A data center product/solution cannot be considered functional if it does not have the ability to network. Such is the case with the vSphere suite of products. In this chapter, we will learn a lot about the networking concepts associated with a VMware infrastructure and also learn how to configure them to meet our design needs.
This chapter will cover the following topics:
The need for a software virtual switch
The difference between a physical and virtual switch
A virtual machine's network interface
The VMkernel's network interface
The standard virtual switch
The distributed virtual switch
Enabling VLANs on a virtual switch
Configuring private VLANs on a virtual switch
Switch security policies
Switch load balancing policies
Switch failover policies
Linking status monitoring
Port mirroring
Enabling the use of Netflow monitoring