Cisco N7K-C7010 Configuration Guide - Page 159

Chapter 6 Configuring Port Channels Information About Port Channels Send document comments to [email protected] Port Channels A port channel bundles physical links into a channel group to create a single logical link that provides the aggregate bandwidth of up to 8 physical links on the M series module. If a member port within a port channel fails, the traffic previously carried over the failed link switches to the remaining member ports within the port channel. Note Beginning with Cisco NX-OS Release 5.1, you can bundle up to 16 active ports simultaneously into a port channel on the F Series module. You can bundle up to 8 ports into a static port channel without using any aggregation protocol. On the M Series module, you can bundle up to 8 active and 8 standby on the M Series module and up to 16 ports on the F Series module. However, you can enable the LACP to use port channels more flexibly. Configuring port channels with LACP and static port channels require a slightly different procedure (see the "Configuring Port Channels" section on page 6-15). Note The device does not support Port Aggregation Protocol (PAgP) for port channels. Each port can be in only one port channel. All the ports in a port channel must be compatible; they must use the same speed and duplex mode (see the "Compatibility Requirements" section on page 6-5). When you run static port channels with no aggregation protocol, the physical links are all in the on channel mode; you cannot change this mode without enabling LACP (see the "Port-Channel Modes" section on page 6-9). You can create port channels directly by creating the port-channel interface, or you can create a channel group that acts to aggregate individual ports into a bundle. When you associate an interface with a channel group, the software creates a matching port channel automatically if the port channel does not already exist. In this instance, the port channel assumes the Layer 2 or Layer 3 configuration of the first interface. You can also create the port channel first. In this instance, the Cisco DC-OS software creates an empty channel group with the same channel number as the port channel and takes the default Layer 2 or Layer 3 configuration, as well as the compatibility configuration (see the "Compatibility Requirements" section on page 6-5). See Chapter 4, "Configuring Layer 3 Interfaces," for more information on creating and deleting port-channel subinterfaces. Note The port channel is operationally up when at least one of the member ports is up and that port's status is channeling. The port channel is operationally down when all member ports are operationally down. Port-Channel Interfaces Figure 6-1 shows port-channel interfaces. OL-23435-03 Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS Interfaces Configuration Guide, Release 5.x 6-3