Specifying Network Adapter Provides Full Control of Your Connections

Force Ethernet communications to use a specific NIC

The ability to specify a Network Interface Card (NIC) in the TOP Server configuration for each channel enables changing the assigned network adapter for a connection on the run.

This is useful for a number of reasons, not the least of which includes supporting redundant networks using the Media-Level Redundancy plug-in.

This also makes it possible to monitor and change which network adapter is used by the channel for communications from any client application.

Bypass default operating system binding order by specifying a NIC

By selecting a specific NIC, users will be able to force the driver to send all Ethernet communication through the specified NIC. In this fashion, the normal operating system binding order is completely bypassed. This ensures that users have control over how the network operates and thus eliminates any guesswork, in the event that the default binding order isn't configured correctly.

The selections shown in the Network Adapter drop-down menu depend on three things:

1. The network configuration settings
2. The number of unique NICs installed in the PC
3. The number of unique IPs assigned to the NICs.

To allow the operating system to choose the NIC, keep "Default" selected as the network adapter. This allows the driver to use the operating system's normal binding order to choose the NIC that will be used.  We recommend consulting your IT department for any decision related to NIC binding order on your systems.