Set up link aggregation

You create a link aggregate on your computer in the Network pane of System Preferences. To set up your OS X Server for link aggregation, you need a Mac with two or more IEEE 802.3ad-compliant Ethernet ports. In addition, you need at least one IEEE 802.3ad-compliant switch or another computer with OS X Server installed and the same number of ports.

By default, the system gives the link aggregate the interface name bond num, where num is a number indicating precedence. For example, the first link aggregate is named bond0, the second is bond1, and the third is bond2.

The interface name bond num assigned by the system is different from the name you give to the link aggregate port configuration. The interface name is for use at the command line, but the port configuration name is for use in the Network pane of System Preferences.

For example, if you enter the command ifconfig -a, the output refers to the link aggregate using the interface name and not the port configuration name:

bond0: flags=8843<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500inet6 fe80::2e0:edff:fe08:3ea6 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0xcinet 10.0.0.12 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 10.0.0.255ether 00:e0:ed:08:3e:a6media: autoselect (100baseTX <full-duplex>) status: activesupported media: autoselectbond interfaces: en1 en2 en3 en4

You don’t delete or remove a link bond from the Network Pane of System Preferences. You remove the bond through the Manage Virtual Interfaces pane used to create the bond.

  1. Log in to the server as an administrative user.

  2. Open System Preferences.

  3. Click Network.

  4. Click the Action pop-up menu gear, then choose Manage Virtual Interfaces.

  5. Click Add add, click the pop-up menu, then choose New Link Aggregate.

    You only see this option if you have two or more Ethernet interfaces on your server.

  6. In the Aggregate Name field, enter the name of the link aggregate.

  7. Select the ports to aggregate from the list.

  8. Click Create.

  9. Click Done.