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What would be a use case for broadcast mode in link aggregation (LAG)?

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Linux' bond driver can be configured in 7 different link aggregation (LAG) modes (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_aggregation#Linux_drivers) Among them, there's mode 1 (active-backup) and mode 3 (broadcast), which both provide fault tolerance (but no bandwith aggregation). I understand the technical differences between them, but I don't see in which use case you would choose mode 3 (broadcast) over mode 1 (active-backup). I identified two use cases for mode 1 (active-backup) : - It seems as it's the preferred mode to interconnect switches in high-availability mode (HA), according to MicroTik's Linux-based RouterOS documentation : > Active-backup is the best choice in high availability setups with multiple switches that are interconnected. - It can also be used on laptops, to automatically switch from LAN to Wi-Fi when the LAN becomes unavailable (it's what Debian calls "Laptop-Mode" ). But I can't find a use case for mode 3 (broadcast) : - This site says that : > This mode is beneficial in environments requiring consistent and reliable data broadcasting to ensure simultaneous data receipt by all recipients - Red Hat states that : > The drawback of this mode is that it is not suitable for heavy workloads and if TCP throughput or ordered packet delivery is essential. I don't really understand those statements. A practical use case example where mode 3 (broadcast) would be chosen over mode 1 (active-backup) would maybe help me understand, but I didn't find any. Any idea ?
Asked by ChennyStar (1969 rep)
May 11, 2025, 05:58 PM
Last activity: May 11, 2025, 09:09 PM