AZ-800 Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure Exam

Teaming Modes and Performance Validation

Network interface card (NIC) teaming is a way to group multiple physical NICs so they work together inside a Hyper-V host or a guest virtual machine. This approach boosts network throughput and provides fault tolerance if one adapter fails. By combining adapters, traffic can flow across all links, giving better speed and reliability for critical services. Administrators often use networking tools built into Windows Server or Azure to manage these teams. Proper configuration ensures virtual machines keep online even if hardware issues arise.

There are three main teaming modes:

• Switch-independent: No special switch setup is needed.
• LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol): Switch and host negotiate the team settings automatically.
• Static link aggregation: Both switch and server must be manually set to the same link configuration.

Switch-independent mode is great when you can’t change the switch settings or when you need simple redundancy across different switches. In this mode, the server splits and balances traffic, but the switch treats each NIC separately. Under normal conditions, traffic uses all adapters, but if one adapter fails, the others take over without interruption. This mode is often chosen for its flexibility in varied network environments.

LACP mode relies on the switch supporting the Link Aggregation Control Protocol. When enabled, the server and switch talk to each other to agree on how to split traffic across all links. This dynamic setup helps maintain balanced network loads and can adapt to changes, like adding or removing NICs. However, you must ensure the switch ports are configured for LACP, or the team will not form properly. Consistency between host and switch settings is crucial for reliable performance.

In static link aggregation, you manually configure the switch and host with identical settings. There is no protocol handshake, so the team forms only if the configurations match exactly. This method can deliver good performance but lacks the automatic failover negotiation found in LACP. Because there is no dynamic check, if you misconfigure the switch, the team may not work at all. For this reason, many administrators prefer LACP for its self-correcting nature.

To set up NIC teaming on a Hyper-V host, you can use PowerShell or Hyper-V Manager. For example, the New-NetLbfoTeam cmdlet in PowerShell lets you create a team by specifying member adapters and the desired mode. In Hyper-V Manager, you select the host’s networking settings and add a new team with a few clicks. After creating the team, use Add-VMNetworkAdapter to attach a virtual NIC to a VM and bind it to the team. Ensuring that both host and guest settings align prevents mismatches and traffic issues.

Validating performance and health is just as important as configuring the team. Use Get-NetLbfoTeam and Get-NetLbfoTeamMember to check team status and member health. The Get-NetAdapter cmdlet shows real-time link speeds and error rates for each NIC. For deeper analysis, tools like Performance Monitor track throughput over time, highlighting bottlenecks or uneven traffic distribution. Regular checks help maintain optimal performance and quickly identify problems before they impact critical workloads.

Conclusion

Configuring NIC teaming on Hyper-V hosts and guest VMs is key to achieving high availability and better network performance in Azure hybrid environments. By grouping multiple NICs, teams offer redundancy and can handle higher traffic loads than a single adapter. Choosing the right mode—switch-independent, LACP, or static—depends on your switch capabilities and management preferences.

PowerShell and Hyper-V Manager make it straightforward to create and manage teams, while Get-NetLbfoTeam and related cmdlets help confirm team health. Continuous monitoring with Performance Monitor or similar tools ensures that traffic remains balanced and that any adapter failures are detected immediately. This proactive approach reduces downtime and keeps applications running smoothly.

In summary, understanding teaming modes, aligning host and VM settings, and validating through PowerShell and monitoring tools builds a resilient network foundation. These best practices are essential for administrators preparing for the AZ-800 exam and for anyone managing mission-critical services in a Windows Server hybrid core infrastructure.