A distributed port group specifies port configuration options for each member port on a vSphere distributed switch. Distributed port groups define how a connection is made to a network.

Distributed Port Group Creation in NSX

When you install Distributed Security to a vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS), the Distributed Virtual port groups (DVPG) and DVports of the VDS are discovered and objects are automatically created to represent them in NSX. For details, see Install Distributed Security for vSphere Distributed Switch.

Important:

The objects created in NSX Manager for the DVPGs are called distributed port groups. They are not called segments in the UI.

The objects created in NSX Manager for the DVports are called distributed ports. They are not called segment ports in the UI.

Also, the following events occur during the Distributed Security installation:

  • The VLAN tags for the DVPG are automatically discovered and shown in NSX Manager. The VLAN tags can only be edited in VMware vCenter.
  • The default segment profiles are applied to the distributed port groups. You can later switch them to custom profiles.
  • Only connected DVports from VMware vCenter are discovered by NSX. Free DVports are not discovered.

After the Distributed Security installation, you can view these objects by navigating to Networking > Segments, and then selecting the Distributed Port Groups tab.

The distributed port group and distributed port objects are kept in sync between VMware vCenter and NSX. This means that if DVPGs or DVports are created or removed in VMware vCenter, then those changes are automatically made to the respective distributed port groups or distributed ports in NSX Manager. If changes are made in VMware vCenter while connectivity is lost between VMware vCenter and NSX, those changes are automatically processed and reflected in NSX Manager when connectivity is restored.

Available Actions for Distributed Port Groups and Distributed Ports

You can perform the following actions for distributed port groups and distributed ports in NSX Manager:

Object Available Actions
Distributed port groups
  • Apply SpoofGuard.
  • Apply IP Discovery.
  • Apply switch security profile.
  • Add and remove tags which allows the distributed port group to be added to dynamic NSGroups.
  • Add and remove the distributed port group from static NSGroups.
Distributed ports
  • Add and remove tags which allows distributed ports to be added to dynamic NSGroups.
  • Add and remove distributed ports from static NSGroups.
  • Manage address bindings.