802.3ad

Dec 27 2008   6:19AM GMT

Cisco Etherchannel Overview and how it can be configured in Cisco Catalyst Switches – Series 3

Posted by: Yasir Irfan
Networking, Switches, Cisco, IEEE, Switching, Cisco IOS, Cisco 2960, Cisco 2950, Cisco 6500, Cisco Tips, Cisco 3560, Cisco Learning, Cisco 3750-E, Cisco Systems, Etherchannel, Cisco 6500 Series Catalyst Switch, 802.3ad, Etherchannel configuration, Etherchannel restrictions, Protocol, PAGP, LACP, Port Aggregation Protocol, Link Aggregation Control Protocol

Dear Friends, hope everyone is having great holidays, have fun. In my previous post  I was focusing on some of the limitations of Etherchannel. Now let’s proceed a step ahead and figure out about the Etherchannel negotiation protocols. Etherchannels can be negotiated between two Cisco Catalyst Switches  to provide some dynamic link configuration.

 Basically there are two types of protocols are available, which can be used to bundled the automated creation of an Etherchannel in the Cisco Catalyst Switches.

In upcomming post I will try to concentrate on automating the creation of an Etherchannel . Have fun and happy new year 2009.

Dec 15 2008   6:55AM GMT

Cisco Etherchannel Overview and how it can be configured in Cisco Catalyst Switches – Series 1

Posted by: Yasir Irfan
Networking, Switches, Cisco, IEEE, Switching, Routing and Switching, Cisco IOS, Cisco 6500, Cisco Tips, Etherchannel, Switching Secrets, 802.3ad, Kalpana, Layer 2 Etherchannel, Layer 3 Etherchannel, Etherchannel configuration, 10 GigaEtherchannel

Dear Friends in this upcoming series of posts I would like to concentrate on Etherchannel , what is Etherchannel? , what rules and restrictions are  applied to an Etherchannel and finally I will show you how to configure an Etherchannel in Cisco Switches both layer 2 as well as layer 3.

 

An Etherchannel combines multiple physical links into a single logical link that provides aggregate bandwidth of 800 MBPS (fast Etherchannel, full duplex) , 8 GBPS (Giga Etherchannel) or 80 Gbps (10 Giga Ethernet) . Ideal for load sharing or link redundancy – can be used by both layer 2 and Layer 3 subsystems and Etherchannel  can provide network managers with a reliable, high-speed solution for the campus network backbone. EtherChannel technology was invented by Kalpana in the early 1990s. They were later acquired by Cisco Systems in 1994. In 2000 the IEEE passed 802.3ad which is an open standard version of EtherChannel.

I would like to explain some key points about Etherchannel using graphical diagrams so that it’s easy understand and to remember.

 

Etherchannel  can be configured defined on Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Giga Ethernet or 10 Giga Ethernet ports.