Bonding two Ethernet devices to increase bandwidth and provide redundancy

In this recipe we will learn how to combine the features of multiple network interfaces as a single device in an arrangement known as channel bonding with the intention of improving the overall performance of your server.

If your server has more than one Ethernet device, the process of channel bonding allows you to bind these interfaces together into a single channel in order to increase bandwidth and provide redundancy. It may sound complicated and finding the best settings will require some experimentation on your behalf or the support of specific network-based hardware, but it is the purpose of this recipe to provide a suitable starting point that enables you to take control and discover a network configuration that suits you best.

Getting ready

To complete this recipe, you will require a working installation of the CentOS 6 operating system with root privileges, a console-based text editor of your choice, and a connection...