A systems administrator is cabling a new virtualization host that has four 10 GbE SFP+ interfaces. Two top-of-rack switches are installed in the same rack and have been configured as a single virtual chassis that supports cross-stack LACP. The project notes state:
The host must stay online if any single NIC, cable, or switch fails.
During normal operation the host should be able to use the combined bandwidth of all links.
The cabling run count should be kept as low as possible.
Which of the following cabling plans BEST meets these requirements?
Split the four 10 GbE ports evenly between the two stack members and place all links in a single LACP port-channel.
Attach all four 10 GbE ports to switch A only and create a four-member LACP port-channel.
Cable two NICs to switch A, leave the other two as passive standbys, and configure an active/standby team.
Connect one NIC to switch A and one NIC to switch B in a switch-independent active/standby team; reserve the remaining NICs for other networks.
Placing two NICs in switch A and two in switch B and bundling all four links in the same LACP port-channel satisfies every requirement. Because the two physical switches operate as one logical switch stack, cross-stack EtherChannel keeps all links active for load-sharing while still tolerating the loss of one switch, any cable, or any adapter.
Connecting every link to a single switch (or leaving half the ports in standby) eliminates switch-level redundancy. Using switch-independent active/standby teaming across separate, standalone switches survives a switch failure but can only pass traffic on one link at a time, so it cannot provide the full aggregated bandwidth the project demands.
Therefore the evenly split, cross-stack LACP design is the only option that delivers both bandwidth aggregation and complete path redundancy with the minimum four-cable bundle.
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