---
title: "Managing Switches"
slug: "managing-switches"
tags: ["5.5"]
updated: 2026-10-27T23:00:54Z
published: 2026-10-27T23:00:54Z
canonical: "docs.vastdata.com/managing-switches"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vastdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Managing Switches

VMS displays switches that are either added manually or automatically discovered through [switch monitoring](/docs-5-5/docs/ethernet-network-monitoring).

In order to fetch and display all switch properties, you need to provide the credentials for logging into the switch operating system.

## Adding a Switch to VMS

> [!NOTE]
> Notice
> 
> Switches may be discovered automatically. See [Ethernet Network Monitoring](/docs-5-5/docs/ethernet-network-monitoring).

- [Adding a Switch from the VAST Web UI](/docs-5-5/docs/managing-switches#adding-a-switch-from-the-vast-web-ui)
- [Adding a Switch from the VAST CLI](/docs-5-5/docs/managing-switches#adding-a-switch-from-the-vast-cli)

### Adding a Switch from the VAST Web UI

1. Go to the Infrastructure page and select the Switches tab.
2. Click Add New Switch.
3. Complete the fields:

| IP | The switch's management IP. |
| --- | --- |
| Username | A user name for administrating the switch OS. |
| Password | The password for the provided user name. |
4. Click Create.

### Adding a Switch from the VAST CLI

To add a switch, use the [switch add](/docs-5-5/docs/switch-add) command.

## Modifying Switch Credentials

### Modifying Switch Credentials from the VAST Web UI

1. In the Switches tab of the Infrastructure page, right-click the switch and select Edit.
2. Enter the user name and password for the switch in the fields provided.
3. Click Update.

### Modifying Switch Credentials from the VAST CLI

To modify switch credentials, use the [switch modify](/docs-5-5/docs/switch-modify) command.

## Viewing Switch Properties

- [Viewing Switch Properties from the VAST Web UI](/docs-5-5/docs/managing-switches#viewing-switch-properties-from-the-vast-web-ui)
- [Viewing Switch Properties from the VAST CLI](/docs-5-5/docs/managing-switches#viewing-switch-properties-from-the-vast-cli)

### Viewing Switch Properties from the VAST Web UI

Switch properties are displayed in the Switches tab of the Infrastructure page. The properties of each switch port are displayed in the Switch Ports tab of the Infrastructure page.

The following properties can be shown per switch, depending which columns you choose to display. Switches must first be added manually or through OTEL discovery.

| ID | The VMS ID of the switch. |
| --- | --- |
| Name | The descriptive name of the switch. |
| Title | The descriptive name of the switch. |
| Hostname | The switch hostname. |
| IP | The management IP address of the switch. |
| Model | The switch model. |
| Serial Number | The serial number of the switch. |
| Firmware Version | The firmware version running on the switch. |
| State | The switch state. Values vary according to vendor. |
| Type | Switch type. Possible values: arista, mellanox, mellanox-os, aruba, cumulus, unknown |

The following properties can be shown per switch port:

| ID | The VMS ID of the switch port. |
| --- | --- |
| Name | The interface name of the port on the switch OS. |
| Title | A composite title that includes the *Model* value and the *Name* value. |
| Model | The mode in which the port is configured. Possible values: PORT, MLAG, CHANNEL |
| Speed | The speed configured on the port. |
| MTU | The MTU configured on the port. |
| State | The state of the port, as fetched from the switch. Values may very with vendor. |
| Switch | The switch to which the port belongs. Click the switch to see it in the Switches tab. |

### Viewing Switch Properties from the VAST CLI

To display switches and their properties, use the [switch list](/docs-5-5/docs/switch-list) and [switch show](/docs-5-5/docs/switch-show) commands.

To display switch ports and their properties, use the [port list](/docs-5-5/docs/port-list) and [port show](/docs-5-5/docs/port-show) commands.