Dell PowerVault 770N (Deskside NAS Appliance) - Manual (Page 44)

Table 3-3. Network Connections
Network
Connection
Description
Public
network
All connections to the client LAN.
At least one public network must be configured for Mixed mode for private network failover.
Private
network
A dedicated connection for sharing cluster health and status information between the cluster nodes.
NICs connected to the LAN can also provide redundancy at the communications level in case the cluster
interconnect fails. See your MSCS documentation for more information on private network redundancy.
Figure 3-3 shows an example of NIC cabling in which dedicated NICs in each node are connected to the public network and
the remaining NICs are connected to each other (for the private network).
Figure 3-3. Example of Network Cabling Connection
Cabling Your Public Network
The public network connection (client network) to the cluster nodes is provided by a NIC that is installed in each node. Any
NIC supported by the system running TCP/IP may be used to connect to the public network segments. Additional NICs may be
installed to support additional separate public network segments or to provide redundancy for the public network.
Installing redundant NICs provides your cluster with a failover connection to the public network. If the primary NIC or a
switch port fails, your cluster will be able to access the public network through the secondary NIC until the faulty NIC or
switch port is repaired.
Using Dual-Port NICs for Your Private Network
You can configure your cluster to use the public network as a failover for private network communications. However, if dual-
port NICs are used, they should not be used simultaneously to support both the public and private networks.
Cabling Your Private Network