Vmware : Difference between Virtual Standartd switch and Distributed switch

Virtual Distributed Switch

The following features are available on Only Distributed Switch

  • Can shape inbound (RX) traffic
  • Has a central unified management interface through vCenter
  • Supports Private VLANs (PVLANs)
  • provides potential customisation of Data and Control Planes “

There are not many differences between vSS and vDS but still it is good to have a look at them. Centralized management is one of the feature that has been added to vDS.

The vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) simplifies virtual machine networking by enabling you to set up virtual machine access switching for your entire datacenter from a centralized interface. VDS provides:

  • Simplified virtual machine network configuration
  • Enhanced network monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities
  • Support advanced vSphere networking features
The following features are available on both types of virtual switches:
  • Can forward L2 frames
  • Can segment traffic into VLANs
  • Can use and understand 802.1q VLAN encapsulation
  • Can have more than one uplink (NIC Teaming)
  • Can have traffic shaping for the outbound (TX) traffic