PSA - Didn't spring for 10Gig Ethernet? Boost your Ethernet with link aggregation

[840quadra]

One of the great hidden features of MacOS (and many other modern operating systems) is the ability to combine multiple ethernet ports into a somewhat fault-tolerant connection with a boost in overall ethernet speed. This trick is used in datacenter environments around the world, and your Mac mini supports it natively.

• When 2+ ports are up, you have double or more Ethernet speed on your Mac
• If 1 link goes down (say a cable fails) you are Still connected at 1Gb/s through your single port

I have been using this method for years, but some may not know the process or possibility even exists.

Requirements

• Ethernet switch that supports Link Aggregation (EtherChannel in Cisco Terms) and in some cases LCAP
  • I use a legacy 8-Port Cisco 2960G switch (Available on Ebay and others for $40 or less)
    • I like this as it is silent (no fan) doesn't draw too much power, and is relatively easy to configure
      • You can do initial setup with a web browser
      • Use Telnet from your command line and enter some simple commands to configure
        • I used This guide for mine.
• 2 Patch cables to connect your Mac Mini
• A 2nd Gigabit Ethernet capable port connected to your Mini
  • I currently use a simple Anker docking station with Ethernet that is available on Amazon (not an affiliate link)

Steps needed for this to work.

1. BEFORE you connect your Mac, setup your switch to link 2 (or more) ports into provide link aggregation or LCAP for boosted speed and (as a bonus) fault tolerance.
2. Follow the guide provided from Apple to create what they call a Virtual Port
   1. https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/combine-ethernet-ports-a-virtual-port-mac-mchlp2798/mac
3. Connect your 2 (or more) ports into your ethernet switch and enjoy your double (or more) speed.

Effective speed on my Mini is now 2Gb/s.

Clearly this will not be a great solution for everyone, and while $100 isn't much for an upgraded port for 10 Gb/s port on your mini, cable tolerances and supporting switches will likely be more $$ than using some old (but still solid) switches and attaching an extra Ethernet port, or dongle / dock with an included port to your new system.

This will not help with speed to the internet, but if your lil Mini is acting as a home server for multiple clients, you will remove a significant bottleneck to accessing the system overall.

 

[rm5]

Thank you!! This is actually a great solution! That's always been my frustration with Macs, is no way to add 10 gigabit networking on anything other than the Mac mini or Mac Pro. But this solution is totally viable, even for MacBooks.

 

[Chancha]

Thank you!! This is actually a great solution! That's always been my frustration with Macs, is no way to add 10 gigabit networking on anything other than the Mac mini or Mac Pro. But this solution is totally viable, even for MacBooks.

10GbE Thunderbolt 3 adaptors are actually a thing, they are somewhat expensive and runs very hot but they work, even for MacBooks.

The OP's solution is more of a cheap if not free one, since most people probably have a few unused ethernet ports in their spare hubs etc, and didn't know you could actually bond them together.

 

[840quadra]

10GbE Thunderbolt 3 adaptors are actually a thing, they are somewhat expensive and runs very hot but they work, even for MacBooks.

The OP's solution is more of a cheap if not free one, since most people probably have a few unused ethernet ports in their spare hubs etc, and didn't know you could actually bond them together.

Agreed and they are available, though not exactly cheap. You also need a supporting switch for those, and I suggest against a super basic TP Link, TrendNet, etc. (but that is just me)

Another issue is the cabling is a bit more picky (especially length) and switches / hubs that support 10gb tend to be a bit more expensive than one with 10/100/1000 (especially compared to a good Cisco 2nd hand option).

The solution I shared is a workaround to get a touch more speed, also isn't free, but can give a reasonable boost if one is hitting a wall with 1Gb/s

 

[MrGimper]

10GbE Thunderbolt 3 adaptors are actually a thing, they are somewhat expensive and runs very hot but they work, even for MacBooks.

The OP's solution is more of a cheap if not free one, since most people probably have a few unused ethernet ports in their spare hubs etc, and didn't know you could actually bond them together.

Will only work with a switch, and only a "managed" switch that allows Link Aggregation.

You can use 2 separate NICs with 2 separate IPs and use SMB 3 "SMB Multichannel" if you want fast access to a NAS and its supports it.

Or there are 2.5G USB NICs that cost £20... I have a ugreen one on my macbook pro.

 

[840quadra]

Will only work with a switch, and only a "managed" switch that allows Link Aggregation.

You can use 2 separate NICs with 2 separate IPs and use SMB 3 "SMB Multichannel" if you want fast access to a NAS and its supports it.

Or there are 2.5G USB NICs that cost £20... I have a ugreen one on my macbook pro.

Fair points, but a used good brand (Cisco or otherwise) managed switch isn't that expensive.

SMB multichannel is a great option, but a totally different use case, and not all consumer applications can understand linking 2 separate IP addresses for booster throughput.

If you are sharing files on the Mac with an attached single drive (TB2+), the bandwidth boost from a single IP is a definite plus.

Are there other options, sure? Is it really that bad to share a potential option for people to try if they have the kit, or minor interest in giving it a go?

 

[MrGimper]

Fair points, but a used good brand (Cisco or otherwise) managed switch isn't that expensive.

SMB multichannel is a great option, but a totally different use case, and not all consumer applications can understand linking 2 separate IP addresses for booster throughput.

If you are sharing files on the Mac with an attached single drive (TB2+), the bandwidth boost from a single IP is a definite plus.

Are there other options, sure? Is it really that bad to share a potential option for people to try if they have the kit, or minor interest in giving it a go?

SMB Multichannel is part of the SMB 3 stack, applications don’t need to do anything.

However, absolutely not any criticism aimed at your post, I just wanted to make it clear what was required because the post I was replying to mentioned “spare ports on a hub”, which wouldn’t work. The requirements are specific.

 

[840quadra]

SMB Multichannel is part of the SMB 3 stack, applications don’t need to do anything.

However, absolutely not any criticism aimed at your post, I just wanted to make it clear what was required because the post I was replying to mentioned “spare ports on a hub”, which wouldn’t work. The requirements are specific.

Learned something new today on SMB3. I wasn't aware that MacOS supported it as well. I may have to try it out with my setups. One of the reasons I went with the solution in this thread, is because my Mini serves many multi-platform (including old 68k Macs) devices in the household and there have been times that I have completely saturated a single 1Gb/s link!