Network Teaming on RHEL, AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux: Migrate to Bonding

Updated: 28 September 2026 · Applies to: AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux 9 and RHEL 9 (teaming deprecated); version 10 (teaming removed); NetworkManager bonding

Network teaming (the teamd service) combined several network ports into one, like bonding. On CentOS 7 it was a popular choice. It is now on its way out: RHEL 9 and its rebuilds mark it as deprecated, and version 10 no longer includes it (on AlmaLinux 10 the teamd package is gone). For new setups use bonding, which offers the same modes; existing teams should be migrated before moving to version 10.

New setups: use bonding

See Linux network bonding modes explained for the modes and the nmcli commands. The usual choices map directly:

• Team runner activebackup → bond mode active-backup
• Team runner lacp → bond mode 802.3ad
• Team runner loadbalance → bond mode balance-xor or balance-tlb
• Team runner roundrobin → bond mode balance-rr

Migrate an existing team on version 9 with team2bond

The teamd package on AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux and RHEL 9 includes team2bond, which converts a team's configuration into NetworkManager bond commands. Do this from a console (IPMI or KVM), because the network restarts.

1. Dump the running team's configuration:

   teamdctl team0 config dump actual > /root/team0.json

2. Let team2bond print the matching nmcli commands, without running them:

   team2bond --config=/root/team0.json

   Add --rename=bond0 to give the bond a new interface name (firewall rules that name the old interface must then be updated too).
3. Note the team's IP settings (nmcli connection show team0): team2bond converts only the team configuration, not the addresses.
4. Delete the old team connection and its ports, then run the printed nmcli commands and add the IP settings to the new bond:

   nmcli connection delete team0
   # run the nmcli commands printed by team2bond, then for example:
   nmcli connection modify bond0 ipv4.method manual ipv4.addresses 192.0.2.10/24 ipv4.gateway 192.0.2.1
   nmcli connection up bond0

5. Check with cat /proc/net/bonding/bond0.

team2bond also has an --exec-cmd option that runs the commands itself; its own help marks it as not recommended, so review the commands and run them yourself.

Official documentation: Configuring network bonding (Red Hat) and Linux Ethernet Bonding Driver.