Heavily commented for your change-of-code-pleasures.

Download: autoteam.zip

This week I’ve started programming PowerShell seriously, trying to convert an “advanced” script to PowerShell since it’s supposed to be fewer lines of code. I bet it is, once you get past the initial irritation… Like why can’t I set the error message that validateset throws? Would’ve been nice.

If you’re a programmer you might wanna check out the developer resources for Mango over at Channel 9: http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Mango-Jump-Start-01-Building-Windows-Phone-Apps-with-Visual-Studio-2010

Speaking of Channel 9 you could also take a look at the behind-the-scenes to see what’s going on over there: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20103036-75/behind-the-scenes-at-microsofts-channel-9/

Apart from that I’m just as curious as everyone else about Microsofts new initiative with Hyper-V in Windows 8, which most likely will take the market away from Parallells and VmWare workstation. And hopefully kill that thing called XP-mode which is totally hopeless. Read more over at Building 8: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/09/07/bringing-hyper-v-to-windows-8.aspx

At home we’ve bought a new apartment and selling the old one. You know the drill: Take 50% of the furniture away, clean. Take pictures. Wait, wait some more and so on. So that’s where my heads been at lately. I’ll be back with a vengeance.

Feel sorry for those who didn’t get renewed, and congratulate those who got. Have a nice weekend!

Well, I guess I’ll see the rest of you in Seattle in february/march then!

netcfg.exe
Netcfg can be used to enumerate and show adapters, networking services and protocols. Installation and removal of the same components can also be done with netcfg.

When run in a command prompt just running netcfg won’t show you anything, but to get the syntax you’ll need the netcfg /?.

netcfg [-v] [-e] [-winpe] [-l ] -c -i
-winpe installs TCP/IP, NetBIOS and Microsoft Client for Windows preinstallation envrionment
-l provides the location of INF
-c provides the class of the component to be installed (p == Protocol, s == Service, c == Client)
-i provides the component ID

The arguments must be passed in the order shown.

Examples:
netcfg -l c:\oemdir\foo.inf -c p -i foo
…installs protocol ‘foo’ using c:\\oemdir\\foo.inf

netcfg -c s -i MS_Server
…installs service ‘MS_Server’

OR

netcfg [-v] -winpe
Examples:
netcfg -v -winpe
…Installs TCP/IP, NetBIOS and Microsoft Client for Windows preinstallation environment

OR

netcfg [-v] -q
Example:
netcfg -q MS_IPX
…displays if component ‘MS_IPX’ is installed

OR

netcfg [-v] [-e] -u
Example:
netcfg -u MS_IPX
…uninstalls component ‘MS_IPX’

OR

netcfg [-v] -s
where,
-s\tprovides the type of components to show
\ta == adapters, n == net components
Examples:
netcfg -s n
…shows all installed net components

OR

netcfg [-v] -b
Examples:
netcfg -b ms_tcpip
…shows binding paths containing ‘MS_TCPIP’

General Notes:\n”
-v Run in verbose (detailed) mode
-e Use servicing environment variables during install and uninstall
-? Displays this help information

See the pictures for listing adapters and protocols.

hvremote.wsf
Hvremote lets you configure remote administration of Hyper-V hosts either it be the server or the client that’s not in a domain and so on. On the download page for hvremote they have an excellent 10-second guide so I’m not gonna give you the syntax, I’ll just send you straight over there: http://archive.msdn.microsoft.com/HVRemote.

nvspbind
Nvpsbind lets you enable or disable network protocol bindings on adapters by using the command line. In Server Core or Hyper-V Server this isn’t possible otherwise since the control panel applet isn’t available (that’ll be the ncpl.cpl). Check this out for more information!

nvspcrub.js
And if you use the above utility a little too much, or just happen to remove the Hyper-V role from a Core-box you might need this script to rescue you. It’ll reset the network configuration and remove the Hyper-V networking components. Read more and download!

Some of the rumours are integration with Office365 and Skydrive… Maybe they’ve gotten the Skype-client ready too?

Intel has a different approach when you install proset, because you get an additional tab on the NIC in device manager. In Server Core there is no device manager with tabs, so you can’t get to the team configuration… Enter prosetCL.exe!

Before you start using prosetcl you’ll need to install the drivers for your NICs and Intel PROSet for Windows, otherwise it won’t work. PROSet has a bunch of unattended switches, but for this exercise we’ll just use the teaming and VLAN commands. To install this we’d run “setup /qn” from the command line.

Once you’ve got it installed it’s time to create your teams! Compared to Broadcom Intel actually supports creating a team from the command line without exporting configurations to files (just a hint…).

If you want to import and export settings you can use the SavResDX.vbs script. It’s stored in the DMIX folder, the path is normally C:\Program Files\Intel\DMIX. To use the script you’ll need the proset installed too. If you wanna run restore you’ll need the same version of the OS as you exported from.

