Filter
Top Products
Network > Interfaces
239
SonicOS 5.8.1 Administrator Guide
Link Aggregation
Link Aggregation is used to increase the available bandwidth between the firewall and a switch
by aggregating up to four interfaces into a single aggregate link, referred to as a Link
Aggregation Group (LAG). All ports in an aggregate link must be connected to the same switch.
The firewall uses a round-robin algorithm for load balancing traffic across the interfaces in a
Link Aggregation Group. Link Aggregation also provides a measure of redundancy, in that if one
interface in the LAG goes down, the other interfaces remain connected.
Link Aggregation is referred to using different terminology by different vendors, including Port
Channel, Ether Channel, Trunk, and Port Grouping.
Link Aggregation failover
SonicWALL provides multiple methods for protecting against loss of connectivity in the case of
a link failure, including High Availability (HA), Load Balancing Groups (LB Groups), and now
Link Aggregation. If all three of these features are configured on a firewall, the following order
of precedence is followed in the case of a link failure:
1. High Availability
2. Link Aggregation
3. Load Balancing Groups
HA takes precedence over Link Aggregation. Becau
se each link in the LAG carries an equal
share of the load, the loss of a link on the Active firewall will force a failover to the Idle firewall
(if all of its links remain connected). Physical monitoring needs to be configured only on the
primary aggregate port.
When Link Aggregation is used with a LB Group, Link Aggregation takes precedence. LB will
take over only if all the ports in the aggregate link are down.
Link Aggregation Limitations
• Currently only static addressing is supported for Link Aggregation
• The Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) is currently not supported
Link Aggregation Configuration
To configure Link Aggregation, perform the following tasks:
1. On the Network > Interfaces page, click the configure icon for the interface that is to be
designated the master of the Link Aggregation Group. The Edit Interface window displays.