dual homing

Dual homing connects a device—such as a server, switch, or router—to two separate network switches or routers, ensuring continuous connectivity even if one path fails. This redundancy minimizes downtime and enhances network resilience, making it a common strategy in data centers, enterprise networks, and service provider environments.

Beyond redundancy, dual homing can enable load balancing, traffic optimization, and network segmentation. Implementation typically involves protocols like Spanning Tree (STP), link aggregation (LAG), and dynamic routing to manage failover and optimize performance.

Best practices include using diverse physical paths, regularly testing failover mechanisms, and monitoring for optimal performance. Dual homing is essential for mission-critical deployments requiring uninterrupted network access.