Export: cscript SavResDX.vbs save c:\temp\nicsettings.txt
Import: cscript SavResDX.vbs restore c:\temp\nicsettings.txt

Another nice feature is that Intel supports the creation of teams with NICs from different vendors, as long as at least one NIC is from Intel. (For certain team types, see Intel documentation for full info)

Team creation with prosetcl.exe

List all adapters (you’ll need the index numbers to create the team…)
c:\prosetcl.exe Adapter_Enumerate

Create the team
c:\prosetcl.exe Team_Create 1,2 Team1 SFT

AdapterList – Comma delimited list of adapter indices (i.e., 1,2,3). To obtain adapter indices, use the Adapter_Enumerate command.
TeamName – Name to apply to the team.
TeamMode – Type of team to create. Valid team modes are: ALB, AFT, SLA, 8023AD, and SFT. Note: SFT teams can only be created with 2 or fewer adapters. (see further down for more info on teams)

List teams (will give you the index of the teams, you’ll need it for vlans and stuff…)
c:\prosetcl.exe Team_Enumerate

Add vlan to team
c:\prosetcl.exe Team_CreateVlan 1 5

TeamIndex (1 in the example above) – Index of the team. The team indices are obtained by running the Team_Enumerate command.
VlanID (5 in the example above) – ID number of the VLAN. Valid ranges for the VlanID are 1-4094 for a maximum of 64 VLANs. Only one VLAN can be ‘Untagged’ (0) per device.

Note 1: If a VLAN ID is already in use or an untagged VLAN already exists, an
error message is displayed.

Note2: A tagged VLAN must be present before an untagged VLAN can be created.

What’s the different team types?

Adapter Fault Tolerance (AFT)
Allows mixed models and mixed connection speeds as long as there is at least one Intel® PRO server adapter in the team. A ‘failed’ Primary adapter will pass its MAC and Layer 3 address to the failover (secondary) adapter. All adapters in the team should be connected to the same hub or switch with Spanning Tree (STP) set to Off.

Switch Fault Tolerance (SFT)
Uses two adapters connected to two switches to provide a fault tolerant network connection in the event that the first adapter, its cabling or the switch fail. Only two adapters can be assigned to an SFT team. Note Do not put clients on the SFT team link partner switches, because they will not pass traffic to the partner switch at fail.
Spanning Tree (STP) must be running on the network to ensure that loops are eliminated.
STP should be turned off on the incoming ports of the switches directly connected to the adapters in the team, or these ports should be configured for PortFast.
Only 802.3ad DYNAMIC mode allows failover between teams.

Adaptive Load Balancing (ALB)
Offers increased network bandwidth by allowing transmission over 2-8 ports to multiple destination addresses, and also incorporates Adapter Fault Tolerance. Only the primary receives incoming traffic. Only the primary transmits broadcasts/multicasts and non routed protocols. The ANS software load balances transmissions, based on Destination Address, and can be used with any switch. Simultaneous transmission only occurs at multiple addresses. This mode can be connected to any switch.

Receive Load Balancing (RLB)
Offers increased network bandwidth by allowing reception over 2-8 ports from multiple addresses.
Can only be used in conjunction with ALB.
RLB is enabled by default when an RLB team is configured.
Only the adapters connected at the fastest speed will be used to load balance incoming TCP/IP traffic. The primary, regardless of speed, will receive all other RX traffic.
Can be used with any switch. Any failover will increase network latency until ARPs are re-sent. Simultaneous reception only occurs from multiple clients.
Available for Microsoft Windows.
If using NetWare*1 Load Balancing, you can use ALB but not RLB.

Virtual Machine Load Balancing (VMLB)
Provides transmit and receive traffic load balancing across Virtual Machines bound to the team interface, as well as fault tolerance in the event of switch port, cable, or adapter failure.This teaming type works with any switch.

The driver analyzes the transmit and receive load on each member adapter and balances the traffic across member adapters. In a VMLB team, each Virtual Machine is associated with one team member for its TX and RX traffic. If only one virtual NIC is bound to the team, or if Hyper-V is removed, then the VMLB team will act like an AFT team.

Note VMLB does not load balance non-routed protocols such as NetBEUI and some IPX* traffic.
Note VMLB supports from 2 to 8 ports per team.
Note You can create an VMLB team with mixed speed adapters. The load is balanced according to the lowest common denominator of adapter capabilities and the bandwidth of the channel.

IEEE 802.3ad
This standard has been implemented in two ways:

Static Link Aggregation (SLA):
Equivalent to EtherChannel/Intel’s Link Aggregation
Must be used with an 802.3ad, FEC/GEC/ or Intel Link Aggregation capable switch.

DYNAMIC mode
Requires 802.3ad DYNAMIC capable switches.
Active aggregators in software determine team membership between the switch and the ANS software (or between switches).
There is a maximum of 2 aggregators per server and you must choose either maximum bandwidth or maximum adapters.
Both 802.3ad modes include adapter fault tolerance and load balancing capabilities. However in DYNAMIC mode load balancing is within only one team at a time.

