What does the term 'Ethernet bond' refer to?

The term 'Ethernet bond' refers to a practice of combining multiple network interfaces to increase bandwidth. This technique, often called link aggregation or port trunking, allows for multiple Ethernet connections to be utilized in parallel. By aggregating links, you can achieve higher throughput than a single connection could provide, which is particularly beneficial for environments that require significant data transfer and want to optimize network performance.

This bonding helps with redundancy as well; if one link goes down, the other links can continue to carry traffic, thus ensuring that the network remains operational even in the event of a failure. Additionally, it can enhance load balancing across the combined links, ensuring that network resources are utilized efficiently.

While the other options touch on relevant networking concepts, they do not accurately define Ethernet bonding as it pertains to combining interfaces for bandwidth improvement.