CHAPT ER
35-1
Catalyst 3560 Switch Software Configuration Guide
OL-8553-06
35
Configuring EtherChannels and Link-State Tracking
This chapter describes how to configure EtherChannels on Layer 2 and Layer 3 ports on the
Catalyst 3560 switch. EtherChannel provides fault-tolerant high-speed links between switches, routers,
and servers. You can use it to increase the bandwidth between the wiring closets and the data center, and
you can deploy it anywhere in the network where bottlenecks are likely to occur. EtherChannel provides
automatic recovery for the loss of a link by redistributing the load across the remaining links. If a link
fails, EtherChannel redirects traffic from the failed link to the remaining links in the channel without
intervention. This chapter also describes how to configure link-state tracking.
Note For complete syntax and usage information for the commands used in this chapter, see the command
reference for this release.
This chapter consists of these sections:
Understanding EtherChannels, page 35-1
Configuring EtherChannels, page 35-8
Displaying EtherChannel, PAgP, and LACP Status, page 35-20
Understanding Link-State Tracking, page 35-21
Configuring Link-State Tracking, page 35-23

Understanding EtherChannels

These sections describe how EtherChannels work:
EtherChannel Overview, page 35-2
Port-Channel Interfaces, page 35-3
Port Aggregation Protocol, page 35-4
Link Aggregation Control Protocol, page 35-5
EtherChannel On Mode, page 35-6
Load Balancing and Forwarding Methods, page 35-7