IntermediatePublished 2026-08-04
CCNA Foundations: Grow the Bundle & Spread the Load
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CCNA exam domain: Network Access
Daily CCNA campus-redundancy lab focused on EtherChannel scale-out and hashing. Two distribution switches are joined by three parallel trunk links. Two links are already bundled with LACP into a trunking port-channel; the third is a plain trunk currently STP-blocked and wasting capacity. Add the spare link to the existing bundle on both sides and change the global hashing method so multiple flows can actually use multiple member links. End-to-end switching must continue to work for the users VLAN.
Learning objectives
- Add an additional physical trunk to an existing LACP EtherChannel without breaking VLAN transport
- Apply a non-default global EtherChannel hashing method to better distribute flows
- Validate EtherChannel member status and hashing method
- Confirm end-to-end VLAN connectivity continues to function after changes
Troubleshooting focus
- Interface won’t join the bundle: Compare trunk parameters of the physical interface with the Port-channel (encapsulation, native VLAN, allowed VLANs). Any mismatch causes LACP to suspend or STP to block.; Ensure the LACP mode matches the existing members on both sides.
- End-to-end pings fail: Confirm the host-facing ports are access VLAN 10 and up/up.; Verify VLAN 10 exists on all switches along the path and is allowed on trunks.; Check spanning-tree status on Port-channel1; it should be forwarding.
- Load-balancing seems ineffective: Confirm the global port-channel load-balance method is not defaulting to MAC-only.; Generate multiple distinct IP flows (e.g., from CLIENT-A’s two source IPs to CLIENT-B).
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How this lab is graded
- Build it your way. Where a lab lets you choose a value — a VLAN name, an interface description — grading checks that you configured it, not which name you picked. Names that another line has to reference, like an ACL applied with
access-class, are stated in the guide and do have to match. - Addresses, modes and protocol keywords are exact. An IP address, a subnet mask,
switchport mode trunk, an encapsulation — these carry the meaning of the lab, so they are graded as written in the guide. - Grading reads your saved configuration. Export the lab from CML after you have configured it, and make sure anything you set is in the
running-config— a change that only exists in a terminal session never reaches the grader. - You can submit as many times as you like. Your best score stands, and each attempt tells you which checks passed so you can work the gaps.
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