This will just be a quick post to cover the corresponding VCAP-DCA objective. Along with the dvSwitch, you can also make use of 3rd party virtual switches (which sit on top of the dvSwitch, but allow additional functionality). Currently the only supported/available vendor supplied virtual switch is the Cisco Nexus 1000v. The intention of this post isn’t to go into the installation or configuration of the Nexus 1000v, but to mention some of the similarities and differences when compared to the built-in dvSwitch.
- Both the vDS and the Cisco Nexus 1000v require Enterprise Plus Licensing
- The Nexus 1000v requires additional licencing from Cisco.
- vDS is managed using the vSphere client, whereas the Cisco Nexus 1000v is managed like a physical Cisco switch (Cisco IOS and network management tools).
- The Nexus 1000v uses a virtual supervisor module and a virtual ethernet module. The supervisor modules are installed as virtual appliances.
The main advantage to using the Nexus 1000v is that the virtual switches can be managed as if they are part of the physical switch infrastructure, with the same management and monitoring tools. This allows an organisation’s networking team to take ownership of the networking infrastructure of the virtual machines, and allows for features present in Cisco IOS that aren’t available on VMware’s dvSwitch.
Useful Links and Resources
https://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps9441/ps9902/solution_overview_c22-526262.pdf
https://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2011/06/vds-vs-cisco-n1k.html
https://popravak.wordpress.com/2012/12/11/vmware-vsphere-distributed-switch-cisco-nexus-1000v/