Patent ID: 8134928
Filing Date: 2012-03-13
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for identifying a failed network interface card (NIC) in a system having a first NIC and a second NIC configured as a team and sharing a first Internet Protocol (IP) address, the method comprising: transmitting, by a management processing unit included in a first computing device, a first data packet from the first NIC to a third NIC at a second IP address that is different from the first IP address, wherein the third NIC is not a member of the team, and wherein the first NIC and the second NIC reside in the first computing device, and the third NIC resides in a second computing device; determining, by the management processing unit, whether the first NIC is faulty based on whether the first NIC receives a response from the third NIC associated with the transmission of the first data packet to the third NIC; and transmitting, by the management processing unit, a second data packet from the first NIC to the second NIC if the first NIC receives the response from the third NIC, or transmitting a second data packet from the second NIC to the third NIC if the first NIC does not receive the response from the third NIC.