BeginnerPublished 2026-07-02
Static EtherChannel: Bundling Two Links (mode on)
Free preview — the first lab of EtherChannel & Link Aggregation
Beginner CCNA lab that builds a static Layer-2 EtherChannel (mode on) between two ioll2-xe switches using two parallel links as members of Port-channel1. The Port-channel is configured as an access port in VLAN 10 so that two hosts, one on each switch, can communicate without spanning-tree blocking a parallel path. Learners deploy and verify the bundle, then validate end-to-end host connectivity.
Learning objectives
- Create a static (mode on) Layer-2 EtherChannel with two member links on both switches
- Configure the logical Port-channel interface as an access port in VLAN 10
- Verify bundling state with show etherchannel summary and related commands
- Validate end-to-end host connectivity across the single logical link
- Recognize how EtherChannel prevents STP from blocking one of the parallel links
Troubleshooting focus
- Member mode mismatch or missing channel-group prevents bundling
- Access/trunk or VLAN inconsistency between Port-channel and member interfaces breaks the bundle
- Only one member added (others suspended) due to differing parameters
- Interfaces administratively down or error-disabled will not participate
- Port-channel not assigned to the correct VLAN (hosts cannot communicate)
Topology
Grade your work
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.
- Scored something you believe is correct? Use Report an issue on this page — that is exactly how the grading fixes in the changelog got found.
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