Rank Attribute

Decide the order in which you want the networks in your cluster to be preferred for use and then edit the RANK column entries to implement that order.

Network preference is based on the relative value of a network interface's ranking, with higher preference being given to interfaces with lower rank values. In other words, an interface with a rank of 10 will be selected for use over interfaces with ranks of 11 or higher, but interfaces with ranks of 9 or less will have a higher preference.

These ranking values are relative; their absolute values have no significance. This is why gaps are left in the default rankings, so that if a new interface is added, it can be given an unused rank value without having to change any existing values.

Decisions about how to rank two or more dissimilar network types are usually based on site-specific conditions and requirements. Ordinarily, a cluster`s fastest network is given preferential ranking over slower networks. However, raw network bandwidth is only one consideration. For example, an administrator might decide to dedicate a network that offers very low latency, but not the fastest bandwidth to all intra-cluster communication and use a higher-capacity network for connecting the cluster to systems outside the cluster.