Which term describes combining multiple network interfaces on a server to create a single logical link for increased throughput and redundancy?

Which term describes combining multiple network interfaces on a server to create a single logical link for increased throughput and redundancy?

• A. Link aggregation
• B. Elasticity on demand
• C. TCP offload engine
• D. Resource pooling

Answer: (A)

Merging several network interfaces into one logical link is called link aggregation. This approach creates a single, higher-capacity path by pool­ing the bandwidth of the participating NICs and also provides redundancy—if one interface or path drops, the others keep carrying traffic. In practice, this is often implemented with NIC teaming or bonding and can use dynamic protocols like IEEE 802.3ad (LACP) to negotiate which links form the bundle and how traffic is distributed across them. The result is improved throughput for heavy network workloads and greater resilience for network connectivity. The other concepts don’t describe this behavior. Elasticity on demand is about scaling resources up or down to meet changing demand, not combining network paths. A TCP offload engine shifts TCP processing to the NIC to reduce CPU load, but it doesn’t create a single logical link. Resource pooling refers to sharing resources among multiple users or workloads, not specifically to combining network interfaces for throughput and redundancy.

Merging several network interfaces into one logical link is called link aggregation. This approach creates a single, higher-capacity path by pool­ing the bandwidth of the participating NICs and also provides redundancy—if one interface or path drops, the others keep carrying traffic. In practice, this is often implemented with NIC teaming or bonding and can use dynamic protocols like IEEE 802.3ad (LACP) to negotiate which links form the bundle and how traffic is distributed across them. The result is improved throughput for heavy network workloads and greater resilience for network connectivity.

The other concepts don’t describe this behavior. Elasticity on demand is about scaling resources up or down to meet changing demand, not combining network paths. A TCP offload engine shifts TCP processing to the NIC to reduce CPU load, but it doesn’t create a single logical link. Resource pooling refers to sharing resources among multiple users or workloads, not specifically to combining network interfaces for throughput and redundancy.