--- title: "Understanding link aggregation on dedicated servers" description: "Find out how link aggregation works on your dedicated server, what OVHcloud Link Aggregation (OLA) changes, and which guide to follow for your operating system" url: https://docs.ovhcloud.com/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/link-aggregation-overview lang: en lastUpdated: 2026-08-06 --- # Understanding link aggregation on dedicated servers ## Objective Link aggregation bonds several of your server's network interfaces together using the Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP), defined by the IEEE 802.3ad standard. Available bandwidth increases, and your network links become redundant: if one link goes down, traffic is automatically redirected to another available link. Several guides cover link aggregation, depending on your server's range, its operating system, and whether it keeps public connectivity. **This guide explains how the default aggregation and OVHcloud Link Aggregation (OLA) differ, and points you to the guide matching your setup.** ## Requirements - A [dedicated server](https://www.ovhcloud.com/en-gb/bare-metal/) that supports link aggregation, for example from the **Scale** or **High Grade** ranges, or a third-generation or newer **Advance** server - An operating system or hypervisor that supports the 802.3ad aggregation protocol (LACP) ## Instructions ### Which interfaces can be aggregated Servers from the **Scale** and **High Grade** ranges have four network interfaces. In their default configuration, two are public and two are private (vRack). Both aggregations are already enabled on the OVHcloud network, so the operating system only has to create the matching bonds. Other servers that support link aggregation have a single public and a single private interface. ### Choosing an aggregation mode [OVHcloud Link Aggregation (OLA)](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/ola-enable-manager.md) is an option that you enable in the OVHcloud Control Panel: it groups all of the server's interfaces into a single private aggregation, instead of keeping the public and the private ones separate. | Mode | Public connectivity | | ------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Default | The public bond, or the lone public interface, carries the public IP address | | OLA | None: the public IP address is no longer accessible | The bonds that each mode creates depend on how many interfaces the server has. **Four interfaces, on the Scale and High Grade ranges:** by default, the two public interfaces form one bond and the two private ones another. With OLA, all four form a single vRack bond. ![Diagram comparing the default four-interface bonds with the single OLA bond](/images/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/link-aggregation-overview/four-interfaces.png) **Two interfaces, one public and one private:** by default, neither is bonded. With OLA, the two form a single vRack bond. ![Diagram comparing the default two-interface layout with the single OLA bond](/images/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/link-aggregation-overview/two-interfaces.png) :::warning A server whose interfaces are fully aggregated for vRack use has no public network interface left, so it can no longer reach the OVHcloud netboot service. See [Manage your server reboot with the OVHcloud Link Aggregation feature](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/pxe-with-full-private-dedicated.md) before enabling OLA. ::: ### Configuring the bonds during the installation On **Scale** and **High Grade** servers, the installation can configure the bonds for you, so that the server comes up already aggregated. :::info This option can be enabled on any server, but it only has an effect if the server has interfaces to bond. ::: #### Availability by operating system The bonds are **always** configured, and the option is **not offered**, on: - **Ubuntu Server** 26.04 The option is offered, and **disabled by default**, on: - **AlmaLinux** - **Debian**, except Debian 11 - **Fedora** - **Proxmox Virtual Environment** and **Proxmox Backup Server** - **Rocky Linux**, except Rocky Linux 8 - **Ubuntu Server** 22.04 and 24.04 - **Windows Server**, except the Hyper-V images - [Bring Your Own Image](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/bring-your-own-image.md) and [Bring Your Own Linux](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/bring-your-own-linux.md) No other operating system configures the bonds during the installation, so you have to do it yourself afterwards. #### Enabling the option - In the OVHcloud Control Panel, check the corresponding box in the installation wizard. - Through the API, set the `enableLacpBonding` customization, as described in [Install an OS via the OVHcloud API](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/api-os-installation.md). ### Configuring the bonds yourself If your operating system does not offer the option at installation, or if you would rather configure the bonds afterwards, follow the guide matching your system: | Operating system or context | Guide | | --------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Debian 12 or newer, Ubuntu 24.04 or newer | [Netplan configuration](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/lacp-enable-netplan.md) | | Debian 9 to 11, rescue mode, and custom images using `ifupdown` | [ifupdown configuration](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/lacp-enable-ifupdown.md) | | SLES 15 | [SLES 15 configuration](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/lacp-enable-sles15.md) | | Windows Server 2019 with OLA | [NIC teaming configuration](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/ola-enable-w2k19.md) | | Proxmox VE | [Proxmox VE networking](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/proxmox-network-hg-scale.md) | | Windows Server 2016 and 2019 with Hyper-V | [Hyper-V networking](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/hyperv-network-hg-scale.md) | ### How an aggregation is spread across network cards On **Scale** and **High Grade** servers, an aggregation is spread across two distinct network cards, so that it survives the failure of a whole card and not only that of a switch. For more information, see [Improve Network Resilience on Bare Metal servers](/en/guides/bare-metal-cloud/dedicated-servers/lacp-resilience-scale-hg.md). ## Go further Join our [community of users](https://community.ovhcloud.com/).