Can the GhostCast server work on a machine with multiple NICs?

Products

• Ghost Solution Suite

Issue/Introduction

You need to know whether Ghost Multicast Server will run on a computer that has multiple network interface cards (NICs), or you are already running Ghost Multicast Server on a computer that has multiple NICs and are having problems. When there is a NIC Teaming done, Ghost cast session - Multicast, clients are unable to connect to the session. We receive an error within the GHOSTERR.txt as below

 

Error Number: 10030
Message: Unable to establish contact with session <testsession>.
Check that the GhostCasting Server application is ready
to accept clients!
Version: 12.0.0.8021(Dec 11 2015, Build=8021
OS Version: Professional  (Build 9200)
Command line arguments: -clone,mode=restore,src=@mctestsession,dst=1

Environment

Ghost Solution Suite 2.x and 3.x 

Ghost Standard tools 2.x and 3.x

Cause

NIC Teaming is not supported as of now. 

Resolution

In older versions of Ghost, Ghost does not support running Ghost Multicast Server on a computer that has multiple NICs. To resolve the problem, remove all NICs but one before running Ghost Multicast Server. 

In newer versions, multiple NICs should work successfully if they are not teamed.

If you have multiple NICs and are having connection issues, you will need to test by disabling each of the NICs then testing Ghost.
Note: The Console does not decide which NIC to use on the Console, but rather lets the OS select based on availability and therefore determine which NIC does the work at any given moment.  The solution is to disable all but one NIC in the Console machine which allows Windows only one choice.  An enhancement is already logged to have a setting in the console that will set which NIC to use at any given time. 

In some cases, turning off the firewall allowed both NICs to be used.

Some Vender supplied teaming software can modify the way a teamed NIC environment will function.   In some cases it will improve the situation and in come cases removing the vender supplied software will improve the situation.    Both should be tested to find the combination that will work best for the environment until such a time that teaming and multiple nics are supported.