Plug and Play network support

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Plug and Play network support

Using the Plug and Play technology built into Windows Server 2003 family operating systems, the Cluster service detects the addition and removal of TCP/IP networking components. For example, the Cluster service can detect the following events:

  • Addition or removal of network adapters

  • Binding or unbinding the TCP/IP protocol stack to a network adapter

  • Addition or release of a DHCP-assigned or static Internet protocol (IP) address

When a new network adapter is added to the computer and bound to TCP/IP using a subnet not already in use by the Cluster service, the Cluster service adds a network interface object to the cluster. If the network interface is connected to a new network, the Cluster service also adds a new network object to the cluster. You do not need to restart the Cluster service for these changes to take place. By default, the newly created interface and network objects are used for mixed communication, that is for both client and internal cluster communication.

Similarly, if a TCP/IP stack is removed, the Cluster service removes the corresponding network interface object from the cluster. If that network interface is the last interface connected to a network, the Cluster service removes the network object from the cluster.

If one network adapter is removed from a node, all IP Address resources dependent on that adapter will attempt to failover to another node. If all network adapters in the cluster are removed (that is, reconfigured or connected to a different physical network), all dependent IP Address resources go offline and are "orphaned," that is, their associated network is empty. If another network adapter is then added and assigned to the same subnet as the orphaned IP Address resource, the resource is reassociated with the "new" network; it is new in the sense that it has a different GUID and is a new instance of a network that has the same properties as the "old" network.

For more information on configuring network objects, see Setting network properties. For more information on configuring network interface objects, see Setting network interface properties.