Virtual link aggregation using state machine

An aggregation switch comprising:

• a hardware network port to communicate with an access switch over a physical link between the access switch and the aggregation switch, the physical link to be aggregated with a physical link between the access switch and a remote aggregation switch within a virtual link aggregation group (vLAG) corresponding to a virtual link transparent to the access switch;
• a communication mechanism to communicate with the remote aggregation switch to receive a status of the physical link between the access switch and the remote aggregation switch as one of up and down;
• and
• logic to maintain a state machine for the aggregation switch by which the aggregation switch is to assist in aggregation of the physical link between the access switch and the aggregation switch and the physical link between the aggregation access switch and the remote aggregation switch as the vLAG.

A computer program product comprising:

• a computer-readable storage medium having executable computer-readable code embodied therein comprising:
• first computer-readable code to transition from an initialization state of a state machine for a local aggregation switch to a local-up state in response to detecting that a physical link between an access switch and the local aggregation switch is up;
• second computer-readable code to transition from the initialization state to a formed state of the state machine in response to detecting that a physical link between the access switch and a remote aggregation switch is up;
• third computer-readable code to transition from the initialization state to a remote-up state of the state machine in response to detecting that the physical link between the access switch and the remote aggregation switch is up;
• and
• fourth computer-readable code to transition from the remote-up state to the formed state in response to detecting that the physical link between the access switch and the local aggregation switch is up,
• wherein a virtual link aggregation group (vLAG) aggregates the physical link between the access switch and the local aggregation switch and the physical link between the access switch and the remote aggregation switch into a virtual link transparent to the access switch.