Simplified, High-Performance 10GbE Networks Based on a Single Virtual Distributed Switch, Managed by VMware* vSphere 5.1

Each port group is assigned a network label, which is specied
when attaching a virtual NIC to a port group. All port groups
in a data center that are able to pass data to one another are
assigned the same network label, which allows functions such as
vMotion or access to IP storage to occur within a port group, but
not between multiple port groups. Port labels therefore enable
interoperation while also enabling data isolation as needed.
The distributed port groups that VDSs use are similar in
principle to the port groups used by VSSs, as shown in Figure 5.
Distributed port groups aggregate multiple ports across physical
hosts under a common conguration and provide a stable anchor
point for VMs connecting to labeled networks.
The VMware virtual switching layer provides a set of features
similar to those of traditional physical switches, including VLANs,
trafc shaping, and monitoring. Trafc shaping is useful to limit
the trafc to or from a VM (or a group of VMs), to prioritize a
VM or other trafc in an oversubscribed network. Policies are
dened by three characteristics: average bandwidth, peak
bandwidth, and burst size.
The scope of trafc-shaping policies that can be congured in
distributed port groups is a key area where the VDS improves
on the corresponding capabilities for port groups with the VSS.
Whereas the VSS supported policies for egress (VM to network)
trafc shaping only, the VDS adds support for ingress (network
to VM) trafc-shaping policies as well.
Network resource pools are used to congure the priority that
different network trafc types are given on a VDS, by setting
the physical adapter shares and limits parameters:
• Physical adapter shares parameter assigned to a network
resource pool determines the share of the total available
bandwidth guaranteed to the traffic associated with that
network resource pool.
• The limit parameter of a network resource pool is the upper
limit of bandwidth that the network resource pool can use.
VM VM VM
Host 1
Host 1
Host 2
Host 2
Physical Network
Network C
virtual
physical
physical network adapters
Distributed Port Groups
VM VM
A
Uplink Port A Uplink Port B Uplink Port A Uplink Port B
B C D E F G H I J
vSphere Distributed Switch
Figure 5. Virtual networking with a VMware vSphere distributed switch (VDS): Both the virtual switch and distributed port groups span multiple
physical hosts.
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Simplied, High-Performance 10GbE Networks Based on a Single Virtual Distributed Switch, Managed by VMware vSphere* 5.1