Using port mirroring on a vSphere Distributed Switch

Port mirroring is a functionality that allows cloning of vNIC network traffic to another port or uplink (destination) on the dvSwitch. This is particularly useful when you have a packet analyzer or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) deployed on the network. Port mirroring can only be enabled on a vSphere Distributed Switch and not on a vSphere Standard Switch.

Getting ready

Before you learn how to configure port mirroring it is important to have an good understanding of the mirroring methods and the supported source/destinations.

The following table compares the select source/destination options available based on the mirror session types, which will help you decide on the correct type of mirror session required:

Mirroring session type	Available sources type	Available destination type
Distributed port mirroring	dvPorts	dvPorts
Remote mirroring source	dvPorts	Uplinks
Remote mirroring destination	VLAN ID	dvPorts
Encapsulated remote mirroring (L3) source	dvPorts...