Overview of Link Aggregation

Link aggregation, or IEEE 802.3ad, is a computer networking term which describes using multiple Ethernet network cables/ports in parallel to increase the link speed beyond the limits of any one single cable or port, and provide redundancy for higher availability. Other terms used to describe Link Aggregation include "Ethernet trunk", "NIC teaming", "port teaming", "port trunking", "EtherChannel", "Multi-Link Trunking (MLT)", "DMLT", "SMLT", "DSMLT", "R-SMLT", "NIC bonding", "Network Fault Tolerance (NFT)" and "link aggregate group" (LAG).

"Link Aggregation." Wikipedia.com. 19 May 2006
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_aggregation

More Information on Link Aggregation

In shared storage, effective link aggregation works by load-balancing socket connections, also referred to as "conversations," across all of the ports that are aggregated together. On the server, each of the sockets can be routed over a different port, and this provides an evenly-loaded network with a high aggregate bandwidth.

Link Aggregation provides an inexpensive and effective way to increase network bandwidth to and from the server. This enables improved work flow by allowing all connected clients to more efficiently access files on the server, supporting a larger number of clients.

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