What is the real difference between L2 and L3 etherchannels? I can understand that with Layer 2 Etherchannels you can bundle two links into 1 big pipe, but why would I need to do this at Layer 3. Isn't it easier to just load share using routing over the multiple equal cost links?
Also, if you are doing Layer 2 etherchannels, do you have to configure the Po1 interface at all? I have seen people placing commands this interface such as "trunk encap dot1q" without actually making it a trunk ie using the "switchport mode trunk | dynamic" command.
And if you make it a layer 3 etherchannel, How is the IP addressing worked out. Do the switch interfaces have ip addresses in addition to the Po1 interface or is there only an IP address on the Po1 interface. If anyone has sample configurations used in a typical enterprise network, that would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.