Setting Up a Link Aggregation

In general, a link aggregation (LAGG) is a method of combining (aggregating) multiple network connections in parallel to provide additional bandwidth or redundancy for critical networking situations. TrueNAS uses lagg(4) to manage LAGGs.

To set up a LAGG, from the Network screen:

1. Click Add in the Interfaces widget. The Add Interface configuration screen displays.

   

2. Select Link Aggregation from the Type dropdown list. You cannot change the Type field value after you click Apply.

3. Enter a name for the interface using the format bondX, where X is a number representing a non-parent interface. You cannot change the Name of the interface after you click Apply.

4. (Optional but recommended) Enter any notes or reminders about this particular LAGG interface in the Description field.

5. Select the Link Aggregation Settings for this interface.

   

   LACP

   Select LACP to use the most common protocol for LAGG interfaces based on IEEE specification 802.3ad.

   In LACP mode, the interfaces negotiate with the network switch to form a group of ports that are all active once. The network switch must support LACP for this option to function.

   Select the Transmit Hash Policy option from the dropdown list. LAYER2+3 is the default selection.

   Select the LACPDU Rate to use.

   • Select SLOW (default) to set the heartbeat request to every second and the timeout to a three-consecutive heartbeat loss that is three seconds.
   • Select FAST to set the timeout rate at one per second even after synchronization. Using FAST allows for rapid detection of faults.

   Select the interfaces to use in the aggregation.

   FAILOVER

   Select FAILOVER to have traffic sent through the primary interface of the group. If the primary interface fails, traffic diverts to the next available interface in the LAGG.

   Select the interfaces to use in the aggregation.

   LOADBALANCE

   Select LOADBALANCE to accept traffic on any port of the LAGG group and balance the outgoing traffic on the active ports in the LAGG group. LOADBALANCE is a static setup that does not monitor the link state or negotiate with the switch.

   Select the Transmit Hash Policy option from the dropdown list. LAYER2+3 is the default selection.

   Select the interfaces to use in the aggregation.

6. (Optional) Click Add to enter another IP address if desired for this LAGG interface. Click Add to display an IP address field for each IP address you want to add.

7. Click Save when finished.