Information About Port Channels; Understanding Port Channels - Cisco AJ732A - MDS 9134 Fabric Switch Configuration Manual

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Configuring Port Channels
This chapter describes how to configure port channels and to apply and configure the Link Aggregation
Control Protocol (LACP) for more efficient use of port channels in Cisco NX-OS.
This chapter includes the following sections:
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Information About Port Channels

A port channel bundles up to eight 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 ports channels running the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP). (See
LACP" section on page 11-4
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, the 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.
This section includes the following topics:
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Understanding Port Channels

Using port channels, Cisco NX-OS provides wider bandwidth, redundancy, and load balancing across
the channels.
OL-16597-01
Information About Port Channels, page 11-1
Configuring Port Channels, page 11-7
Verifying Port-Channel Configuration, page 11-12
for information on LACP.)
Understanding Port Channels, page 11-1
Compatibility Requirements, page 11-2
Load Balancing Using Port Channels, page 11-3
Understanding LACP, page 11-4
C H A P T E R
Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switch CLI Software Configuration Guide
11
"Understanding
11-1