Configuring LAN connections

Configuring a backup device

If a network adapter's hardware allows its Media Access Control (MAC) address to be reprogrammed, you can configure the adapter as a ``backup'' device for an existing ``primary'' device. Should the primary device fail, the system will automatically switch to using the backup device. This functionality is commonly referred to as ``device failover''.

You may only configure a backup device after you have configured the primary device. When configuring a backup device, you are asked to select the primary device that it will support.

NOTE: Only one backup device may be configured for each primary device. For example, in a system with four network adapters, you could configure two adapters as primary devices and two adapters as backup devices.