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The heartbeat connection is first in the TCP/IP binding order and not the public connection

[This topic is intended to address a specific issue called out by the Exchange Server Analyzer Tool. You should apply it only to systems that have had the Exchange Server Analyzer Tool run against them and are experiencing that specific issue. The Exchange Server Analyzer Tool, available as a free download, remotely collects configuration data from each server in the topology and automatically analyzes the data. The resulting report details important configuration issues, potential problems, and nondefault product settings. By following these recommendations, you can achieve better performance, scalability, reliability, and uptime. For more information about the tool or to download the latest versions, see "Microsoft Exchange Analyzers" at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=34707.]  

Topic Last Modified: 2005-11-18

The Microsoft® Exchange Server Analyzer Tool queries two Microsoft Windows® Management Instrumentation (WMI) classes to do the following:

  • The Win32_NetworkConfiguration WMI class is queried to determine the value of the SettingID key for all network interfaces in the cluster. The value for the SettingsID key is a GUID that represents a unique network adapter.

  • The Win32_NetworkAdapter WMI class is queried to determine which network adapters are being used for private network communications in an Exchange cluster. The private network is used for internal cluster communications, including the cluster heartbeat.

  • The Exchange Server Analyzer also examines the following registry value to determine the network adapters binding order:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Linkage\Bind

The Bind registry value is a multi-string value that contains a list of network adapters in binding order. The first entry in the list is the first bound network adapter; the second entry is the second network adapter in the binding order; and so forth.

If the Exchange Server Analyzer determines that the cluster heartbeat network adapter is first in the binding order, a warning is displayed.

To resolve this problem, make sure that the public network adapter is the first binding at the top of the binding list. If you have multiple public network adapters, make sure that the private heartbeat network adapter is listed last. If the heartbeat network adapter is listed first, it can prevent the correct installation of service packs and upgrades.

To correct this warning

  1. In the Network Connections window, click Advanced, and then click Advanced Settings.

  2. Click the Adapters and Bindings tab.

  3. In the Connections field, select the private network adapter and use the down arrow to move the private network adapter to the bottom of the list.

  4. Repeat these steps for each node in the cluster.

For more information about the optimal network configuration for Windows server clusters, see "Server Clusters: Network Configuration Best Practices for Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=34304)

For more information about the correct cluster heartbeat configuration, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 258750, "Recommended Private 'Heartbeat' Configuration on a Cluster Server" (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=3052&kbid=258750).