ZyXEL XGS4700-48F User Guide - Page 179

CHAPTER 17 Link Aggregation This chapter shows you how to logically aggregate physical links to form one logical, higher-bandwidth link. 17.1 Link Aggregation Overview Link aggregation (trunking) is the grouping of physical ports into one logical higher-capacity link. You may want to trunk ports if for example, it is cheaper to use multiple lower-speed links than to under-utilize a high-speed, but more costly, single-port link. However, the more ports you aggregate then the fewer available ports you have. A trunk group is one logical link containing multiple ports. The beginning port of each trunk group must be physically connected to form a trunk group. The Switch supports both static and dynamic link aggregation. Note: In a properly planned network, it is recommended to implement static link aggregation only. This ensures increased network stability and control over the trunk groups on your Switch. See Section 17.6 on page 186 for a static port trunking example. 17.2 Dynamic Link Aggregation The Switch adheres to the IEEE 802.3ad standard for static and dynamic (LACP) port trunking. The Switch supports the link aggregation IEEE802.3ad standard. This standard describes the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP), which is a protocol that dynamically creates and manages trunk groups. XGS4700-48F User's Guide 179