lacp Windows + Linux Link Aggregation

[Jeremyy44]

So I just got 2 dual 2.5gbs nics to put in both my server and my windows pc to then directly connect together.

But I was wondering if it could be possible to set up a link aggregation for both of them so that in theory I would get 5gbs.

I've seen some video on the Linux side of that but I'm completely oblivious about the windows side.

Thank you in advance

[Dutch_Master]

It's questionable whether any Win-OS version except perhaps for the (commercially priced!) server editions actually supports link-aggregation. Win-OS primarily operates in levels 6 & 7 of the OSI model, whereas link aggregation is layer 2+3. Can't give you a definitive answer as I'm not a Win-OS user

[Jeremyy44]

1 hour ago, Dutch_Master said:

It's questionable whether any Win-OS version except perhaps for the (commercially priced!) server editions actually supports link-aggregation. Win-OS primarily operates in levels 6 & 7 of the OSI model, whereas link aggregation is layer 2+3. Can't give you a definitive answer as I'm not a Win-OS user

Well thats a bummer lol i guess if I want that ill have to switch to a linux os as my main one but im not ready yet so oh well ig ill skip that for now sadly

[SpaceGhostC2C]

On 11/15/2020 at 8:18 PM, Jeremyy44 said:

But I was wondering if it could be possible to set up a link aggregation for both of them so that in theory I would get 5gbs.

 

It should be possible. I have done this in the past, and continue to do it, although with a capable switch in between. Mostly for the sake of it, it's hardly worth the trouble.

In Windows 7, I did it through the NIC driver options, so it's up to the card you got. In Windows 10 I did it from windows itself, although ultimately you end up in the drivers (in my case, it was a couple of onboard Intel NICS, and you access these options via device manager. I had a Broadcom PCIe NIC in Win 7 and you had to use their cumbersome software to set it up).

Bottom line: if you got 802.1ad compliant NICs, you'll be able to do it somehow, whether in one OS or the other.