Heavy traffic machine - second ethernet port?

[Corne Beerse]

Brian.Dieckman "at" sonydadc.com wrote:
> Hello.
>
> I have a server that is consistently busy with network activity, polling
> other machines for information almost continuously. I have tried to VNC or
> remote into the machine but the interface is incredibly slow and
> intolerable.
>
> I was wondering if it were possible to configure the second ethernet port
> as a "remote only" port, where only VNC or remote desktop traffic is passed
> through?
>
> If anyone has any idea how to accomplish this, I would be appreciative.
>   
My idea to do this is to enable the second nic. To avoid problems with 
settings and routing, best to use fixed ip-addresses on all nics. First 
give your active nic a fixed address. No, a reserved dhcp address can 
suit the need at the network side but the machine should NOT use dhcp to 
aviod problems, hence configure the address as fixed.

Once the first nic runs with the fixed address, get an other fixed 
address for the second nic and configure that. This address should not 
be registered in DNS with the same (fully qualified) name as the first 
one. Make it host_vnc or such.

Then configure it all the way and use the name host_vnc for the vnc 
connection.

Be noted, some bad designed or ill configured software cannot coop with 
2 nics at the same network. Then you'd best get a separate network for 
the second connection. This only needs to be a 'logic' network: own 
ip-range and if a gateway is needed, an own gateway. This can run on the 
same physical network. With the own ip-range, best also give it an own 
domain-name (this can be a sub-domain name like host.vnc.domain.name, 
where host.domain.name is the origional.).

Success,

CBee