Configuring Port Channels; Information About Port Channels; Understanding Port Channels - Cisco Nexus 3548 Configuration Manual

Configuring Port Channels

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Information About Port Channels

A port channel bundles individual interfaces into a group to provide increased bandwidth and redundancy.
Port channeling also load balances traffic across these physical interfaces. The port channel stays operational
as long as at least one physical interface within the port channel is operational.
You create a port channel by bundling compatible interfaces. You can configure and run either static port
channels or port channels running the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP).
Any configuration changes that you apply to the port channel are applied to each member interface of that
port channel. For example, if you configure Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) parameters on the port channel,
Cisco NX-OS applies those parameters to each interface in the port channel.
You can use static port channels, with no associated protocol, for a simplified configuration. For more efficient
use of the port channel, you can use the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP), which is defined in IEEE
802.3ad. When you use LACP, the link passes protocol packets.
Related Topics

Understanding Port Channels

Using port channels, Cisco NX-OS provides wider bandwidth, redundancy, and load balancing across the
channels.
You can collect ports into a static port channel or you can enable the Link Aggregation Control Protocol
(LACP). Configuring port channels with LACP requires slightly different steps than configuring static port
channels. For information on port channel configuration limits, see the Verified Scalability document for your
platform. For more information about load balancing, see
Information About Port Channels, on page 39
Configuring Port Channels, on page 46
Verifying Port Channel Configuration, on page 54
Verifying the Load-Balancing Outgoing Port ID , on page 55
LACP Overview, on page 43
Cisco Nexus 3548 Switch NX-OS Interfaces Configuration Guide, Release 9x
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C H A P T E R
Load Balancing Using Port Channels, on page 42.
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