What is Link aggregation?
Link aggregation will combine 2 or more Ethernet ports into a one logical link between two network devices like computers or NAS. This will mean doubled or quadrupled bandwidth to use for super fast data transfer. What we care about is which switch is smart enough to be able to manage link aggregation and also which one is the cheapest. Link aggregation or NIC Teaming is also called by other names like:
- Port aggregation
- Port trunking
- NIC teaming
- Ethernet teaming
- Ethernet bonding
- Link teaming
- Link bonding
- Link bundling
- Port channeling
- Network interface controller (NIC) bonding
What are the benefits of link aggregation?
- Increased bandwidth
- Better use of hardware – balancing the load
- Increased reliability and availability
- Cost effective – don’t need to upgrade network
Cheapest 1GbE switch with Link Aggregation – (NIC Teaming)
NetGear Gigabit Web Managed Switch GS105E-200UKS 5-Port
ex.VAT £24.70
£29.64
NetGear Gigabit Web Managed Switch GS108E-300UKS 8-Port
ex.VAT £32.10
£38.52
NetGear Gigabit Web Managed Switch GS105PE-10000S 5-Port with 2x PoE (15W)
ex.VAT £53.50
£64.20
NetGear Gigabit Web Managed Switch GS116E-200UKS 16-Port
ex.VAT £80.00
£96.00
NetGear Gigabit Web Managed Switch GS108PE-300EUS 8-Port with 4x PoE (45W)
ex.VAT £80.20
£96.24
NetGear Insight Managed Cloud Switch GC110-100UKS 8-Port with 2x SFP
ex.VAT £108.00
£129.60
NetGear Gigabit Web Managed Switch JGS524E-200EUS 24-Port – Rackmount
ex.VAT £115.80
£138.96
NetGear Gigabit Web Managed Switch GS750E-100EUS 48-Port with 2x SFP
ex.VAT £231.60
£277.92
Cheapest 10GbE switch with Link Aggregation – (NIC Teaming)
NetGear 1GbE+10GbE Smart Managed Plus Switch GS110EMX-100UKS 8-Port RJ45, 2x RJ45 10GbE
ex.VAT £196.00
£235.20
ex.VAT £246.00
£295.20
ex.VAT £291.80
£350.16
NetGear Insight Managed Cloud Switch GC728X-100EUS 24-Port with 2x SFP, 2x 10GbE SFP
ex.VAT £294.00
£352.80
Qnap Switch QSW-804-4C 10GbE Switch, 4x combo SFP+ / RJ45, 4x SFP+
ex.VAT £359.00
£430.80
NetGear Insight Managed Cloud Switch GC752X-100EUS 48-Port with 2x SFP, 2x 10GbE SFP
ex.VAT £383.90
£460.68
Qnap Switch QSW-1208-8C 10GbE Switch, 8x combo SFP+ / RJ45, 4x SFP+
ex.VAT £435.00
£522.00
NetGear 10GbE Smart Switch XS712T-200NES 12-Port RJ45, 2x Shared SFP+
ex.VAT £948.60
£1,138.32
NetGear 10GbE Plus Switch XS716E-100NES 16-Port RJ45, 1x Shared SFP+
ex.VAT £1,000.80
£1,200.96
NetGear 10GbE Smart Switch XS716T-100NES 16-Port RJ45, 2x Shared SFP+
ex.VAT £1,188.60
£1,426.32
NetGear 10GbE Plus Switch XS724EM-100EUS 24-Port RJ45, 2x Shared SFP+
ex.VAT £1,468.20
£1,761.84
NetGear 10GbE Managed Switch XSM4316S-100NES M4300-8X8F – 8x RJ45, 8x SFP+
ex.VAT £1,542.80
£1,851.36
NetGear 10GbE Smart Switch XS728T-100NES 24-Port RJ45, 4x SFP+
ex.VAT £1,719.60
£2,063.52
NetGear 10GbE Managed Switch XSM4348S-100NES M4300-24X24F – 24x RJ45, 24x SFP+
ex.VAT £4,008.90
£4,810.68
More info and full list here
What is the use case for a switch with link aggregation?
Bandwidth demanding users like video editors will see similar bandwidth like Thunderbolt 3. With a multi-array storage device connected they might see even better use of the bandwidth compared with other Thunderbolt3 attachable desktop raid systems. Here is a sample of NIC teaming on a Windows Server:
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