Which standard is associated with combining multiple physical network links into a single logical link?

Which standard is associated with combining multiple physical network links into a single logical link?

• A. LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol)
• B. IEEE 802.3ad
• C. PoE
• D. QoS

Answer: (B)

Link aggregation is the technique of combining several physical Ethernet links into one logical link to boost throughput and add redundancy. IEEE 802.3ad formalizes this capability, specifying how multiple ports can be grouped and how traffic should be distributed across them. LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol) is the negotiation mechanism defined within that standard to automatically form and maintain the aggregated link. Other options don’t fit because PoE delivers power over Ethernet, not traffic bonding, and QoS focuses on prioritizing different traffic types rather than creating a single shared link. Note that in modern practice, the 802.3ad concepts have been incorporated into 802.1AX, but 802.3ad is the standard commonly cited for this topic.

Link aggregation is the technique of combining several physical Ethernet links into one logical link to boost throughput and add redundancy. IEEE 802.3ad formalizes this capability, specifying how multiple ports can be grouped and how traffic should be distributed across them. LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol) is the negotiation mechanism defined within that standard to automatically form and maintain the aggregated link. Other options don’t fit because PoE delivers power over Ethernet, not traffic bonding, and QoS focuses on prioritizing different traffic types rather than creating a single shared link. Note that in modern practice, the 802.3ad concepts have been incorporated into 802.1AX, but 802.3ad is the standard commonly cited for this topic.