To see Intels documentation on the subject: http://download.intel.com/support/network/sb/prosetcl.txt

But for scripting purposes or the hardcore CLI admin this won’t do, you want the BACScli!

What kind of teams does BACS support?

Smart Load Balance and Failover

In this type of team, a standby member handles the traffic if all of the load balance members fail (a failover event). All load balance members have to fail before the standby member takes over. When one or more of the load balance members is restored (fallback), the restored team member(s) resumes the handling of the traffic. The LiveLink feature is supported for this type of team.

Link Aggregation (802.3ad)

In this type of team, you can dynamically configure the network adapters that have been selected to participate in a given team. If the link partner is not correctly configured for IEEE 802.3ad link configuration, errors are detected and noted. All adapters in the team are configured to receive packets for the same MAC address. The outbound load balancing scheme is determined by the BASP driver. The link partner of the team determines the load balancing scheme for inbound packets. In this mode, at least one of the link partners must be in active mode.

NOTE: TOE is not applicable for Link Aggregation team type. NetXtreme II network adapters with iSCSI enabled is not supported for Link Aggregation team type.

Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static

This type of team is very similar to the link aggregation type, in that all adapters in the team must be configured to receive packets for the same MAC address. This mode does not provide link aggregation control protocol (LACP) or marker protocol support. This mode supports a variety of environments where the link partners are statically configured to support a proprietary trunking mechanism. Trunking supports load balancing and failover for both outbound and inbound traffic.

NOTE: TOE is not applicable for Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static team type. NetXtreme II network adapters with iSCSI enabled is not supported for Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static team type.

Disable iSCSI

Note the double quotes!

SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable)

This team is identical to Smart Load Balance and Failover, with the following exception: when the standby member is active, if a primary member comes back online, the team continues using the standby member rather than switching back to the primary member. This type of team is supported only for situations in which the network cable is disconnected and reconnected to the network adapter. It is not supported for situations in which the adapter is removed/installed through Device Manager or Hot-Plug PCI. If any primary adapter assigned to a team is disabled, the team functions as a Smart Load Balancing and Failover type of team in which auto-fallback occurs. The LiveLink feature is supported for this type of team.

Creating teams

To create teams you’ll need a configuration file (or know how to write one yourself).

The answer file for a load balancing team without standby looks like this:

name: Team 1
type: 0
pnic: 03:00.0
pnic: 05:00.0

So what’s in that file?

Starting from the top:

Name: Team 1 <- The name of your team
Type: 0 <- There are three different types:
0 = Load Balacing
1 = Generic Trunk
2 = Link Aggregation
pnic: 03:00.0 <- pnic = Primary. In the examples below there’s also snic = Secondary. The numbers are the PCI-position of the NIC.

So how do you find out which PCI-position your NICs have? The command below will list all devices in your system:

BACScli -bdf

BDF is the Bus:Device.Function of the NIC. For example, if the NIC has bus number of 5, device number of 0 and function number of 1, use “-bdf 5:0.1″ to select the NIC for the command to execute on.

If you have servers that you’d like to script installation and such you could export a configuration either from the GUI or with the help of BACScli: BACScli -t team “save -f BDF c:\temp\teaming.bcg”

Once it’s exported you can create your team by importing the configuration:

BACScli -t team “restore c:\tmp\teaming.bcg”

Please note that the configuration files contains the PCI-position of your NICs so if your servers aren’t configured identically it won’t work. You could of course script it, detecting the nics and dynamically creating the configuration file. After all, it’s just text.

There are a bunch of different types of teams, below is a list of how the configuration files look if you don’t feel like doing the research:

Generic trunk without VLAN
name: Team 1
type: 1
pnic: 03:00.0
pnic: 05:00.0

Generic trunk with VLAN
name: Team 1
type: 1
pnic: 03:00.0
pnic: 05:00.0
vname: VLAN 1
vid: 1

Link aggregation with VLAN
name: Team 1
type: 2
pnic: 03:00.0
pnic: 05:00.0
vname: VLAN 1
vid: 0

Load balancing without standby

name: Team 1
type: 0
pnic: 03:00.0
pnic: 05:00.0

Load balacing with standby
name: Team 1
type: 0
pnic: 03:00.0
pnic: 05:00.0
snic: 08:00.0

Load balancing with LiveLink

name: Team 1
type: 0
target_ip: 172.16.4.15
target_ip: 172.16.0.1
retry: 5
freq: 2000
retry_freq: 1000
livelink_vid: 0
pnic: 03:00.0
livelink_ip: 172.16.9.88
pnic: 05:00.0
livelink_ip: 172.16.9.89

Link aggregation without VLAN

name: Team 1
type: 2
pnic: 03:00.0
pnic: 05:00.0

If you’re scripting this you’ll find the exit codes for BACSCLI below: