Implementation may follow vendor-independent standards such as Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) for Ethernet, defined in IEEE 802. 3ad, but also proprietary protocols. Link aggregation increases the bandwidth and resilience of Ethernet. In computer networking, link aggregation is the combining (aggregating) of multiple network connections in parallel by any of several methods. Link aggregation increases total bandwidth beyond what a single connection could sustain, and provides redundancy where all but one of the physical links. An aggregation switch is a network device that consolidates traffic from multiple access switches, wireless access points, or other edge devices and forwards it to core switches or routers. It included the possibility of an automatic and negotiated configuration between peers at each end of a link. By combining multiple switches into a cohesive system, organizations can improve efficiency, scalability, and management.
[PDF Version]