Port Group Configuration for Virtual Machines

You can add or modify a virtual machine port group to set up traffic management on a set of virtual machines.

The Add Networking wizard in the vSphere Client guides you through the process to create a virtual network to which virtual machines can connect, including creating a vSphere Standard Switch and configuring settings for a network label.

When you set up virtual machine networks, consider whether you want to migrate the virtual machines in the network between hosts. If so, ensure that the same broadcast domain is accessible by both hosts—that is, the same Layer 2 subnet.

ESXi does not support virtual machine migration between hosts in different broadcast domains because the migrated virtual machine might require systems and resources that it would no longer have access to in the new network. Even if your network configuration is set up as a high-availability environment or includes intelligent switches that can resolve the virtual machine’s needs across different networks, you might experience lag times as the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table updates and resumes network traffic for the virtual machines.

Virtual machines reach physical networks through uplink adapters. A vSphere Standard Switch can transfer data to external networks only when one or more network adapters are attached to it. When two or more adapters are attached to a single standard switch, they are transparently teamed.