Virtual & aggregate interfaces¶

Not every interface is a physical port. Danbyte lets you model logical interfaces and the three ways real and logical ports relate to each other - sub-interfaces, link aggregation (LAG), and bridges.

Virtual interfaces¶

Tick Virtual on the interface form to mark a port as logical - it has no physical connector. Use this for loopbacks, tunnels, VLAN interfaces, and the aggregate interfaces below. Virtual interfaces are tagged with a small virtual badge in the list.

An interface of type Virtual, Bridge or LAG is always virtual: the form ticks the box and greys it out, and every other way in - bulk edit, imports, device-type and module templates, the API - sets it too. SNMP discovery creates loopbacks, SVIs, tunnels and VLAN interfaces as type Virtual.

A virtual interface stays off the faceplate, offers no Connect or Reserve, and is not counted in port utilization unless the deployment turns on Count virtual interfaces (Settings → Component details → Port counting). The Port utilization card names how many it left out.

Sub-interfaces (nesting)¶

A sub-interface sits underneath a parent interface - think ae1.100 under ae1, or Gi0/1.10 under Gi0/1.

To create one, set the Parent interface field on the child. In the device's Interfaces tab, children are indented under their parent so the hierarchy is obvious at a glance.

Rules:

• The parent must be on the same device, or on another member of the same virtual chassis.
• An interface can't be its own parent, and you can't create loops.

Link aggregation (LAG)¶

A LAG (also called a port-channel, bundle, or aggregate - e.g. ae1, Po1, bond0) groups several physical ports into one logical link.

The aggregate (port-channel, ae1, bond0) is the logical link; LACP is the protocol that negotiates it - or nothing, for a static "on" bundle, or PAgP on older Cisco gear. Danbyte keeps both on the aggregate interface.

To model it:

1. Create the aggregate interface (e.g. ae1) with Type = LAG (Link Aggregation Group). It is virtual automatically. The Bundle section takes the protocol (static / LACP / PAgP), LACP mode and rate, and the minimum number of links.
2. On each physical member port, set its LAG / aggregate field to ae1. The picker offers only aggregates (type LAG) on the device or its stack; + beside it creates a new aggregate in place.

The aggregate's page shows a Bundle card - protocol, min links (flagged when the bundle has fewer members), member count, capacity (the members' speeds added up), and the peer aggregate its members' cables land on (core1: Po10 · 2 links). Two peers means an MLAG / vPC pair and reads as information, not a fault; members without a peer aggregate are listed. Member runs beside it draws each member cable's end-to-end run - the bundle's physical legs. The Members tab is the interface table filtered to the bundle. A member's own page carries a Member of Po1 · LACP active chip that opens the aggregate.

The interface table has a LAG column: a member shows its aggregate as a chip that opens it, and the aggregate row shows 2 links - so the bundle reads in both directions. On the device overview, the cabled runs of a bundle's members are grouped under the aggregate (ae1 · 2 links) instead of listing as unrelated cables.

Stacks. Create the aggregate once, on the virtual chassis master, and pick it from any member's ports - the LAG / aggregate picker offers every member's interfaces, labelled member: name when they live on another member. Those ports' LAG chip adds on <master>, and the overview grouping does the same. There is no need to mirror the aggregate onto each member.

Bridges¶

A bridge groups interfaces into a single layer-2 domain. Set the Bridge field on each member to point at the bridge interface. Like LAG and parent, the bridge must be on the same device or virtual chassis.

Quick reference¶

All three relationships are limited to interfaces on the same device or the same virtual chassis, and none can point an interface at itself.