Interfaces and addresses¶
As of version 6.5, aggregators can have additional interfaces configured through their administration page, and addresses can be statically added to these interfaces.
Warning
The primary address and gateway of an aggregator must still be manually configured in the node’s /etc/network/interfaces file and added to the aggregator node configuration, as described in changing a host IP address.
Do not also add this address as an interface address on the aggregator or it will conflict with the primary IP and prevent the aggregator from coming back online after bonding is restarted.
Adding, editing, & deleting interfaces¶
Interfaces are displayed in a table on the aggregator details page.
To add an interface, click the 
button to the upper-left of the interfaces table. This will open the “add interface” modal.
To edit an interface, click the 
button. This will open the “edit interface” modal.
To delete an interface, click the 
button. This will ask for confirmation, and is permanent.
Interface status¶
To get comprehensive details on a particular interface’s running state, click the caret 
beside its ID.
This will open the status information dropdown. Here, interface details detected by the aggregator at runtime can be found (e.g., if the interface detects carrier, or the detected MTU).
Configuring an interface¶
Interface configuration options are accessed through the interface add and edit modals.
Type¶
Aggregators can have four different types of interfaces:
Ethernet
VLAN
VXLAN
Bridge
Ethernet interfaces must exist on the host (they will not be created by bonding). Conversely, VLAN, VXLAN, and bridge interfaces will be created on the device if they do not exist already, and they will be recreated if they already exist when bonding starts.
VLAN interfaces require an existing Ethernet interface to be defined for use as a trunk device.
VXLAN interfaces can be used on aggregators to implement layer-2 EVPN functionality to bonders, other aggregators, or 3rd-party devices. For integration with local networks, a VXLAN can be attached to a bridge that also has an ethernet or VLAN interface attached. Also, if a VXLAN-aware switch is connected to an ethernet interface, the VXLAN can be set to communicate directly using multicast.
Ethernet interface options¶
These options are specific to Ethernet interfaces.
Interface name¶
The name of the interface on the aggregator. Can’t be changed after creation.
Interface mode¶
This setting controls the interface speed and whether it uses full-duplex or half-duplex communication. Set to auto negotiation by default.
VLAN interface options¶
These options are specific to VLAN interfaces.
Ethernet interface¶
The Ethernet interface to use as the trunk device. Can’t be changed after creation.
VLAN tag¶
The tag ID of this VLAN.
VXLAN interface options¶
These options are specific to VXLAN interfaces.
VXLANs are like VLANs but much more powerful. See here for an introduction to the technology.
Interface name¶
The name to give the VXLAN interface on the aggregator. Can’t be changed after creation.
VNI¶
The VXLAN Network Identifier (analogous to a VLAN tag ID).
Ethernet interface¶
The name of the base interface to use on the aggregator.
Unlike VLANs, a base device is not required for VXLANs, and can be changed after creation.
Having a base Ethernet interface allows the VXLAN device to join a multicast group and perform neighbor discovery, instead of requiring peers to be manually added. This can be used to peer with a local VXLAN-aware switch.
Multicast group¶
The multicast group for the interface to participate in.
A base Ethernet device is required to use multicast. If no multicast group is explicitly set and a base Ethernet device is configured, the 240.0.0.0 group is used.
Source address¶
The source address to use for this interface.
Must belong to the same IP family (IPv4 or IPv6) as the source address of peer VXLAN devices.
TTL¶
The TTL to set on packets leaving the interface.
ToS¶
The ToS to set on packets leaving the interface.
Add endpoint¶
Configure a peer VXLAN device by VNI, address, and port.
Bridge interface options¶
These options are specific to bridge interfaces.
Bridges allow multiple interfaces to be combined into a single layer-2 bridge that operates as a virtual switch.
They can also be used in conjunction with VXLAN interfaces to implement a layer-2 EVPN.
When using bridges it is important to note that any IP addressing must be attached to the bridge itself and not any of the interfaces attached to the bridge.
Ageing Time¶
The maximum time a MAC address is held in the forwarding database since the last time it sent a frame.
STP¶
Enables Spanning Tree Protocol, which protects networks from bridging loops that can cause network failures.
This should be enabled when multiple switches and bridges are connected together. When plugging in a new device there will be a short delay before it will forward layer-2 traffic while it attempts to detect a loop.
For simple bridges, this can be disabled to eliminate the forwarding delay.
For more information, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanning_Tree_Protocol
Hello Time¶
When STP is enabled, and this bridge is determined to be a designated or root bridge, this is the interval in seconds between the transmission of hello messages.
Forward Delay¶
When STP is enabled, this sets the delay in seconds after a device is plugged in before it will forward traffic. This delay is used to detect loops.
Priority¶
When STP is enabled, this defines the priority of this bridge when electing the root bridge. Lower priority values are preferred over higher ones.
Common interface options¶
These options can be set for all interface types.
Bridge¶
Attaches the interface to a bridge interface. This can be set for any interface types except for bridge.
When an interface is attached to a bridge, it can no longer be used with connected IPs or services. Connected IPs and services must be assigned to the bridge interface instead.
MAC address¶
The MAC address for the interface.
Interface MTU¶
The MTU for the interface, in bytes.
Space¶
The private WAN space to associate the interface with.
Associating an interface with a private WAN space will isolate all traffic on the interface to that private WAN space. If no space is configured, traffic will default into the aggregator’s main routing table.
This is especially powerful when combined with the use of dynamic routing protocols associated with the space. Protocols associated with a private WAN space will import and export routes on precisely the interfaces associated with that space (according to their filters), allowing for easy isolated dynamic routing within the private WAN.
Accept router advertisements¶
Toggle whether or not to accept router advertisements on the interface.
Managed trunk interface¶
This is only used for managed mesh protocols.
Toggle whether or not to use this interface as the managed trunk interface for use with managed mesh VLAN interfaces. Only a single interface can be configured as the managed trunk interface per aggregator and having one is required to be used in the dynamic managed mesh space protocols. The interface configured as the managed trunk interface cannot be used as a trunk interface for any VLANs other than the administratively defined ones for the dynamic managed mesh protocols.
Warning
Managed VLAN interfaces added to managed trunk interfaces automatically can have a conflicting interface name if there is an interface with the same name.
The managed trunk interface may not be assigned to a space.
Add address¶
Statically configure an address on the interface.
Warning
The primary address and gateway of an aggregator must still be manually configured in the node’s /etc/network/interfaces file and added to the aggregator node configuration, as described in changing a host IP address.
Do not also add this address as an interface address on the aggregator or it will conflict with the primary IP and prevent the aggregator from coming back online after bonding is restarted.