Common IPMP Interface Configurations

As mentioned in IPMP Addressing, interfaces in an IPMP group handle regular data traffic and probe traffic, depending on the interfaces' configuration. You use IPMP options of the ifconfig command to create the configuration.

An active interface is a physical interface that transmits both data traffic and probe traffic. You configure the interface as “active” by performing either the task How to Configure an IPMP Group With Multiple Interfaces or the task How to Configure a Single Interface IPMP Group.

The following are two common types of IPMP configurations:

Active-active configuration

A two interface IPMP group where both interfaces are “active,” that is they might be transmitting both probe and data traffic at all times.

Active-standby configuration

A two interface IPMP group where one interface is configured as “standby.”

Checking the Status of an Interface

You can check the status of an interface by issuing the ifconfig interface command. For general information on ifconfig status reporting, refer to How to Get Information About a Specific Interface.

For example, you can use the ifconfig command to obtain the status of a standby interface. When the standby interface is not hosting any data address, the interface has the INACTIVE flag for its status. You can observe this flag in the status lines for the interface in the ifconfig output.