Link Aggregation - Dell PowerConnect 5316M User Manual

Fast Link
STP can take up to 30-60 seconds to converge. During this time, STP detects possible loops,
allowing time for status changes to propagate and for relevant Ethernet Switch Modules to
respond. 30-60 seconds is considered too long of a response time for many applications. The Fast
Link option bypasses this delay, and can be used in network topologies where forwarding loops do
not occur.
For more information enabling Fast Link for ports and LAGs, see "Defining STP Port Settings" or
"Defining STP LAG Settings."
IEEE 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree
Spanning Tree can take 30-60 seconds for each host to decide whether its ports are actively
forwarding traffic. Rapid Spanning Tree (RSTP) detects uses of network topologies to enable faster
convergence, without creating forwarding loops.
For more information, see "Configuring Rapid Spanning Tree."

Link Aggregation

For more information, see "Aggregating Ports."
Link Aggregation
Up to six Aggregated Links may be defined, each with up to six member ports, to form a single Link
Aggregated Group (LAG). This enables:
• Fault tolerance protection from physical link disruption
• Higher bandwidth connections
• Improved bandwidth granularity
• High bandwidth server connectivity
LAG is composed of ports with the same speed, set to full-duplex operation.
NOTE:
Only the six external port can be added to LAG.
For more information, see "Defining LAG Membership."
Link Aggregation and LACP
LACP uses peer exchanges across links to determine, on an ongoing basis, the aggregation
capability of various links, and continuously provides the maximum level of aggregation capability
achievable between a given pair of systems. LACP automatically determines, configures, binds and
monitors the port binding to aggregators within the system.
For more information, see "Defining LACP Parameters."
14
Introduction