Port Trunking - Specify Standby NIC in Active/Backup Configuration

[jasogle]

Hello, All.
I have a TS-231, with the most recent, as of this post, firmware (4.3.3.0188 Build 20170516).

I'd like to know if there's a way to specify the standby adapter in an Actvie/Backup configuration? The end goal is that a specific active nic is always in use. In case of a switch failure, it will fail over to the standby nic. Once network connectivity is restored to the primary nic, it will fail-back to that one.

Is this possible with the TS-231?

[P3R]

I'd like to know if there's a way to specify the standby adapter in an Actvie/Backup configuration?

Not that I know of.

The end goal is that a specific active nic is always in use.

Why?

Normally in a active/standby configuration the idea is to provide redundancy between equal connections, not to offer L2 routing.

[lskok]

I'd like to know if there's a way to specify the standby adapter in an Actvie/Backup configuration?

Not that I know of.

The end goal is that a specific active nic is always in use.

Why?

Normally in a active/standby configuration the idea is to provide redundancy between equal connections, not to offer L2 routing.

What if you have only one 10GBE and want redundancy? I have a TS-341X and want the 10GBE as primary and 1 Gig as standby. I can do this with no problem on my ESXi hosts.

[schumaku]

What if you have only one 10GBE and want redundancy? I have a TS-341X and want the 10GBE as primary and 1 Gig as standby. I can do this with no problem on my ESXi hosts.

Technically the Linux bonding driver does allow different interface speed for active/backup, alb and tlb.

In a brief test, QTS does allow configuring (at least) inactive 10 Gbe and Gbe interfaces into an a/b configuration. However, there is no control on the primary interface in the UI. Lack of a spare SFP+ -DAC, I can't test right now.

-Kurt

[lskok]

Kurt, so do you think this is something that can be configured via SSH?

I'm very new to QNAP. How do I go about requesting they at this feature to QTS?

[schumaku]

Kurt, so do you think this is something that can be configured via SSH?

The wild idea is to create an active/backup config using two GbE interfaces, and then edit the config manually changing one of the GbE to the 10 GbE interface. Experimenting only, any kind of issues and side effects are possible on the Network and Virtual Switch App, a runtime, .. not ready for prime time or production in my opinion.

I'm very new to QNAP. How do I go about requesting they at this feature to QTS?

Use https://helpesk.qnap.com/ -> Submit Ticket -> Network configuration category and file the feature request. Add a link to this forum thread please.

[lskok]

Tech Support has created a feature request for this. MFJ-165-90895

[uwdar22]

Hi lskok,
maybe a little bit early but do you have a status from your feature request? Did they plan to give us the possibility to specify the active and the standby interface and mix 10GBE/1GBE in the same trunking group?
This topic would be also very interesting for me.

Thank you very much.
Michael

[lskok]

I guess this will never be a feature? Almost two years later and I still don't see any options to configure a preference.

[dolbyman]

you would have to ask QNAP, we wouldn't know

[P3R]

A feature request is only that. A request from someone to implement something. Qnap probably have hundreds if not thousands of feature requests piled up. For something to really be implemented, it need to be considered more important than the other feature requests by the product management and expected to help selling more NASes in the future.

Typically this is a home user request I think (professional customers can usually afford mulitiple 10 GbE interfaces if they need redundancy) and since 10 Gbps isn't commonly used in homes yet there probably haven't been many more asking for this. If many users start requesting it (directly to Qnap, not here in the forum), it'll have some chance to be implemented some day.

All of the above is just my speculation though and as dolbyman correctly points out, only Qnap can know if it's already scheduled for a future release or still isn't considered important enough.

[Bob Zelin]

Hi Iskok
It's been 2 years. Have you had a QNAP NIC port fail on you ?
Bob Zelin

[dolbyman]

and qnal sells these now(in case your nic dies)

https://www.qnap.com/en/product/qna-uc5g1t

apparently plug and play

[lskok]

Hi Iskok
It's been 2 years. Have you had a QNAP NIC port fail on you ?
Bob Zelin

It isn't really an issue of the NIC failing, but more an issue of which NIC is active. I only have one 10gb interface available on the NAS and I have it configured for active/standby using a 1gb interface for standby. In the current software, there is not way to force to the 10gb interface to be active if connected. So if you plug in the 1gb first and then plug in the 10gb interface second the NAS will stay connected with 1gb and the 10gb will be standby. It just seams silly to me.

[P3R]

It isn't really an issue of the NIC failing...

You said in an earlier post that you wanted this for redundancy...

The only reason to use an Active/Backup configuration at all is to achive fault tolerance, when constant network availability is critical.