Handbook
N8406-022A 1Gb Intelligent L2 Switch Application Guide 29
Ports and trunking
Introduction
The first part of this chapter describes the different types of ports used on the switch. This information is useful in
understanding other applications described in this guide, from the context of the embedded switch/server
environment.
For specific information on how to configure ports for speed, auto-negotiation, and duplex modes, see the port
commands in the Command Reference Guide.
The second part of this chapter provides configuration background and examples for trunking multiple ports
together. Trunk groups can provide super-bandwidth, multi-link connections between switches or other trunk-
capable devices. A trunk group is a group of links that act together, combining their bandwidth to create a single,
larger virtual link. The switch provides trunking support for the five external ports, two crosslink ports, and 16 server
ports.
Ports on the switch
The following table describes the Ethernet ports of the switch, including the port name and function.
NOTE: The actual mapping of switch ports to NIC interfaces is dependant on the operating system software,
the type of server blade, and the enclosure type. For more information, see the User’s Guide.
Table 7 Ethernet switch port names
Port number
Port alias
1
Downlink1
2
Downlink2
3
Downlink3
4
Downlink4
5
Downlink5
6
Downlink6
7
Downlink7
8
Downlink8
9
Downlink9
10
Downlink10
11
Downlink11
12
Downlink12
13
Downlink13
14
Downlink14
15
Downlink15
16
Downlink16
17
XConnect1
18
XConnect2
19
Mgmt
20
Uplink1
21
Uplink2
22
Uplink3
23
Uplink4
24
Uplink5
Port trunk groups
When using port trunk groups between two switches, you can create an aggregate link operating at up to five
Gigabits per second, depending on how many physical ports are combined. The switch supports up to 12 trunk
groups per switch, each with up to six ports per trunk group.
The trunking software detects broken trunk links (link down or disabled) and redirects traffic to other trunk members
within that trunk group. You can only use trunking if each link has the same configuration for speed, flow control,
and auto-negotiation.