3.30 Super Dual Ethernet

[!IMPORTANT] This page is intended for the Seeed reComputer Super carrier-board family, such as reComputer Super J4011. The dual Ethernet configuration is specific to the Super family.

Introduction

The reComputer Super features dual RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet ports, providing high-speed networking capabilities. This dual Ethernet configuration enables a variety of advanced networking scenarios, such as network redundancy, load balancing, and segmentation.

Dual Ethernet Ports

Hardware Overview

The reComputer Super is equipped with two Gigabit Ethernet ports, allowing for flexible network configurations:

  • Port 1: Primary Ethernet port
  • Port 2: Secondary Ethernet port

Ethernet Speed Test

There are 2 LEDs (green and yellow) on each Ethernet port:

  • Green LED: ON only when connected to 1000M/10G network.
  • Yellow LED: Shows the network activity status.

Basic Network Configuration

Check Network Interfaces

To view the available network interfaces, open a terminal and run:

bash
ifconfig

You should see two Ethernet interfaces, typically named eth0 and eth1.

Configure Network Settings

You can configure network settings through the Ubuntu desktop interface or via the command line.

Via Desktop Interface

  1. Click on the network icon in the top-right corner
  2. Select "Wired Settings"
  3. Click on the gear icon next to each Ethernet connection to configure settings

Via Command Line

To configure network settings via the command line, you can edit the netplan configuration file:

bash
sudo nano /etc/netplan/01-network-manager-all.yaml

Advanced Network Scenarios

Network Redundancy

Configure both Ethernet ports to connect to the same network for redundancy. If one port fails, the other will continue to provide network connectivity.

Network Segmentation

Use the dual Ethernet ports to connect to different networks:

  • Port 1: Connect to the internal network for management
  • Port 2: Connect to an external network for data transfer

Load Balancing

Configure both Ethernet ports to work together for increased bandwidth and load balancing.

Network Address Translation (NAT)

Use one Ethernet port as the WAN interface and the other as the LAN interface to create a NAT gateway.

Network Performance Testing

Test Network Speed

Use iperf3 to test network performance:

  1. Install iperf3:
bash
sudo apt install iperf3
  1. On the server side:
bash
iperf3 -s
  1. On the client side:
bash
iperf3 -c <server-ip>

Troubleshooting

Ethernet Port Not Detected

  • Ensure the Ethernet cable is properly connected
  • Check that the network cable is functional
  • Verify that the network driver is installed

Slow Network Speed

  • Check for network congestion
  • Verify that you're using Cat5e or Cat6 cables for Gigabit speeds
  • Ensure the network switch supports Gigabit Ethernet

Further Reading