Deploying the Dell Force10 MXL into a Cisco Nexus Network Environment20Link Aggregation Group ConfigurationAs network switches interconnect more servers and other end nodes, a single active link betweendevices—especially between switches—often does not provide enough throughput or enough linkresiliency for the applications running on the network. A common solution for this is to use linkaggregation. A set of equal speed links connected between two devices can be configured to behave asa single connection by spreading traffic out over the participating links and keeping the aggregateconnection active as long as there is at least one active member link for the group. This is called a LAG(Link Aggregation Group).LAGs, while sometimes used between a server and a switch, are more often used between two switchesas they are in the example network presented in this document. The MXL can support up to 16 links ina single LAG. The steps to configure one of the LAGs in the example network are shown below.Configure the Link Aggregation Port ChannelMXL1#configureMXL1(conf)#interface port-channel 20MXL1(conf-if-po-20)#switchportMXL1(conf-if-po-20)#exitMXL1(conf)#exitMXL1#Configure the Link Aggregation Member InterfacesMXL1#configureMXL1(conf)#interface range tengigabitethernet 0/33 - 36MXL1(conf-if-range-te-0/33-36)#port-channel-protocol lacpMXL1(conf-if-range-te-0/33-36-lacp)#port-channel 20 mode activeMXL1(conf-if-range-te-0/33-36-lacp)#exitMXL1(conf-if-range-te-0/33-36)#no shutdownMXL1(conf-if-range-te-0/33-36)#exitMXL1(conf)#exitMXL1#! Note – observations have shown that the default hashing method on the Cisco Nexus may need to bechanged in order to perform in the expected manner. In some instances the testing performed was ableto show a marked bandwidth increase in a 4–port LAG by setting the “port-channel load-balanceethernet source-dest-port” global setting on a Cisco Nexus switch.