> # About Ethernet PortChannel Aggregation

> Ethernet PortChannels refer to the aggregation of multiple physical Gigabit Ethernet interfaces into one logical Ethernet interface to provide link redundancy and, in some cases, higher aggregated bandwidth and load balancing.

> An Ethernet switch connecting to the MDS switch Gigabit Ethernet port can implement load balancing based on the IP address, IP address and UDP/TCP port number, or MAC address. Due to the load balancing scheme, the data traffic from one TCP connection is always sent out on the same physical Gigabit Ethernet port of an Ethernet PortChannel. For the traffic coming to the MDS, an Ethernet switch can implement load balancing based on its IP address, its source-destination MAC address, or its IP address and port. The data traffic from one TCP connection always travels on the same physical links. To make use of both ports for the outgoing direction, multiple TCP connections are required.

> All FCIP data traffic for one FCIP link is carried on one TCP connection. Consequently, the aggregated bandwidth is 1 Gbps for that FCIP link.

> Note The Cisco Ethernet switch’s PortChannel should be configured as a static PortChannel, and not the default 802.3ad protocol.

> Ethernet PortChannels can only aggregate two physical interfaces that are adjacent to each other on a given IPS module .

> Note PortChannel members must be one of these combinations: ports 1–2, ports 3–4, ports 5–6, or ports 7–8.

> Note PortChannel interfaces provide configuration options for both Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel. However, based on the PortChannel membership, only Gigabit Ethernet parameters or Fibre Channel parameters are applicable.

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