Dual Network Cards

In our migration at work we ran into an interesting use case with our first workstation migration — a desire to use dual network cards.

In this use case we want the workstation to remain connected to the office subnet. We also want the ability to configure embedded devices.

I refuse to succumb to the so-called predictable naming scheme for network cards. I use the net.ifnames=0 biosdevname=0 boot parameters. That provides me familiar ethX card assignments.

After migrating the first workstation, the network card booted as eth0. Unlike our laptops that only use NetworkManager (NM), I configured the workstation with a fixed IP address using a traditional /etc/network/interfaces file.

Adding a second card caused nominal temporary system confusion, but I was prepared. Some quick tweaks with the familiar udev 70-persistent-net.rules file resolved the conflict.

For once NM played nicely with our needs. I configured NM to only use eth1 with the preconfigured connections we need to support the embedded devices.

The workstation remains connected to the office subnet through eth0. With a fixed IP address that connection never is interrupted.

Posted: Category: Usability Tagged: Migrate, Ubuntu

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