |
| Round-Robin | Transmit packets in sequential order from the first available interface to the next. This mode provides load balancing and fault tolerance. |
| XOR | Transmit based on the default simple transmit hash policy. This mode provides load balancing and fault tolerance. |
| Broadcast | Transmit everything on all secondary interfaces. This mode provides fault tolerance. |
Hash Types
If you select the IEEE 802.3ad LACP or the XOR teaming mode, you must select which hash type option you want to use:
- Layer 2
- Layer 2+3 (uses Layer 2 and Layer 3 hash types simultaneously)
- Layer 3+4 (uses Layer 3 and Layer 4 hash types simultaneously)
Each hash type is described in the following table.
| Hash Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Layer 2 | Based on the source and destination MAC addresses. All traffic between the ReadyNAS and a particular device is transmitted on the same physical link. |
| Layer 3 | Based on the source and destination IP addresses. Here too, all traffic between the ReadyNAS and a particular device is transmitted on the same physical link. |
| Layer 4 | Based on the source and destination port numbers. Traffic between the ReadyNAS and a particular device can be spread across multiple links. |
Create a Bonded Adapter
You can create a bonded adapter on ReadyNAS systems with two or more Ethernet interfaces.
To create a bonded adapter:
- Select Network > Links.
- Click the settings gear icon next to the Ethernet interface you want to bond.
- From the pop-up menu that displays, select New Bond.
A pop-up screen displays.
The options displayed depend on the teaming mode that is selected.
- From the Bond with list, select another available Ethernet interface to include in the bonded adapter.
- From the Teaming Mode list, select a teaming mode.
For more information about teaming modes, see Teaming Modes
- (For IEEE 802.3ad LACP and XOR only) Select the radio button next to the hash type option that you want to use.
For more information about hash types, see Teaming Modes
- (For Active Backup only) From the Primary Device list, select the Ethernet interface that is active by default.
Other Ethernet interfaces in the bond become active if and only if the active interface fails.
- Click the Create button.
The new bonded adapter displays on the Network screen. The bonded adapter is named bondX, where X is a number in sequential and ascending order.
Configure General and TCP/IP Settings
To configure a bonded adapter:
- Select Network > Bonds.
- Select settings gear icon for the bonded adapter that you want to configure.
- From the pop-up menu that displays, select Settings.
The bond settings pop-up screen displays.
- Configure the settings in the General tab as explained in the following table:
Item Description Name Cannot be edited. Displays the name of the bonded adapter. MTU Enter the MTU in bytes. The default setting is 1500 bytes. - Click the TCP/IP tab.
- Configure the TCP/IP settings as explained in the following table.
Note: NETGEAR recommends that you use DHCP address reservation to make sure that the DHCP server always assigns the same IP address to the interfaces of the ReadyNAS. The MAC addresses of the physical interfaces are shown on the Network screen.Note: If you enter an IP address manually, you must provide DNS server information if you want to access your ReadyNAS system over the Internet. For more information, see DNS. If the IP address changes, your browser loses its connection to your ReadyNAS storage system. To reconnect to your ReadyNAS system, use ReadyCLOUD to rediscover your device.
Item Description IPv4 settings Configure IPv4 From the list, select how IPv4 is configured: - Using DHCP. The ReadyNAS functions as a DHCP client, and the IPv4 settings are automatically configured by a DHCP server on your network.
- Manually. You must enter the IPv4 address and subnet mask for the ReadyNAS and the router through which the ReadyNAS is connected to the network.
IPv4 Address Enter the IPv4 address for the ReadyNAS. Manual configuration only. Subnet Mask Enter the subnet mask for the ReadyNAS. Router Enter the IPv4 address for the router through which the ReadyNAS connects to your network. IPv6 settings Configure IPv6 From the list, select how IPv6 is configured: - Automatically. The ReadyNAS is configured with an IPv6 address through stateless auto configuration without the requirement of a DHCPv6 server on your network. The ReadyNAS must be connected to the Internet for stateless autoconfiguration to function.
- Using DHCP. The ReadyNAS functions as a DHCPv6 client. The IPv6 settings are automatically configured by a DHCPv6 server on your network.
- Manually. You must enter the IPv6 address and prefix length for the ReadyNAS and the router through which the ReadyNAS is connected to the network.
Router Enter the IPv6 address for the router through which the ReadyNAS connects to your network. The default setting is unknown. Manual configuration only. IPv6 Address Enter the IPv6 address for the ReadyNAS. Prefix Length Enter the prefix length for the ReadyNAS. The default prefix length is 64. - Click the Apply button.
Your changes are saved.
- Configure the switch or router to which the ReadyNAS is attached to support the bonded adapter.
Configure DNS Settings
You can specify up to three DNS servers in your ReadyNAS storage system.
If you selected the option to assign an IP address manually when you configured your Ethernet settings, you must manually specify the IP addresses of the DNS servers and the domain name to access your ReadyNAS system over the Internet. Your network administrator can help you determine your Domain Name Server IP address.
To add DNS information for a bonded adapter:
- Select Network > Bonds.
- Select the settings gear icon for the bonded adapter that you want to configure.
- From the pop-up menu that displays, select Settings.
The bond settings pop-up screen displays.
- Click the DNS tab.
- Click the + icon (
) to the right of the list of DNS servers. - In the pop-up screen that displays, enter the server IP address.
- Click the Add button.
The DNS server is added to the list.
- Click the Apply button.
Your changes are saved.
- Configure the switch or router to which the ReadyNAS is attached to support the bonded adapter.
Change the Teaming Mode
To change the teaming mode of a bonded adapter:
- Select Network > Bonds.
- Select the settings gear icon for the bonded adapter that you want to configure.
- From the pop-up menu that displays, select Settings.
The bond settings pop-up screen displays.
- Click the Mode tab.
- From the Teaming Mode list, select a teaming mode.
For more information about teaming modes, see Teaming Modes
- (For IEEE 802.3ad LACP and XOR only) Select the radio button next to the hash type option that you want to use.
For more information about hash types, see Teaming Modes
- (For Active Backup only) From the Primary Device list, select the Ethernet interface that is active by default.
Other Ethernet interfaces in the bond become active if and only if the active interface fails.
- Click the Apply button.
Your changes are saved.
Delete a Bonded Adapter
To delete a bonded adapter and reestablish separate Ethernet links:
- Select Network > Bonds.
- Select the settings gear icon for the bonded adapter that you want to delete.
- From the pop-up menu that displays, select Delete.
- Confirm the deletion.
The bonded Ethernet interfaces are separated into individual links.
- Reconfigure the switch or router to which the ReadyNAS is attached for single interfaces.