Starting with vSphere Distributed Switch 5.0, you can enable port mirroring. Port mirroring is a functionality that allows the replication of network traffic on a port (source) to another port or uplink (destination) on the VDS. This is particularly useful when you have a packet analyzer or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) deployed on the network. Port mirroring can only be enabled on a vSphere Distributed Switch and not on a vSphere Standard Switch.
Identify the virtual machine on which you have the packet analyzer installed, as this information is needed when you configure port mirroring.
The following procedure explains how to enable port mirroring on a VDS:
Select the VDS on which you intend to enable port mirroring, and navigate to Manage | Settings.
Under the Settings tab, select Port mirroring.
Click on New to bring up the Add Port Mirroring Session wizard as shown in the following screenshot:
In the Add Port Mirroring Session...