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Securing vSphere Networking 10
Securing vSphere Networking is an essential part of protecting your environment. You secure different
vSphere components in different ways. See the vSphere Networking documentation for detailed
information about networking in the vSphere environment.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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Introduction to vSphere Network Security
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Securing the Network With Firewalls
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Secure the Physical Switch
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Securing Standard Switch Ports with Security Policies
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Securing vSphere Standard Switches
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Standard Switch Protection and VLANs
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Secure vSphere Distributed Switches and Distributed Port Groups
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Securing Virtual Machines with VLANs
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Creating Multiple Networks Within a Single ESXi Host
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Internet Protocol Security
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Ensure Proper SNMP Configuration
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vSphere Networking Security Best Practices
Introduction to vSphere Network Security
Network security in the vSphere environment shares many characteristics of securing a physical network
environment, but also includes some characteristics that apply only to virtual machines.
Firewalls
Add firewall protection to your virtual network by installing and configuring host-based firewalls on some
or all its VMs.
For efficiency, you can set up private virtual machine Ethernet networks or virtual networks. With virtual
networks, you install a host-based firewall on a VM at the head of the virtual network. This firewall serves
as a protective buffer between the physical network adapter and the remaining VMs in the virtual network.
VMware, Inc.
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