Configure NIC Teaming Windows Server 2012

Quick Tutorial:
Here you are going to learn the Nic Teaming feature on Windows Server 2012. Quick show of hands, who doesn’t know what NIC teaming is? Basically NIC Teaming allows us to take several NIC adapters and merge them to ONE adapter. The NIC adapter will work as a load balance. Some users can connect via Ethernet0 and some can connect via Ethernet1 but they are all trying to connect to a specific IP which means that this IP is an NIC Teaming IP,. That might sound confusing but don’t worry it will make sense after you read the instructions below: Please follow the steps exactly and you will understand the purpose of feature correctly. This is my server and I have two NIC adapters:

NIC Teaming Windows Server 2012

Open Server Manager and click on “Local” and then click on “NIC Teaming” – > Disabled:

NIC Teaming Windows Server 2012

Mark your NIC adapters and right click ” Add to New Team

NICTeaming

There are several options we can choose:

Teaming Mode:

Switch Independent – this mode allows us to work as Independently with Switch involution (This is the ideal situation)

Static Teaming – this mode requires us to configure the switch to a computer for each network adapter for identification and creation of the Link Teaming.

Link Aggregation Control Protocol – allows us several network adapter connection, which creates some groups. If you selected this option you have to take into considerations that all connections will work as same speed and that will be Full Duplex.

Load Balancing Mode: There are two options.

Address Hash – Works better when there is a lot of outbound traffic recommended for a Web server

Hyper-V Port – Load balancing which knows to perform better with Hyper (virtual machines with Hyper-V)

I have selected both NIC adapters in this instance.

NIC Teaming Windows Server 2012

The NIC Teaming:

NIC Teaming Windows Server 2012

I want to configure IP address for NIC  (this IP will be available for users, they will connect through this IP)

NIC Teaming Windows Server 2012

NIC Teaming Windows Server 2012

And now try to disable one of the network adapters and then ping to NIC Teaming IP:

Ping