Local IP Takeover provides network link redundancy within a single server that has multiple network interface cards (NICs) with each NIC connected to separate network switches. If the primary NIC fails (i.e. it cannot ping its default gateway), the "service" IP (the IP that the outside world connects to) will automatically float to the secondary NIC and a specially crafted ARP (utilizing send_arp) will be broadcast on the local network, thereby instructing all other hosts to update their local ARP cache. The result is minimal service downtime. Plus, no manual intervention is required in the event that a network card, cable, or switch breaks.
