With the release of VMware vSphere 5.1, VMware brings a number of powerful new features and enhancements to the networking capabilities in the VMware vSphere platform. The following diagram provides a list of new features in different categories
The main thing I would like to highlight is that the operational improvements in VDS will help customers to go away from the hybrid virtual switch design approach, where management traffic is carried on vSphere Standard Switch (VSS) and all other traffic flows through vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS). The Rollback and Recovery and Configuration Backup and Restore features address some of the operational concerns customers had about VDS and thus simplifies the virtual network operational aspects. Going forward with vSphere 5.1 all things on VDS is the way to go !
For more details about all the new features please take a look at the What’s New paper here. In the coming weeks, I will dive down into each feature and provide more technical details. So please stay tuned.
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Can we upgrade to vSphere 5.1 while using View 5.1 or do we have to wait for a View update?
Jim, I am not that familiar with the View environment upgrade and its dependency on vSphere upgrades. Hope this documents helps you http://pubs.vmware.com/view-51/topic/com.vmware.ICbase/PDF/view-51-upgrades.pdf.
Hi Jim, View 5.1 still does not support vSphere 5.1. Keep an eye on release notes to check this: https://www.vmware.com/support/view51/doc/view-511-release-notes.html
I hear VMware talking up VDS all the time and it would be great to use it, but since it’s an Enterprise Plus feature I’m not able to and how many customers are actaully using it?
Also it seems from all that I’ve read, all the networking enhancements were to VDS and there weren’t really any to vSwtich. Is that the case?
James, There is no break down available but more and more people are using VDS now. There is one feature that has made to standard switch as well is the BPDU filter. This is a host level feature and allows you to stop the BPDU packets generated from virtual machines.
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You mean ERSPAN and not ERSAPN!!!!
Yes. Thanks for pointing that out. I just fixed it.
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Any consideration that need to be taken when upgrading from vSphere 5.0 to 5.1 in an environment with Cisco 1000V switches? Are there any doc’s on that?
Thanks
When will the “What’s New 5.1″ class come out?
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