What does a Link Aggregation Group (LAG) accomplish?

A Link Aggregation Group (LAG) is primarily designed to combine multiple physical Ethernet links into a single logical link. This aggregation allows for increased bandwidth between two devices, as the combined capacity of the individual links can be utilized as if it were a single connection. By doing so, LAG not only enhances throughput but also provides redundancy; if one of the physical links within the group fails, the other links can still carry traffic, ensuring continued connectivity.

This concept is integral to optimizing network performance by making efficient use of available resources and improving reliability. LAG achieves load balancing capabilities, where traffic is distributed across the physical interfaces in the group, but its core functionality is specifically to create a singular logical link from multiple physical links.