CHAPTER
27-1
Catalyst 2950 Desktop Switch Software Configuration Guide
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27

Configuring EtherChannels

This cha pter descri bes how to configure Ether Channel on Layer 2 interfaces. EtherCha nnel provi des
fault-to lerant high- speed links betw een switc hes, ro uters, and ser vers. You can use it to inc rease th e
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.
Note For comple te syntax and us age inform ation for the co mmands used in this chapter, refer to th e command
refere nce fo r thi s r ele ase.
This chapter consists of these sections:
Understa ndin g Et herCh an nels, p ag e 27- 1
Configuring E ther Cha nn els, p age 27-7
Displayin g EtherChan nel and PAgP Status, page 27-11

Understandin g EtherChann els

An EtherCh annel consi sts of individual Fast Ethe rnet or Giga bit Ethern et links bundled int o a single
logical li nk as sh ow n in Figure 27-1. The EtherChannel provides full-duplex bandwidth up to 800 Mbps
(Fast EtherChannel) or 2 Gbps (Gigabit EtherChannel) between your switch and another switch or host.