PORT CHANNEL VS ETHERCHANNEL – Difference in Port Channel & Etherchannel

At times network administrators working on switching infrastructure may get confused over usage of terms Port Channel and Etherchannel especially in Cisco Catalyst and Nexus Switches.

While both terms refer to the bundling of Interfaces for higher throughput and redundancy, let’s discuss them in more detail.

What Is Etherchannel –

Etherchannel is a Cisco trademarked term – it’s the technology used to group multiple physical interfaces together while other vendors use Link Aggregation more frequently. Etherchannel is what Cisco called Ethernet link bond initially. We can create Etherchannel using PAgP, LACP, or static on. PAgP being Cisco’s proprietary protocol and LACP being the open standard

Related – EtherChannel Modes

What is Port Channel –

Term “Port-channel” is the name of this virtual interface in cisco IOS platforms. In the Nexus switches, the port-channel term is used for technology and the individual interface. Once we have configured an Etherchannel we make all you changes on the Port Channel interface and these will be automatically applied to all the individual interfaces within the Etherchannel.

Still, we can also say in layman terms  that  “Port-Channel” = “Etherchannel” = “Link Aggregation”

Port channel vs Etherchannel –

Download the difference table here.

Related- Nexus Interview Questions

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rashmi Bhardwaj

I am here to share my knowledge and experience in the field of networking with the goal being – “The more you share, the more you learn.”

I am a biotechnologist by qualification and a Network Enthusiast by interest. I developed interest in networking being in the company of a passionate Network Professional, my husband.

I am a strong believer of the fact that “learning is a constant process of discovering yourself.”
– Rashmi Bhardwaj (Author/Editor)