Overview of Interface Management

Definition

An interface is a point of interaction between devices on a network. Interfaces are classified into physical and logical interfaces.

Physical interfaces physically exist on boards.
Logical interfaces are manually configured interfaces that do not exist physically. They are used to exchange data.

Purpose

A physical interface connects a device to another device using a transmission medium (for example, a cable). The physical interface and transmission medium together form a transmission channel that transmits data between the devices. Before data reaches a device, it must pass through the transmission channel. In addition, sufficient bandwidth must be provided to reduce channel congestion.

A logical interface does not require additional hardware resources, thereby reducing investment costs.

Generally, a switching device provides multiple interfaces, many of which have the same configuration. To simplify the configuration of interfaces, create an interface group and add interfaces to the interface group. When you run a command in the interface group view, the system automatically applies the command to all the interfaces in the interface group. In this manner, interfaces in a group are configured in batches.

Benefits

Data can be transmitted properly over a transmission channel that a physical interface and a transmission medium form, therefore enabling communication between users.
Data communication can be implemented using logical interfaces, without additional hardware requirements.
An interface group can be used to implement batch interface configurations, simplifying interface configurations and reducing management costs.