Virtual Switch Number and Configuration

Create a single virtual switch per cluster. For each type of network traffic, configure a port group to simplify configuration and monitoring.

Table 1. Design Decisions on Virtual Switch Type and Configuration

Decision ID	Design Decision	Design Justification	Design Implication
SDDC-VI-NET-001	Use vSphere Distributed Switches (VDSs).	vSphere Distributed Switches simplify management.	Migration from a standard switch to a distributed switch requires a minimum of two physical NICs to maintain redundancy.
SDDC-VI-NET-002	Use a single vSphere Distributed Switch per cluster.	Reduces complexity of the network design. Reduces the size of the fault domain.	Increases the number of vSphere Distributed Switches that must be managed.
SDDC-VI-NET-003	Use ephemeral port binding for the management port group.	Using ephemeral port binding provides the option for recovery of the vCenter Server instance that is managing the distributed switch.	Port-level permissions and controls are lost across power cycles, and no historical context is saved.
SDDC-VI-NET-004	Use static port binding for all non-management port groups.	Static binding ensures a virtual machine connects to the same port on the vSphere Distributed Switch. This allows for historical data and port level monitoring .	None.