Link Aggregation
•There are scenarios in which more bandwidth or redundancy between devices is needed than what can be provided by a single link. Multiple links could be connected between devices to increase bandwidth. However, Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), which is enabled on Layer 2 devices like Cisco switches by default, will block redundant links to prevent switching loops.
•A link aggregation technology is needed that allows redundant links between devices that will not be blocked by STP. That technology is known as EtherChannel.
•EtherChannel is a link aggregation technology that groups multiple physical Ethernet links together into one single logical link. It is used to provide fault-tolerance, load sharing, increased bandwidth, and redundancy between switches, routers, and servers.
•EtherChannel technology makes it possible to combine the number of physical links between the switches to increase the overall speed of switch-to-switch communication.
EtherChannel technology was originally developed by Cisco as a LAN switch-to-switch technique of grouping several Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet ports into one logical channel.
When an EtherChannel is configured, the resulting virtual interface is called a port channel. The physical interfaces are bundled together into a port channel interface, as shown in above figure.
Advantages of EtherChannel
EtherChannel technology has many advantages, including the following:
•Most configuration tasks can be done on the EtherChannel interface instead of on each individual port, ensuring configuration consistency throughout the links.
•EtherChannel relies on existing switch ports. There is no need to upgrade the link to a faster and more expensive connection to have more bandwidth.
•Load balancing takes place between links that are part of the same EtherChannel.
•EtherChannel creates an aggregation that is seen as one logical link. When several EtherChannel bundles exist between two switches, STP may block one of the bundles to prevent switching loops. When STP blocks one of the redundant links, it blocks the entire EtherChannel. This blocks all the ports belonging to that EtherChannel link. Where there is only one EtherChannel link, all physical links in the EtherChannel are active because STP sees only one (logical) link.
•EtherChannel provides redundancy because the overall link is seen as one logical connection. Additionally, the loss of one physical link within the channel does not create a change in the topology.
