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vEth – virtual Ethernet

Forrest Stroud
Last Updated May 24, 2021 7:58 am

Virtual Ethernet (vEth) is a virtual interface within a network switch that dynamically provisions virtual machine (VM) operations based on network policies stored in the switch. The IEEE 802.1Qbg working group is responsible for developing the official virtual Ethernet (vEth) specification, and is tasked with creating a virtual Ethernet standard that will provide access for network controls in virtualized environments comparable to the controls available in physical networks.

The Virtual Ethernet (vEth) Standard

The virtual Ethernet (vEth) standard is expected to include a virtual Ethernet port aggregator, or VEPA, as well as Ethernet virtual bridging (EVB), in addition to other technologies that facilitate connecting VMs to an external network. More than two dozen companies are contributing to the virtual Ethernet standards effort, including Cisco, HP, Dell, EMC, IBM and BLADE Network Technologies.