IPMP

IP Multipath

An IPMP configuration typically consists of two or more physical interfaces on the same system that are attached to the same IP link. These physical interfaces might or might not be on the same NIC. The interfaces are configured as members of the same IPMP group. If the system has additional interfaces on a second IP link, you must configure these interfaces as another IPMP group.

Note that this page is deliberately terse; see the references below for pages which might expand more on the actual mechanisms used in the "probe-based" and "link-based" options.

Probe-based IPMP

In this scenario you have a Sun V100 with two dmfe interfaces. You have three IP addresses on the same subnet (in this case 10.0/16; refer to /etc/netmasks):

• 10.0.252.163 the main IP address of the system
• 10.0.201.1 the test IP address of dmfe0
• 10.0.201.2 the test IP address of dmfe1

/etc/hostname.dmfe0

10.0.252.163 netmask + broadcast + group failovergroup up addif 10.0.201.1 deprecated -failover netmask + broadcast + up

/etc/hostname.dmfe1

10.0.201.2 netmask + broadcast + deprecated group failovergroup -failover standby up

Ref: http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/816-4554/6maoq027p?a=view#emqul

Link-Based IPMP

(Solaris 10; depends on the interfaces supporting it)

/etc/hostname.dmfe0

$hostname group $groupname up

/etc/hostname.dmfe1

group $groupname up

Pro:

• simple

• only detects immediate link failure; if your problem is deeper in the network, your failure is never detected.