Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)

Link Aggregation Control Protocol, or LACP, is a standardised network protocol used to dynamically combine multiple physical network connections into a single logical link. It forms part of the IEEE 802.1AX standard and enables compatible network devices to automatically identify suitable links and combine them into a Link Aggregation Group. This can increase available bandwidth and provide connection redundancy. If an individual link within the group fails, network traffic can continue across the remaining active connections. LACP also monitors the status of participating links and supports consistent configuration between connected devices. The protocol is commonly used between switches, servers and other network components and supports high-performance, highly available network architectures in enterprise networks and data centres.