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m1xed0s
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Logical Switch vs Distributed Switch

I guess I am confused OR maybe I did not read enough of NSX. Why do I use logical switch over distributed switch? Assuming I only have 200-VLAN, 10-host and one vCenter. The 10-host are located in two different datacenters.

Do I use Logical switch with NSX or VDS?

BTW, even with NSX, VDS is still required, right?

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vmwsmitmartijn
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Hi,

Short answer is: you use both with NSX.

The Distributed Switch is the construct where NSX builds its Logical Switches. The Logical Switches are basically separate port groups on the VDS and the VDS translates the traffic on those port groups to VXLAN traffic.

I know it's a long read, but have a look at the design guide (http://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/products/nsx/vmw-nsx-network-virtua...), which explains the components of NSX.

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vmwsmitmartijn
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Hi,

Short answer is: you use both with NSX.

The Distributed Switch is the construct where NSX builds its Logical Switches. The Logical Switches are basically separate port groups on the VDS and the VDS translates the traffic on those port groups to VXLAN traffic.

I know it's a long read, but have a look at the design guide (http://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/products/nsx/vmw-nsx-network-virtua...), which explains the components of NSX.

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m1xed0s
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Thanks, I guess maybe I am just terminology confusing now...

So do I put VM onto logical switch OR onto PG of VDS?

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vmwsmitmartijn
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You should put the VM on the Logical Switch (vCenter -> Networking & Security -> Logical Switches -> Select Logical Switch -> Add VMs).

Keep in mind that in the background the VM will be attached to a port group (related to the LS) on the VDS.

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m1xed0s
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Okey. So do I create the PG on the VDS first before creating logical switch OR creating logical switch will auto create the PG?

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vmwsmitmartijn
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After doing the initial installation, do all networking tasks inside the Networking & Security tab. Creating a Logical Switch will automatically create a port group and attaching a VM to a Logical Switch will automatically attach it to the right port group.

m1xed0s
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Now I am not confused anymore Smiley Happy

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chay2263
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In the NSX world, you can think of a logical switch as a separate VLAN within your virtual environment ONLY. When you deploy a new logical switch, a corresponding PG is created on the vDS with the name "virtualwire" and a VNI (Virtual Network Identifier) number ranging from 5000-16777216. If you don't need your VMs to communicate outside of the virtual environment then just forget about manually created port groups on the vDS all together so as not to confuse you. If you do however need to communicate outside of the virtual environment then you will need some type of VLAN backed PG created on the vDS. Your NSX edge will connect to this port group to enable routing in and out of the virtual environment.

Chestin Hay vExpert;VCIX6-NV,VCP6-DCV;VCP6-NV,VCP6-CMA https://www.letsv4real.com https://www.twitter.com/letsv4real
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CarlosDias2024
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Sorry for this question, but is it possible to implement a NSX-T solution, not using Distributed Switches?

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