I have a 2 port Gigabit PCIe card from Realtek. How can I team these NICs together to form a 2Gbps link? I tried installing their Diagnostic Program but it only shows information.
3 Answers
Update I have not been able to get this to work in a Windows 10 environment using the below guide, those it does work for Windows server 2016, It has something to do with the LBFO Teaming? I am still looking into it.
See the Intel NIC Threads here:
Intel Community Thread on Realtek NIC
Guide for teaming NICs through PowerShell
I was able to get the Realtek cards to team in Windows Server 2016, though there may be a slight difference in the process (which I am looking into).
You need to install the latest Realtek Diagnostic software if you do not already have it: The version I tested with was 2.0.3.0 Which you should be able to find here: Realtek 10/100/1000 downloads
(0004-Diagnostic_v2.0.3.0_AllInOneRel_0803.zip) <-- The file you want to download
Next
Install the utility per the install directions (if you have not already done so).
the next few steps I am not sure are wholly necessary but here just to make certain I cover all the possibilities
I believe these functions are installed as part of the package, but there is no harm in ensuring they are installed.
Navigate to you Realtek Diagnostic program directory
Next open the Teaming directory > Win10
Right-click on the RtTeam640.inf file and select INSTALL
Now if we go into our Network and Sharing center > Change Adapter Options
(Note, if you are on Windows 10, build 1803+, you will need to go to Network and internet settings, click on Ethernet, then you can go into 'Change Adapter Aptions')
From here, right click on your adapter and select Properties
Click Install
Select Protocol
There should be Realtek under Manufacturer, with a teaming options. Once this is installed, you will see the teaming option under in the properties menu.
Note: This is where Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 diverge. I was able to setup teaming in the Windows Server Manager, instead of using the diagnostic utility. However, (and I will be testing this as soon as possible) in the Realtek Diagnostic Utility, it should now show the Teaming options.
I hope this helps
This one was the magic thing for me: dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socket1366/P6T6_WS_Revolution/Utility/RTU_V2005__XPVistaWin7.zip Took quite some searching but it worked! Meaning I had to install old diagnostic tool with old teaming and protocol drivers, then finally see the teaming option in there and when it failed to create the team, manually do that in device manager, then the diagnostic tool was happy :) and I saw 1.3gbps of traffic with a quick test to 2 hosts!
Here's a PDF that has a link to a version of the Realtek Ethernet Diagnostic Utility that supports NIC teaming on Windows 10. http://downloadt.advantech.com/download/downloadsr.aspx?File_Id=1-1PTKIWV The link itself: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/588xdg8iy5ucugf/AAA6O74urzL78IGGwE5dppcZa?dl=0
There's an older "Realtek Teaming Utility" that shows the teaming options but fails to actually create a team. Older Realtek drivers for Windows 7 don't seem to work, at least with the Startech adapter I have. The driver installs but fails with "The device failed to start".