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Event ID 53 — Network Adapter Functionality

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008

The network adapter to which Network Load Balancing (NLB) is bound must be properly configured and capable of performing NLB operations. If the adapter is not properly configured, the NLB driver may fail to bind to the adapter.

Event Details

Product: Windows Operating System
ID: 53
Source: Microsoft-Windows-NLB
Version: 6.0
Symbolic Name: MSG_ERROR_DYNAMIC_MAC
Message: NLB cluster [%2]: NLB will not attach to adapter '%3' because it does not support dynamic changing of its MAC address. Replace the network adapter with one which supports that capability.

Resolve

Change network adapter or operate NLB in multicast mode

To operate in unicast mode, Network Load Balancing (NLB) must alter the unicast MAC address on the network adapter that it will be using. A problem occurs when the network adapter to which NLB is trying to bind does not support the dynamic changing of its unicast MAC address. To resolve this, you can either replace the network adapter with one that supports changing the unicast MAC address dynamically or operate the NLB cluster in multicast mode.

When you are using NLB Manager, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the host that you are configuring, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If you are configuring a cluster or host by running NLB Manager from a computer that is not part of the cluster, you do not have to be a member of the Administrators group on that computer.

To change the cluster operation mode to multicast:

  1. Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Network Load Balancing Manager. You can also open NLB Manager by typing Nlbmgr at a command prompt..
  2. If NLB Manager does not already list the cluster, connect to the cluster.
  3. Right-click the cluster, and then click Cluster Properties.
  4. Click the Cluster Parameters tab, and specify Multicast in Cluster Operation Mode.

Verify

When you are using nlb.exe, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the host that you are configuring, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If you are configuring a cluster or host by running nlb.exe from a computer that is not part of the cluster, you do not have to be a member of the Administrators group on that computer.

To verify that the network adapters are properly configured:

  1. Open an elevated Command Prompt window. Click Start, point to All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
  2. Type nlb.exe query, which displays the current cluster state and the list of host priorities for the current members of the cluster.
  3. Type nlb.exe display, which displays details on the current cluster configuration and the IP configuration on the host operating system and the network adapter. Verify the configuration of the network adapter.

 

Network Adapter Functionality

NLB Cluster