Configuring network interfaces will be faster if you plan ahead. Use the information in the following table to determine the network interface configuration that is necessary for your organization.
Decisions to make
|
Your options
|
Considerations
|
|---|
Whether you need to configure additional physical network interfaces
|
During the setup program, configuration of at least one physical interface is required.
|
You can configure additional physical interfaces after setup if they are needed.
|
Whether to configure one or more virtual interfaces
|
You can configure up to eight virtual interfaces.
|
Advantages of using virtual interfaces are as follows:
- Higher throughput because of multiple interfaces working as one interface.
- Fault tolerance. If one interface in a trunk goes down, the appliance can still stay connected to the network using the other interfaces.
- Protection against a switch becoming a single point of failure.
|
Whether you need to change the state of a physical interface
|
The state of any interface configured during setup is up by default.
|
- You must bring down any physical interface that is to be configured as part of a virtual interface.
- Before performing maintenance on the link, bring the interface down. When your work is complete, bring the interface back up.
|
