Using Flexible Link Names on IPMP Configuration

With support for customized link names, link configuration is no longer bound to the physical NIC to which the link is associated. Using customized link names allows you to have greater flexibility in administering IP interfaces. This flexibility extends to IPMP administration as well. In certain cases of failure of an underlying interface of an IPMP group, the resolution would require the replacement of the physical hardware or NIC. The replacement NIC, provided it is the same type as the failed NIC, can be renamed to inherit the configuration of the failed NIC. You do not have to create new configurations for the new NIC before you can add it to the IPMP group. After you rename the new NIC's link with the link name of the replaced NIC, the new NIC automatically becomes a member of the IPMP group when you bring that NIC online. The multipathing daemon then deploys the interface according to the IPMP configuration of active and standby interfaces.

Therefore, to optimize your networking configuration and facilitate IPMP administration, you must employ flexible link names for your interfaces by assigning them generic names. In the following section How IPMP Works, all the examples use flexible link names for the IPMP group and its underlying interfaces. For details about the processes behind NIC replacements in a networking environment that uses customized link names, refer to IPMP and Dynamic Reconfiguration. For an overview of the networking stack and the use of customized link names, refer to Overview of the Networking Stack.