Aggregate network interfaces

It is possible to aggregate multiple physical Ethernet interfaces into a single virtual interface. This is known as Channel Bonding on Linux® and EtherChannel/IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation on AIX®.

GPFS supports by using such aggregate interfaces. The main benefit is increased bandwidth. The aggregated interface has the network bandwidth close to the total bandwidth of all its physical adapters. Another benefit is improved fault tolerance. If a physical adapter fails, the packets are automatically sent on the next available adapter without service disruption.

EtherChannel and IEEE802.3ad each requires support within the Ethernet switch. Refer to the product documentation for your switch to determine if EtherChannel is supported.

For details on how to configure EtherChannel and IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation and verify whether the adapter and the switch are operating with the correct protocols for IEEE 802.3ad, consult the operating system documentation.

Hint: Make certain that the switch ports are configured for LACP (the default is PAGP).
For additional service updates regarding the use of EtherChannel:
  1. Go to the IBM® Support Portal (www.ibm.com/support).
  2. In the Search box, enter the search term EtherChannel.
  3. Click Search.
Hint: A useful command for troubleshooting, where device is the Link Aggregation device, is: 
entstat -d device