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QNAP

QSS and QSS Pro

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Adding a link aggregation group (LAG)

The Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) allows you to combine multiple switching ports into a single logical network interface. This ensures increased throughput and provides redundancy. In case of port failure, traffic continues on the remaining ports.

The Link Aggregation page displays information about existing link aggregation groups and provides access to configuration options.

Warning:

To prevent network loop errors during the LAG configuration process, do not connect the switch to other devices using more than one network cable until after you have configured LAGs on all the devices. You can enable loop protection to avoid network loops in the connected network.

  1. Log in to the switch system.
  2. Go to Configuration > Link Aggregation.
  3. Identify a group.
  4. Click .

    The Edit Group window opens.

  5. Configure the group settings.

    Setting

    Description

    Mode

    Controls the link aggregation mode for the group

    • LACP: Uses IEEE 802.3ad protocol to send Link Aggregation Control Protocol Data Units (LACPDUs) to connected devices to establish a link aggregation. This allows you to control the bundling of several physical links into a logical link.

    • Static: Establishes link aggregation without the LACP protocol

    Important:

    Ensure that you configure the LAG before connecting cables to the switch to avoid creating a data loop.

    Port Configuration

    Specifies which ports are included in the group

    Note:

    Ensure that you configure the same settings for all the member ports in a LAG.
  6. Click Save.

    The Edit Group window closes.

  7. Configure the load-balancing algorithm settings.
    Note:

    Load-balancing algorithm configuration is only accessible in QSS 4.x, QSS Pro 4.x, and later versions.

    The selected load-balancing algorithm for LAGs dictates traffic distribution across member links, influencing factors like throughput optimization and redundancy effectiveness.

    1. Next to Load balance algorithm, click .

      The Load-Balancing Algorithm Settings window appears.

    2. Select the algorithm.
    3. Click Save.

      The Load balance algorithm window closes.

The switch applies the LAG settings.

Note:

When assigning a LAG to a VLAN, QNAP recommends removing individual LAG port members from the VLAN, and then adding the entire group to the VLAN as required. If individual port members are not removed, the VLAN is reset to its default settings.