1. A method comprising: creating at a network device comprising a distributed virtual switch, a port profile defining a common set of configuration policies for automatic application to one or more interfaces comprising virtual machine interfaces of one or more virtual machines; exporting said port profile to a management station; receiving at the distributed virtual switch, a mapping of said port profile to said one or more interfaces from the management station; configuring at the network device, said one or more interfaces according to said mapping and said port configuration policies of said port profile; associating said port profile with a parent port profile so that said port profile inherits port configuration policies associated with said parent profile in an inheritance chain formed through static mapping between port profiles, wherein said one or more interfaces are configured according to said inherited port configuration policies; and receiving a change to said port profile, wherein said change propagates to all of said interfaces associated with said port profile; wherein said port profile is configured such that two of said virtual machine interfaces at one of the virtual machines may be mapped to different port profiles.