EtherChannel

EtherChannel is a Cisco technology that combines multiple physical Ethernet connections into a single logical link. This can increase the available bandwidth between network devices such as switches or servers while providing additional redundancy. If an individual connection within the EtherChannel fails, network traffic can continue to use the remaining links. EtherChannel can be established and managed using the standardised Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) or Cisco’s proprietary Port Aggregation Protocol (PAgP). The bundled connections are treated by the network as a single logical interface. EtherChannel is commonly used in enterprise networks and data centres where high-performance and resilient connections between network components are required.