VCP-DCV Configure and Manage vSphere Networking Practice Question
An administrator is configuring a vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) with multiple uplinks. The administrator wants to ensure that a single virtual machine's traffic uses only one physical uplink at a time to avoid out-of-order packet delivery. Which vDS teaming policy should the administrator select?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that IP hash or physical NIC load is better for performance, but they can cause out-of-order delivery for a single VM.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Route based on originating virtual port ID
Route based on originating virtual port ID pins each virtual machine's traffic to a single uplink, ensuring that packets from that VM are not spread across multiple uplinks and thus avoiding out-of-order delivery. IP hash and physical NIC load can distribute a VM's flows across uplinks, and explicit failover order does not provide per-VM distribution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Route based on originating virtual port ID
Why this is correct
Route based on originating virtual port ID assigns each virtual machine's virtual port to a specific uplink. All traffic from that VM uses the same uplink, ensuring in-order delivery. This policy is the default and is suitable for most workloads that do not require more than one uplink's bandwidth.
- ✗
Use explicit failover order
Why it's wrong here
Explicit failover order uses a list of active and standby uplinks, and all traffic uses the highest-priority active uplink. While it ensures a single uplink is used, it does not distribute traffic across multiple uplinks for different VMs; it is primarily for failover, not for per-VM pinning. The requirement is to avoid out-of-order delivery for a single VM, which is achieved by port ID routing.
- ✗
Route based on IP hash
Why it's wrong here
Route based on IP hash uses a hash of the source and destination IP addresses to select an uplink. For a single VM, different flows can be hashed to different uplinks, potentially causing out-of-order packet delivery if multiple flows are active. It is used for link aggregation but does not guarantee single-uplink usage per VM.
- ✗
Route based on physical NIC load
Why it's wrong here
Route based on physical NIC load dynamically balances traffic by moving flows between uplinks based on uplink utilization. This can cause a single VM's traffic to switch uplinks, leading to out-of-order packet delivery. It is designed for load balancing, not for maintaining a consistent path per VM.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official VMware exam blueprint
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