Changing the alternate address

To specify a MAC address for your EtherChannel or Link Aggregation, follow these steps.

1. Depending on which version of AIX® you are running, you might have to detach the interface:
   • On AIX 5.2 with 5200-01 and earlier, type smitty chinet and select the interface belonging to your EtherChannel. Change the Current STATE attribute to detach, and press Enter.
   • On AIX 5L Version 5.2 with the 5200-03 Recommended Maintenance package and later, you can change the alternate address of the EtherChannel without detaching its interface.
2. On the command line, type smitty etherchannel.
3. Select Change / Show Characteristics of an EtherChannel and press Enter.
4. If you have multiple EtherChannels, select the EtherChannel for which you want to create an alternate address.
5. Change the value in Enable Alternate EtherChannel Address to yes.
6. Enter the alternate address in the Alternate EtherChannel Address field. The address must start with 0x and be a 12-digit hexadecimal address (for example, 0x001122334455).
7. Press Enter to complete the process.
   Note: Changing the EtherChannel's MAC address at runtime can cause a temporary loss of connectivity. This is because the adapters need to be reset so they learn the new hardware address, and some adapters take a few seconds to be initialized.