Some embodiments of the invention provide a failover capability in a computer system that employs multiple paths to transfer information between virtual machines and a network, without introducing a driver component to provide this capability. For example, some embodiments of the invention provide a networking virtual switch client capable of direct communication between a networking stack implemented by a virtual machine operating system and components comprising either a direct path or a synthetic path to a network interface controller coupled to a network. The networking virtual switch client may be capable of determining which of the paths to employ for a given communication, such as by determining that a synthetic path should be employed if a direct path is not available.