Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10 User Guide Release 10.5.0

Port-channel interfaces

Port-channels are not configured by default. Link aggregation (LA) is a method of grouping multiple physical interfaces into a single logical interface — a link aggregation group (LAG) or port-channel. A port-channel aggregates the bandwidth of member links, provides redundancy, and load balances traffic. If a member port fails, the OS10 device redirects traffic to the remaining ports.

A physical interface can belong to only one port-channel at a time. A port-channel must contain interfaces of the same interface type and speed. OS10 supports a maximum of 128 port-channels, with up to thirty-two ports per channel.

To configure a port-channel, use the same configuration commands as the Ethernet port interfaces. Port-channels are transparent to network configurations and manage as a single interface. For example, configure one IP address for the group, and use the IP address for all routed traffic on the port-channel.

By configuring port channels, you can create larger capacity interfaces by aggregating a group of lower-speed links. For example, you can build a 40G interface by aggregating four 10G Ethernet interfaces together. If one of the four interfaces fails, traffic redistributes across the three remaining interfaces.

Static

Port-channels are statically configured.

Dynamic

Port-channels are dynamically configured using Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP).

Member ports of a LAG are added and programmed into the hardware based on the port ID, instead of the order the ports come up. Load balancing yields predictable results across resets and reloads.