User`s guide

226 XgOS User’s Guide • September 2014
Note – In many ways, configuration and management of LAGs is similar to
configuration and management of Ethernet ports.
Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)
The OVN implementation of LAG supports Link Aggregation Control Protocol
(LACP) to manage link aggregation. LACP allows a network device to negotiate an
automatic bundling of links by sending LACP packets to the peer device, which
must also support LACP. the Oracle Fabric Interconnect supports static and dynamic
LAGs. The presence of LACP in the LAG determines whether it is static or dynamic
LAG. The following table summarizes how LACP applies to static and dynamic
LAGs.
With LACP, ports are dynamically added and removed from the LAG:
■ Ports are added when they respond to the peer’s LACP packet, which is sent
continuously at regular intervals.
■ Ports are deleted by timing out if they do not answer the LACP packet in a timely
manner.
LACP is included in IEEE specification as a method to control the bundling of
several physical ports together to form a single logical channel. LACP is a subset of
the IEE 802.3ad standard.
Port Assignment in the LAG
When you initially create a LAG, you must specify at least one of the 10-Port GE
modules ports. After the LAG is created, you can add individual ports to the LAG.
LACP Used? Type of LAG Comments
No Static When using a static LAG, LACP must be disabled. LACP is not used in static LAGs,
and ports are and deleted manually.
Yes Dynamic When using a dynamic LAG, LACP must be enabled. When LACP is enabled, the
Oracle Fabric Interconnect does not initiate LACP packets, but does understand
incoming LACP packets, which act similar to a heartbeat between the Oracle Fabric
Interconnect ports and the ports on the peer device. The peer device initiates
negotiation by periodically sending out an LACP packet. The Oracle Fabric
Interconnect receives and replies to the packet, eventually forming the LAG based
on which ports respond to the LACP packet.