What are the affects of this?

Among others, we have two Win2000 member servers: a Terminal Server
(application mode) and a File Server (also does dutues for Print+IIS+Parent
Antivirus+SUS+scheduled tasks/apps).

The servers are on a 10/100Mbps switched network.

For some strange reason, our boss would like us to consolidate everything
from the File Server on to the Terminal Server, citing reduced network
traffic. We managed to talk him out of it.

But he did make one "suggestion": put a 2nd NIC into each of the two servers
and connect it with a cross-over cable. So the end result is the two servers
would have two connections to each other: one is the cross-over cable, the
other is thru the switch.

I don't know how this affects the server. Could someone explain?
What if I were to, on each individual server, right click on the two Local
Area Connections and "Bridge" the connections? What are the affects? I
believe all traffic one NIC would then replicate on the other NIC, just like
a HUB?

On another somewhat related matter:
We have 2 switches connected via an ethernet cable. On one Win2000 server
that has 2 NICs, one NIC is attached to the first switch, the 2nd NIC is
attached to the 2nd switch. The Win2000 server behaves/works OK, though it
tends to prefer one NIC over the other. Can someone explain the pros/cons of
this particular situation?

ahhh the boss that *thinks* that he knows what he's doing. It's a tough job
when you spend more time justifying he's an idiot than designing and fixing
problems. Anyway, prove to him that the cross-over between the two are not
necessary. Put a packet sniffer on your network. You can setup a filter to
view just the traffic between the two. You'll see the utilization there.
You'll also see the network traffic over all, which will help in preventing
moving TS to the same box as everything else. It's strange he wants to do
that for network utilization reasons and not monetary.


"sysadmin" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Among others, we have two Win2000 member servers: a Terminal Server
> (application mode) and a File Server (also does dutues for
Print+IIS+Parent
> Antivirus+SUS+scheduled tasks/apps).
>
> The servers are on a 10/100Mbps switched network.
>
> For some strange reason, our boss would like us to consolidate everything
> from the File Server on to the Terminal Server, citing reduced network
> traffic. We managed to talk him out of it.
>
> But he did make one "suggestion": put a 2nd NIC into each of the two
servers
> and connect it with a cross-over cable. So the end result is the two
servers
> would have two connections to each other: one is the cross-over cable, the
> other is thru the switch.
>
> I don't know how this affects the server. Could someone explain?
> What if I were to, on each individual server, right click on the two Local
> Area Connections and "Bridge" the connections? What are the affects? I
> believe all traffic one NIC would then replicate on the other NIC, just
like
> a HUB?
>
> On another somewhat related matter:
> We have 2 switches connected via an ethernet cable. On one Win2000 server
> that has 2 NICs, one NIC is attached to the first switch, the 2nd NIC is
> attached to the 2nd switch. The Win2000 server behaves/works OK, though it
> tends to prefer one NIC over the other. Can someone explain the pros/cons
of
> this particular situation?
>
>
>