Create a vNetwork Distributed Switch

Create a vNetwork Distributed Switch to handle networking traffic for associated hosts on the datacenter.

Procedure

From the Inventory menu, select Datacenter > vNetwork Distributed Switch.

Select a vNetwork Distributed Switch version.

Option	Description
vNetwork Distributed Switch Version: 4.0	Compatible with ESXi version 4.0 and later. Features released with later vDS versions are not supported.
vNetwork Disributed Switch Version: 4.1.0	Compatible with ESXi version 4.1 and later.

Click Next.

Enter a name for the vNetwork Distributed Switch in the Name text box.

Use the arrow buttons to select the Number of dvUplink Ports and click Next.

dvUplink ports connect the vNetwork Distributed Switch to physical NICs on associated hosts. The number of dvUplink ports is the maximum number of allowed physical connections to the vNetwork Distributed Switch per host.

Choose when to add hosts to the vDS.

Option	Description
Add now	Select the hosts and physical adapters to use by clicking the check box next to each host or adapter. You can add only physical adapters that are not already in use during vNetwork Distributed Switch creation.
Add later	No hosts are added to the vDS at this time. You must add hosts to the vDS before adding network adapters. You can add network adapters from the host configuration page of the vSphere Client by using the Manage Hosts functionality or by using Host Profiles.

Click Next.

(Optional) Choose Automatically create a default port group.

This option creates a static binding port group with 128 ports. For systems with complex port group requirements, skip the default port group and create a new dvPort group after you have finished adding the vNetwork Distributed Switch.

Review the vNetwork Distributed Switch diagram to ensure proper configuration and click Finish.