Understanding Etherchannels - Cisco Catalyst 2360 Software Configuration Manual

Configuring EtherChannels and Link-State
Tracking
This chapter describes how to configure EtherChannels on Layer 2 and Layer 3 ports on the
Catalyst 2360 switch. EtherChannel provides fault-tolerant high-speed links between switches, routers,
and servers. You can use it to increase the bandwidth between the wiring closets and the data center, and
you can deploy it anywhere in the network where bottlenecks are likely to occur. EtherChannel provides
automatic recovery for the loss of a link by redistributing the load across the remaining links. If a link
fails, EtherChannel redirects traffic from the failed link to the remaining links in the channel without
intervention. This chapter also describes how to configure link-state tracking.
For complete syntax and usage information for the commands used in this chapter, see the command
Note
reference for this release.
This chapter consists of these sections:
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Understanding EtherChannels

These sections describe how EtherChannels work:
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OL-19808-01
Understanding EtherChannels, page 26-1
Configuring EtherChannels, page 26-9
Displaying EtherChannel, PAgP, and LACP Status, page 26-17
Understanding Link-State Tracking, page 26-18
Configuring Link-State Tracking, page 26-21
EtherChannel Overview, page 26-2
Port-Channel Interfaces, page 26-4
Port Aggregation Protocol, page 26-5
Link Aggregation Control Protocol, page 26-6
EtherChannel On Mode, page 26-7
Load-Balancing and Forwarding Methods, page 26-8
C H A P T E R
Catalyst 2360 Switch Software Configuration Guide
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26-1