What is the function of the Distributed Switch in VMware vSphere?

The function of the Distributed Switch in VMware vSphere is to centralize network management across all hosts. This design allows administrators to manage networking for multiple hosts from a single interface, simplifying the process of configuring and managing virtual networks. With a Distributed Switch, networking policies can be applied at a data center level rather than having to configure each individual host separately. This leads to improved consistency and compliance across the virtual networking environment, making management more efficient and reducing the risk of configuration errors.

Centralized management also facilitates better monitoring and performance optimization, allowing for features like traffic shaping, network I/O control, and port mirroring to be uniformly applied across virtual machines hosted on different ESXi hosts. The Distributed Switch is particularly beneficial in environments with many hosts and virtual machines, as it enhances the scalability and ease of management in complex networking scenarios.